A year after her impressive semifinal run at the WTA Wuhan Open, Wang Xinyu is aiming for a more consistent performance in this year's tournament.

"Coming back to Wuhan makes me really happy - I have so many great memories here," Wang told a pre-tournament press conference on Sunday.

"Last year I played well, and over the past few days I've been preparing hard. I hope I can put on a good performance tomorrow."

Wang lost to fellow Chinese player and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in last year's all-Chinese semifinal.

The 24-year-old's 2025 season got off to a rocky start, with a string of early exits - including a first-round loss at the Australian Open. She began to find her rhythm by reaching the round of 32 at Indian Wells but soon hit another slump.

Her turning point came at the WTA 500 event in Berlin in June, where she fought through qualifying rounds and won six consecutive matches. Wang upset newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff and Spain's Paula Badosa before falling to former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.

"Berlin was a big breakthrough for me," Wang said. "This season has been full of highs and lows, but I've learned a lot - not just about tennis, but about myself as a person."

"Before Berlin my form wasn't good," she added. "But I managed to stay patient and fight through. That experience helped me change my mindset - I stopped focusing too much on point by point and started enjoying the process again."

Since then, Wang has reached at least the second round at every tournament she has played in, including Wimbledon and the US Open. She also represented China at the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen and competed at the China Open in Beijing.

With Zheng withdrawing from the Wuhan event due to fitness issues, Wang now enters the tournament as the highest-ranked local player in the main draw. She will kick off her campaign against a qualifier, with a potential match against third-seeded Gauff in the next round.