Zheng Makes History in Beijing
Zheng Qinwen defeated Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday in Beijing to become the first Chinese woman to reach the China Open final. The match lasted 1 hour and 32 minutes. Zheng, a wild card entry, ended a streak of seven semifinal losses for Chinese players at the event. She won eight of the last ten games after withstanding a late surge from Mertens in the opening set. The victory sends Zheng to her 11th WTA Tour final and her second at the WTA 1000 level.[S1][S2]
Zheng's run to the final has been arduous. Each of her first four matches went to a third set, including wins over No. 15 seed Anna Kalinskaya, No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova, and Alina Charaeva, who had upset Elena Rybakina earlier in the tournament. She then defeated No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina in straight sets to reach the semifinals. Zheng, who dropped to No. 125 at the beginning of August, has risen to No. 28 in the Live Rankings. She struck 32 winners against Mertens while committing 16 unforced errors. Her 219 winners in Beijing are the most by any player at a single WTA event this season, surpassing Karolina Muchova's 210 at Wimbledon. Since Opta began tracking the statistic in 2021, Zheng is the third player to hit 200 or more winners at a WTA 1000 event, joining Aryna Sabalenka (231 in Madrid in 2024) and Elena Rybakina (204 in Miami in 2024).[S1][S2]
Andreeva Awaits in the Final
Zheng will face No. 4 seed Mirra Andreeva in the final. Andreeva, the reigning Roland Garros champion, advanced earlier Saturday with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Nikola Bartunkova to reach her first China Open final. The 19-year-old arrives at the title match with a new career-high ranking of No. 3. Zheng won her only previous meeting with Andreeva, rallying from a set down in the 2024 China Open quarterfinals. Zheng is playing for her first title since she won the 2024 Tokyo title.[S1][S2]
Zheng said she is glad to be the first Chinese woman to reach the Beijing final but noted the battle is not over. She described Andreeva as a tough and consistent opponent who is always fighting, and said she expects a hard battle. Zheng also said she believes her best tennis is ahead of her, explaining that the more matches she plays, the freer and better her tennis becomes. She added that she has been playing aggressively, which was her goal, while also being consistent. Andreeva, for her part, has had a strong tournament, dropping just four games in her semifinal win.[S1][S2]
