Peng Shuai situation explained: WTA suspends all tournaments in China amid censorship of former world No. 1

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai went missing for 18 days after accusing former Chinese Communist party leader Zhang Gaoili of sexual assault back on Nov. 2. The allegations and her subsequent disappearance caused the tennis community, White House and multiple other prominent international organizations to jump to her defense. 

The former French Open and Wimbledon doubles champion claimed retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli forced her into sex three years ago in a since-deleted online post to the Chinese social-media site Weibo. Peng has not been seen in public since, aside from a heavily-scrutinized video Chinese state media released of her at a Beijing restaurant on Saturday and an alleged video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee on Sunday.

The WTA has actively pressured China into confirming Peng’s safety and investigating her allegations, and on Dec. 1 took its strongest step yet by suspending all tournaments in the country. The White House, United Nations and European Union also came to Peng’s defense, calling for investigations into her allegations and disappearance. 

Peng’s tennis peers have been equally supportive, with Novak Djokovic calling her disappearance “shocking” and Chris Evert describing the entire situation as “disturbing.” Billie Jean King wrote that she hopes Peng, a former world No. 1, is found safe while Alize Cornet added “Let’s not remain silent” with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai. 

The most prominent women’s tennis player on the planet, Naomi Osaka, tweeted that she is “in shock of the current situation” and is “sending love and light her way.” 

Serena Williams, the sport’s preeminent force long before Osaka, shared the same picture of Peng with an equally concerned sentiment. 

Here’s a chronological look at how the entire situation with Peng has unfolded, starting with the latest updates: 

Dec. 1: WTA suspends all…