Qinwen Zheng delighted a boisterous crowd of 15,000 as she became the first Chinese woman to win the China Open WTA 1000 on Sunday in Beijing.
Zheng earned her first 1000-level title with a 7-5, 6-4 win over fourth-seeded Mirra Andreeva of Russia. It was her first tournament win since her victory in Tokyo in late 2024 and her sixth overall.
The gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Zheng captured her 14th career win over a Top 10 opponent in one hour, 43 minutes.
Zheng entered Beijing as a wild card, ranked No. 54 in the world after struggling much of the past year following elbow surgery.
But on Sunday, Zheng announced her return. Serving down 5-4 in the first set, she fought off three set points to even the match and then ran off eight straight points to take the opener.
In the second set, Zheng and Andreeva held serve until the ninth game, when Zheng went up 5-4 after winning the fourth break point of the game. She served out to win on the first match point, punctuating the victory with an ace.
This was the second career meeting between Zheng and Andreeva. The first also came in the China Open in 2024, with Zheng winning in three sets.
–Field Level Media
