Duo standing 7-foot-3 and 6-10 will have teams looking up to China at women’s FIBA World Cup

Opponents preparing for the women’s FIBA World Cup will have to look up to China's formidable duo of Zhang Ziyu and Han Xu. The 19-year-old Zhang, standing at an impressive 7-foot-3, will be the tallest player on the court, a challenge the U.S. and other teams will have to navigate around. The U.S. team has already been familiar with Han, 6-10, from their WNBA games together with the New York Liberty.

Had there been no passport mix-up, another Chinese center, 6-7 Li Yueru, would have joined them. Li expressed her disappointment on social media, stating her passport had been lost in the mail, preventing her from competing in the tournament.

This will be Zhang's world debut, a significant moment as she didn't play in the U.S.'s 2022 World Cup final victory over China in Sydney. Last year, Zhang made her senior debut at the Women’s Asia Cup, contributing 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds and helping China secure a bronze medal.

Han Xu, 26 and the team's oldest player, lauded Zhang's performance at the Asia Cup and expressed her excitement to play alongside her again. "World Cup is a good moment for her, for the whole world to know her," Han told The Associated Press. "I am so excited to play with her again." Han, one of the oldest players in the Chinese roster, assumes the responsibility of guiding her younger teammates, noting Zhang's "soft" heart and young age.