Zheng Qinwen won the Zheng Qinwen China Open title on Sunday, beating Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in Beijing to become the first Chinese player to capture the WTA event. The victory, Zheng’s first in two years, came in front of her home crowd and capped a season defined by injury and recovery.
Zheng entered the tournament as a wild card ranked No. 54 in the world, a steep drop from the career-high No. 4 she held last year before an elbow injury to her dominant right arm sidelined her for nearly six months. The title is her sixth overall and her first at the WTA 1000 level, according to the BBC.
How Zheng Secured The China Open Title
The final turned on a dramatic opening set. Zheng trailed 5-4 and faced three set points before reeling off 11 consecutive points to close out the set 7-5, according to Sky Sports.
In the second set, the match stayed tight until 4-4, when Andreeva saved three break points on her own serve. Zheng broke through in the following game and served out the match, closing it with an ace to Andreeva’s backhand side on her first match point. She dropped to the court in tears as the Beijing crowd celebrated with her, per FOX Sports.
“The feeling was incredible. To win here in Beijing in front of my home crowd is one of my dreams. I’ve been through a very, very tough year,” Zheng said afterward, according to the BBC. After her on-court speech, she sang karaoke for the fans who stayed to watch.
What The Win Means For Zheng’s Season
The result marks Zheng’s 14th career win over a top-10 opponent and her third such win this season. Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion, entered the final ranked No. 5 and will still rise to a career-high No. 3 despite the loss, Sky Sports reported.
Zheng, meanwhile, is set to jump 31 spots in the rankings, moving from No. 54 to No. 23 on the strength of the title, according to the BBC.
Context: A Season Of Setbacks And Comebacks
Zheng’s 2026 season followed a standout 2024 in which she reached the Australian Open final, won Olympic singles gold at Roland Garros, and claimed a fifth career title in Japan that October. The elbow injury that followed cost her nearly six months of competition and her top-five ranking, according to the Associated Press.
Zheng showed signs of her previous form at the U.S. Open in August, where she entered as a qualifier and reached the quarterfinals. Along the way she rallied from 5-0 deficits in sets against both Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
What’s Next
With her ranking now climbing back toward No. 23 and a WTA 1000 title in hand, Zheng heads into the remainder of the season with momentum she lacked for much of the year following her injury layoff.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
