Already the biggest and, arguably, the most influential tennis event in Asia, the China Open has set itself an even higher benchmark, as organizers roll out a strategic roadmap to build it into an unofficial "fifth Slam".

Of course, there's never been a serious discussion by the International Tennis Federation of adding a fifth showpiece event to the longstanding four majors.

The China Open's progress over the past 20 years, however, has turned any jeers aimed at its inaugural vision to join the world's best, set in 2004 when tennis remained a niche pastime in China, into cheers for its deserved current status as a cornerstone of the sport's professional circuit, on both the men's and women's sides.

As the biggest ATP and WTA combined event in Asia, the China Open has secured strong attendance, a top-notch field of players, lucrative sponsorship deals and international exposure, highlighted by the unprecedented success of its 2025 edition, following home star Zheng Qinwen's historic golden victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Tournament organizers, though, have refused to slow down as they pledged to tap deeper into the potential of facility upgrades, service improvements, commercial operations and international reach to close the gap between their own event, still in its relative 20-plusyear infancy, and the established, century-old majors.

The renewed ambition was made public during a recent news conference, where organizers announced a comprehensive mid-and-long-term strategic blueprint centered on five pillars — high-level competition, premium service, exceptional fan experience, technological innovation and high-value social and economic contributions — to transform the tournament in the national capital into a global sporting landmark.

"It feels like we are rowing against the current. If we stay where we are, we fall back, so we cannot afford to sit still," Li Xuhua, general manager of China Open Promotion Ltd, said after unveiling the plan on April 17.

"Our goal is not just to close in on the Grand Slams in terms of scale and prestige, but to build a world-class event with Chinese characteristics, one that defines the new height of Asian tennis and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the sport's most iconic tournaments."

The expansion of player spaces, providing more facilities and customized services for their fitness, leisure and entertainment needs, and to create more immersive fan zones, while promoting citywide consumption networks that link the tournament to hotels, restaurants, malls and sightseeing are among priorities on the strategic plan, according to Li, citing a study of the four majors, as well as other esteemed event combinations, such as the "Sunshine Double" in Indian Wells and Miami in the United States.

The tournament will be expanded into a four-week extravaganza this year, running from Sept 13 to Oct 11 — and will include a new ITF MT400 event, open to amateurs, that was added to the program last year — fully covering the country's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday breaks.

Greater commercial success is also expected, according to Li, who revealed last month that heavyweight new partners are in line to join the tournament's already loaded sponsorship roster.

"We're not going for profit, though. The strong financial prospect is consolidating our confidence, and will be great support for our tournament upgrade project," said Li.

Booming market

As the central government pushes the development of the sports sector as a new driver for economic growth into the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, researchers and industry observers remain bullish on the extra potential for the China Open to step up a gear.

Wang Xueli, director of Tsinghua University's center for development of the sports industry, said the China Open's five-pillar upgrade framework aligns with the best practices of elite international tournaments.

"By upgrading competition quality, fan experience and infrastructure simultaneously, the China Open is moving beyond short-term performance to build a sustainable operational model," Wang said.

Wang added that integrating professional and amateur events, as well as cultural and consumption elements, will expand the tournament's audience base and commercial touchpoints, reinforcing its role as a flagship sports entertainment IP for China's sports industry.

The surging public demand for sports entertainment, not necessarily as direct participants, has also boded well for the entire tennis market as a whole.

From September to November last year, nine tour-level tournaments on the men's and women's pro circuits were held across China, highlighted by the top-flight WTA1000 China Open in Beijing and the equivalent ATP Masters event in Shanghai, drawing a massive fan following, media exposure and sponsorship interest during the autumn "China Swing".

Combined revenues of the nine tournaments exceeded 1 billion yuan ($146.7 million), with total ticket revenue setting a new record of 250 million yuan, according to figures released by the tennis administrative center under the General Administration of Sport of China at the end of last year.

Drawn by a glittering cast of international stars, despite the injury-enforced early retirement of home star Zheng, last year's China Open registered all-time-high spectator attendances of 360,000, who contributed to a record ticket sales revenue of 88 million yuan.

Zhang Qing, founder of Key-Solution Sports Consultancy, said the China Open's strategic shift from scale to quality is happening at the right time.

"In a crowded global tennis calendar, standing out requires both on-court excellence and off-court commercial innovation," Zhang said.

"Extending the calendar, launching a membership ecosystem and adopting a 'sports-plus-consumption' model directly improve monetization efficiency and sponsor value.

"This makes the China Open more attractive to global players, broadcasters and brands, creating a cycle of competitiveness and profitability."