The Capital Securities Beijing Open 2026 got underway on June 17, and the opening day belonged to the host nation. The headline seeds in Men’s and Women’s Singles stayed off the court for now, but China’s players made sure the week started with a statement of their own across the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles draws.
Thomas Yu Doubles Up on Home Soil
China’s Thomas Yu was the standout performer of the day, picking up two wins in front of his home fans. He first teamed with Yufei Long for a strong Mixed Doubles opener, the pair downing Sophia Huynh and Hien Truong 11-5, 11-4. The win carried extra weight since Truong entered the week as the #2 seed in Men’s Singles, making the result a notable scalp for the home pairing. Yu and Long now move on to face the #3 seeds, Christa Gecheva and Hong Kit Wong.
Yu was busy in Men’s Doubles too, partnering USA’s Len Yang after the pair came through qualifying to reach the main draw. They opened with a tight 13-11 first game against Vietnam’s Ho Hoan and Nguyen Hung Anh before closing it out 11-6. The result sets up a step up in class against #3 seeds Kenta Miyoshi and Robert Stirling. There is a longer storyline at play here, too. Any Men’s Doubles medal for Yang this week would put him outright atop the Men’s Doubles medal ladder, where he currently shares the lead with Eric Oncins.
Two wins across two draws made it a near-perfect opening day for Yu, and a strong early signal for the home challenge in Beijing.
The Headline Acts Wait Their Turn
Day 1 belonged to the doubles draws, but the bigger storylines are still to come. Chao Yi Wang and Sahra Dennehy have not yet opened their campaigns, and both are on a path that points toward a rematch of last year’s Hangzhou final, where Dennehy beat Wang 11-7, 11-2 for the title. Wang carries the weight of being the top seed in three events this week. Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Dennehy answers right behind her at #2 in all three. Triple crowns are within reach for both, and they may end up being each other’s biggest obstacle to getting there.
Zane Ford also waits to begin his PPA Tour Asia debut. The world No. 10 enters as the top seed in Men’s Singles, fresh off a singles bronze at the PPA Finals 500 in the United States last month, and now carries the target that comes with being the man everyone else has to catch.
In Men’s Doubles, Hong Kit Wong and Eunggwon Kim are still chasing the one medal that has eluded them as a pair. The duo have collected one silver and four bronze together but no gold so far, and Beijing is their next shot at finally breaking through.
And on home soil, Yufei Long is looking for a turnaround. She won four Women’s Singles golds in 2025, more than anyone else on tour, but heads into Beijing with only a single singles bronze so far in 2026. A good week in front of the home crowd would go a long way toward righting that.
Stay Tuned for Day 2
Day 2 brings the seeds into the draw, and that is when the Capital Securities Beijing Open really starts to bite. With Wang, Dennehy, Ford, and the rest of the headline names finally taking the court, expect the bracket to start taking real shape.
Coverage continues on ThePickleBase as the week unfolds in Beijing. Follow us on Instagram @thepicklebase for live updates from the courts, and if you are looking to sharpen your own doubles game before your next tournament, head over to coach.thepicklebase.com to find a coach who can help.