Peng Shuai became the first Chinese tennis player to reach the world No. 1 ranking in February 2014. She achieved the milestone in women’s doubles, moving to the top of the WTA doubles rankings on February 17 after a successful run with Hsieh Su-wei.
The wording “first Chinese tennis player” includes players of any gender and either singles or doubles. Peng’s achievement therefore came before any Chinese player had reached No. 1 in singles, and it was a landmark moment for Chinese tennis. She had already established herself as a strong doubles competitor, using a distinctive two-handed style on both sides of the court.
Peng and Hsieh won the 2013 Wimbledon women’s doubles title, then captured the 2014 French Open. Those results helped propel Peng to the top ranking. She also reached the singles semifinals at the 2014 U.S. Open, her best performance in a major singles tournament.
A common mix-up is Li Na, who became China’s first Grand Slam singles champion and reached No. 2 in the singles rankings. Li Na was never the first Chinese player to reach No. 1; that distinction belongs to Peng in doubles.