Zheng Qinwen's Stunning Comeback: From Surgery to China Open Glory

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-12

Zheng Qinwen just pulled off something special at the China Open. The 24-year-old wildcard took down fourth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in Sunday's final at the National Tennis Centre in Beijing. And in doing so, she became the first Chinese woman ever to win the singles title at this tournament. Pretty remarkable, right? ### How Zheng Turned the Tables in the First Set Andreeva came out firing, jumping to a 2-0 lead in both sets. She even served for the first set at 5-4. But Zheng, ranked 54th in the world, wasn't about to roll over. She saved three set points and leveled the score at 5-5. From there, she won every single point and closed out the set with an ace. Talk about clutch. The second set followed a similar script. Andreeva made a bunch of errors, but the score stayed tight until 4-4. That's when Zheng seized control. She broke serve in the ninth game with a forehand that kissed the line, then held her nerve to go up 5-4. A double fault late in the final game gave Andreeva a glimmer of hope, but Zheng slammed the door with another ace on her first match point. She collapsed to the court in tears as the home crowd erupted. ### The Long Road Back from Elbow Surgery Zheng's journey to this moment hasn't been easy. She's a former world No. 4 and the reigning Olympic champion, but elbow surgery in 2025 derailed her momentum. Her form and fitness suffered, and her ranking plummeted to 122nd earlier this season. That's a brutal fall for someone who once stood among the elite. But this win changes everything. It's her first WTA 1000 title and her sixth career trophy. Her last title came back in October 2024, when she beat Sofia Kenin in Tokyo. She also made a quarterfinal run at this year's US Open. Not too shabby for someone who was written off by many. ### What This Win Means for the Rankings When the new rankings drop on Monday, Zheng will jump 31 spots to No. 23. Andreeva, who started the week at No. 5, will actually move up to No. 3 despite the loss. The 19-year-old Russian was playing in her first China Open final and had already won the French Open earlier this season. These two have history—they met in the 2024 China Open quarterfinals, where Zheng won in three sets. "I've been through a very, very tough year," Zheng said during the trophy ceremony. She congratulated Andreeva on her French Open win, then serenaded the crowd with a song about chasing the "light of dreams." It was a moment of pure joy after so much struggle. ### A Historic Moment for Chinese Tennis No Chinese player had reached the final of this event since Chen Li lost to Wang Shi-ting of Chinese Taipei in 1996. Zheng ended that 30-year wait and became the tournament's first home champion. The crowd was loud throughout, often cheering before points even ended—a testament to how much this meant to them. Both players are expected to compete in the Wuhan Open next. Zheng will look to carry this momentum forward and aims to crack the top 20 again. If she keeps playing like this, that goal seems well within reach. For more sports news and updates, stay tuned to JeetWin Blog!