The win was also the first time Yuan had beaten someone ranked within the world’s top 10 and also took her record against Chinese athletes for this season to 5-0, earning her the moniker Derby Queen.
On Thursday, the 25-year-old pulled off another upset by beating Russia’s 11th seed Daria Kasatkina, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to make it to the quarter-finals.
“I am extremely happy today, not just because I won but more for believing in myself and hanging in there when I was feeling so tired, physically and mentally,” she told Chinese state media following the win.
“She is a much higher-ranked opponent, while I had nothing to lose … I had no pressure.”
The victory was her ninth straight win, a run that also included securing her first WTA title, winning the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, where she beat Wang Xiyu earlier this month.
The affair was the first all-Chinese final outside Asia since 2006 and meant that Yuan became the 15th player from the mainland to win a WTA title.
She is now ranked No 49 in the world for women’s singles and is the second-highest ranked woman in China.
Yuan could move higher into the 40s once the rankings update, following the conclusion of the Indian Wells Open on Monday.
However, despite defeat marking the end of a stellar six months on the court, Yuan’s recent run of good form was somewhat unexpected.
On September 25 last year, Yuan’s 25th birthday, she lost in the opening round of the Ningbo Open to Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl, even though she was one set up.
In the post-match press conference, Yuan, who hails from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, could not hold back tears of disappointment and told those watching, she would come back stronger and to “remember how I look now”.
By the end of last year, she was ranked outside the top 100, despite making it to the final of the Korea Open in October, losing to Jessica Pegula in straight sets.
Yuan’s change in fortune came at the same time she started working with a new coach, former professional tennis player, Jose Hernandez-Fernandez.
The ATX Open in March was their debut tournament together and the first time Hernandez-Fernandez, from the Dominican Republic, had ever coached a professional.
In an interview with Break Point, Hernandez-Fernandez gave insight into their first meeting and lifting the ATX Open title.
“We met on Sunday at breakfast, and the following Sunday we were lifting the title,” he said. “Chance? Coincidence? I don’t know, I believe in these things a lot.”
The pair have seemingly hit it off outside tennis, too. Following Yuan’s victory over Kasatkina she had the crowd join in to sing him happy birthday.
Yuan burst onto the scene at the US Open in 2022 when she reached the third round as a qualifier, her best result at a major. She continued her good form by qualifying for last year’s Wimbledon.
However, her progress slowed and she suffered a series of early exits, including the Ningbo Open.
Providing there are no fitness issues, Yuan is scheduled to take part in the Miami Open, which starts on March 17.
