Qinwen Zheng Makes History With First China Open Title

The 24-year-old wildcard Qinwen Zheng beat No. 4 seed Mirra Andreeva in this weekend’s China Open final, taking home her first WTA 1000 title in front of a home crowd. This made her the first Chinese woman to win the China Open and ended a two-year title drought, capping off a comeback season following elbow surgery last year.

Qinwen Zheng Beats Mirra Andreeva in China Open Final

Zheng defeated Mirra Andreeva in straight sets (7-5, 6-4) during Sunday’s final at the China Open in Beijing. Andreeva broke first and started off with a 2-0 lead in the match, but Zheng fought back to level the first set. She then saved three set points in the 10th game and won the last 11 points of the set in a row to take it 7-5.

The hometown player then found her rhythm in the second set, earning a late break in the ninth game and holding serve to finish the match in 1 hour and 43 minutes. After sealing the match with an ace, Zheng said in her interview, “Honestly after winning this title, I felt like finally I achieve it, finally I once again become the one who is making new history.”

She followed with a karaoke performance at the trophy presentation, which the home crowd adored. Meanwhile, Andreeva credited Zheng’s serve and said she missed too many returns trying to be aggressive. Before this matchup, Zheng had also won the only previous meeting between the two players.

Making History in Her Home Country

Zheng’s win at the China Open was historic for a few reasons. To start, Zheng became the first Chinese woman to win the tournament since its inauguration in 2004. Chinese players had gone 0-7 in its semifinals before this year, meaning Zheng was also the first Chinese player to reach the final in Beijing. She also became the first wildcard to win the event and the lowest-ranked champion since 2004, entering the week at No. 54.

For Zheng herself, the China Open victory also marked her first WTA 1000 title and ended a two-year title drought since she underwent elbow surgery in 2025. Zheng has now taken home six total titles on the WTA Tour, including an Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024. She also became the first player since Serena Williams in 1999 to reach her first two career WTA 1000 finals in her home country, following her runner-up finish at the 2024 Wuhan Open.

Zheng’s Path to the Title

Qinwen Zheng’s path to victory in Beijing wasn’t easy, though she seemed to find her best form during the tournament’s later rounds. She needed three sets in each of her first four matches, during which she had spent more than ten hours on the court. However, the final three matches were all straight-set wins.

Zheng’s round-by-round scores from the 2026 China Open are listed below:

Round	Opponent	Score
First round	Shi Han	7-6(6), 4-6, 6-2
Second round	Anna Kalinskaya	6-7(4), 6-4, 3-0 ret.
Third round	Marie Bouzkova (No. 18 seed)	7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5
Round of 16	Alina Charaeva	6-1, 2-6, 6-4
Quarterfinal	Elina Svitolina (No. 6 seed)	6-3, 7-6(6)
Semifinal	Elise Mertens (No. 13 seed)	7-5, 6-2
Final	Mirra Andreeva (No. 4 seed)	7-5, 6-4

A Comeback 2026 Season

Zheng is in the midst of a comeback season after undergoing elbow surgery in July 2025. She returned this February after missing the better part of six months. In her first true season back on the court, she had fallen as low as No. 160 at one point. She then made headlines at this year’s US Open by reaching the quarterfinal as a qualifier. Sunday’s win in Beijing bumped her ranking to No. 23, marking the first time she’s cracked the top 25 since the end of the 2025 season.

For Zheng, the comeback isn’t quite over yet. She will take some time off to rest after her first title of the season, announcing her withdrawal from the Wuhan Open on Monday due to a right shoulder injury and fatigue. She cited playing a demanding stretch over the past month and a half, including the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the China Open. However, Zheng is expected to play in the upcoming Kinoshita Group Japan Open later in the month.

Zheng wasn’t the only Chinese player to make an impression in Beijing this year. Unseeded Shi Han took her to three sets in the first round, and 16-year-old wild card Sun Xinran upset Cristina Bucsa to reach the third round. With Qinwen Zheng leading the way, the future looks promising for Chinese tennis fans.

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