Zheng Qinwen defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5 6-4 to capture her maiden WTA 1000 title at the China Open in Beijing and become the first Chinese champion of the tournament since its inception in 2004.
Ranked No. 54 and competing as a wildcard, Zheng capped an emotional week with a composed performance in front of her home crowd, securing the sixth WTA Tour title of her career and her first since winning Tokyo in late 2024.
Zheng’s triumph in Beijing is all the more inspiring given the setbacks she has overcome. An elbow injury required surgery in July 2025, forcing her to end her season after playing just one tournament following Wimbledon. In 2026, her ranking slipped to No. 160 not long after a tearful first-round defeat to Maja Chwalinska at Roland Garros. Yet, Zheng never stopped believing in herself! Fighting her way back to the top, she has now secured a return to No. 23 in the rankings, effective Monday.
The China Open final against Andreeva was a tightly contested affair, with Zheng quickly recovering from an early 0-2 deficit to level the opening set at 2-2. She later saved three set points before winning the final 11 points of the set to take it 7-5. The second set began with an exchange of breaks, with the wildcard striking first before Andreeva responded. The Chinese star, who was ranked No. 9 this time last year, eventually secured a decisive late break to seal the victory in one hour and 43 minutes.
Zheng’s powerful serve proved instrumental throughout the tournament. She recorded 51 aces, a total surpassed at a single Tour-level event this season only by world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who hit 54 at the US Open.
Zheng’s path to the trophy opened with a three-set victory over Shi Han before recovering from a set down against Anna Kalinskaya, who retired with Zheng leading 6-7(4) 6-4 3-0. She then overcame Marie Bouzkova 7-6(3) 4-6 7-5 after nearly three hours, followed by a 6-1 2-6 6-4 win over Alina Charaeva.
In the quarterfinals, Zheng defeated world No. 7 Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-6(6) before producing a commanding 7-5 6-2 semifinal victory over Elise Mertens. She then capped her remarkable run by defeating fourth seed Mirra Andreeva, who is projected to climb to a career-high world No. 3 following the tournament. The Russian has already secured her place at this year’s WTA Finals Indian Wells, joining Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Linda Noskova among the qualifiers.
The 24-year-old Zheng wore Nike’s Winter Advantage Tank and Pleat Skirt, paired with Nike Vapor 12 shoes, throughout her title-winning campaign in Beijing.
