It has been a week of comings and goings for tennis in China. At the same time that the country lost its pioneering star, Li Na, to retirement, it played host to two brand-new tournaments: The WTA put on a Premier event in Wuhan, while the ATP inaugurated a 250 in Shenzhen. Li has made her exit, but her effect on the sport in her country lives on. Tennis’s Asian circuit, once little more than a promoters’ dream, becomes more of a reality, and a bigger part of the game, each season.
But it’s still not an easy one for those of us in the States to see. I caught what I could of Wuhan, which had a loaded draw, but my experience of it mostly consisted of waking up in the morning to the news that two, or three, or four more seeds had dropped. For those of you who couldn't catch much live tennis this week, here’s a look at five note-worthy developments that went on while you were sleeping.