Zheng Qinwen clinched the China Open title on Sunday, beating Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in straight sets to become the first Chinese woman to win the tournament. The victory at the Beijing WTA 1000 event ended a long wait for a home winner and marked Zheng’s first title since 2024.
The match was tightly contested from the start. Zheng saved three set points in the opening set before winning the final 11 points to close it out. She maintained momentum into the second set, securing the win in front of an enthusiastic Beijing crowd. The Russian teenager Andreeva, seeded fourth, could not find a way back as Zheng held her nerve.
Zheng’s triumph carries added significance given her recent struggles. The former world No 4 and Olympic gold medallist had been sidelined by elbow surgery in 2025, and at one point this year she had dropped as low as 122nd in the WTA rankings. Her comeback has been gradual, and this title signals a return to form on a prominent stage.
This is Zheng’s first WTA 1000 title. Prior to this, she had won five career singles titles and claimed gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Asian player to win an Olympic singles tennis gold medal. Her China Open victory puts her name alongside the elite in Chinese tennis history, following in the footsteps of Li Na, the only other Chinese woman to reach the top five in WTA singles rankings.
The Beijing crowd’s reaction was intense, with cheers and tears marking the moment. Zheng entered the tournament as a wildcard, a rare position for a player of her calibre but reflective of her recent ranking drop. Her resilience through the early stages of the event and the final was clear.
Throughout the tournament, Zheng had shown strong form, winning eight of the final 10 games in the semi-final to reach the final on home soil. Against Andreeva, she carried that momentum, deploying her aggressive baseline game and calm under pressure to outlast the younger opponent.
The China Open itself is one of the WTA’s premier events, classified as a WTA 1000 tournament, attracting the top women’s players from around the world. Zheng’s victory on home soil adds to the prestige of the event and signals a resurgence for Chinese women’s tennis on the global stage.
No further details on Zheng’s immediate plans have been confirmed, but this win will boost her ranking and confidence as the season moves toward its conclusion. The tournament’s doubles title was won earlier by Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, who upset the top seeds.
According to BBC Sports.
