Ann Li ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title after beating Lulu Sun in the Guangzhou Open final on October 26, 2025. The American’s straight-sets victory in China drew praise from several tennis stars who took to social media to celebrate her achievement.
The 25-year-old from Pennsylvania posted about her win on Instagram, thanking her team and supporters, and her post attracted warm messages from top players.
Coco Gauff Among Players to Congratulate Ann Li on Guangzhou Triumph
The second seed faced qualifier Lulu Sun in the final at the Nansha International Tennis Center, with the opening set stretching beyond an hour as both players held firm on serve. Li saved all five break points she faced, and the set went to a tiebreak where she trailed 3-0 before fighting back. She had four set points but couldn’t capitalize on them, leading to a tiebreak where she finally took the first set 7-6(6).
The second set saw Li break free as she broke Sun’s serve three times to cruise through 6-2. The American wrapped up the match in one hour and 41 minutes, marking her first title since Tenerife 2021, and came after losing two finals this year.
Following the victory, Li shared her joy on Instagram with her trophy and thanked her team. She wrote: “A 2nd WTA title in the books. Third times a charm this year I guess. Thank you to the team @carlos_boluda @silvanaaramoss @jlhdezdavo grateful to have you guys by my side. Thank you for the support here in china, one more to go.”
The post quickly attracted congratulatory messages from fellow tennis players. Coco Gauff wrote “congrats” with a party emoji, while Clara Tauson kept it short with “Yessir.” Former Grand Slam semifinalist Jennifer Brady commented, “Yay Ann!!”, and Alison Riske-Amritraj showed her support with “Let’s go !!!!!!! 🔥❤️,” while American player Kristie Ahn celebrated with “YERRRRRRR.”
Li now heads to the Jiangxi Open in Jiujiang as the top seed, where she is set to face Zhuoxuan Bai in the round of 32 on Tuesday. Bai entered with a protected ranking and has struggled recently, while Li will be the heavy favorite as she looks to build on her success in Guangzhou.
Li’s Perfect Week at Guangzhou Open
Li had a perfect week at the tournament as she didn’t drop a set during her run to the title. She opened with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva before defeating Camila Osorio 7-5, 6-2 in the round of 16. She then overcame Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Her semifinal against Shuai Zhang lasted just 26 minutes as Zhang retired while trailing 5-2. The easy passage helped Li conserve energy for her clash with Sun, who had played six matches as a qualifier.
The victory moves Li up to World No. 37, a career-high ranking, and who credited her coach, Carlos Boluda, hired earlier this year, for helping turn her season around.