‘Y’all are going to be like ‘What?’

BEIJING — Over the past few days, Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff were among the stars who took part in activities at the China Open.

As the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz arrives in Beijing, we’ve rounded up the top quotes and best moments.

Aryna Sabalenka

The best:

Noteworthy

“I’m really excited to play the last, probably, three events of the year. At the US Open, it was kind of the moment when I started to feel healthier and stronger. I really enjoyed playing tennis. I got back to my mindset. Physically I got better.”

Zheng Qinwen

The best

Noteworthy

“I congratulated her on her championship, and of course the championship last year, because these are really great achievements for the Chinese juniors. When I was a junior, I wasn’t able to do that. 

“The second thing is I told her after one or two years that I will see you more often on the tour. She is very talented. I hope that in China we can see more similar players to elevate Chinese tennis to a higher level.” — on 16-year-old junior No. 1 Sun Xinran, who won the US Open girls title 

Coco Gauff

The best

Noteworthy

“Playing here in China is such a unique experience because I feel in Asia, there’s so much history here in China, so much culture here. Especially being from the U.S. — I think obviously we’re old — but China’s a really old country.

“I think it’s really cool to experience things like going to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, feeling the history there. I’m someone who enjoys learning about that.”

Sun Xinran

The best

Noteworthy

“[Zheng] was down in the score, and she just fought, and she won that match. [The next match] she did the same. I just think her mentality is so good, and I want to be that player to fight, even if I have 0-5 down or set for the opponent.” — on her idol Zheng defeating Emma Navarro and Angelique Kerber at the 2024 Olympics