Zheng Qinwen's Emotional China Open Win Ends 30-Year Wait

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-12

Zheng Qinwen just did something no Chinese woman had ever done before. On Sunday, she defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 to win the China Open in Beijing. And she did it as a wildcard, no less. The 24-year-old became the first Chinese woman to take the singles title at the tournament. The last time a Chinese player even reached the final was way back in 1996. So yeah, this one had been a long time coming. ### How Zheng Qinwen Turned the Match Around Zheng came into this final ranked 54th in the world. Andreeva? She was the fourth seed. On paper, this looked like a mismatch. But matches aren't played on paper. Andreeva jumped out to a 2-0 lead in both sets. In the first, she was serving at 5-4 with three set points. Zheng saved every single one. "I just kept telling myself to stay in the moment," Zheng said afterward. "One point at a time." She won the next seven points to take the set 7-5. Closed it out with an ace, because of course she did. The second set followed a similar script. Andreeva kept making errors, but the score stayed tight until 4-4. That's when Zheng pounced. She broke serve in the ninth game with a forehand that clipped the line. Then she held her nerve to serve out the match. A double fault late gave Andreeva a glimmer of hope. Zheng snuffed it out with another ace on her first match point. She dropped to the court in tears. ### A Comeback Story That Defines Grit You can't talk about this win without talking about where Zheng has been. She's a former world No. 4 and the reigning Olympic champion. But in 2025, she had elbow surgery. The recovery was brutal. Her form dipped. Her fitness wavered. Her ranking plummeted all the way to 122nd. For a player of her caliber, that's a dark place. - **First WTA 1000 title:** A career milestone she'd been chasing. - **Sixth overall trophy:** Her first since Tokyo in October 2024. - **US Open quarterfinalist:** She showed flashes earlier this year. But this? This was different. This was proof that she's back. "I've been through a very, very tough year," Zheng told the crowd during the trophy ceremony. She congratulated Andreeva on her French Open win earlier this season. Then she did something unexpected: she sang a song about chasing the "light of dreams." The home crowd ate it up. ### What This Means for the Rankings When the new rankings drop on Monday, Zheng will jump 31 spots to No. 23. Andreeva, despite the loss, will move up to No. 3. Not bad for a 19-year-old playing in her first China Open final. The two had met once before, in the 2024 China Open quarterfinals. Zheng won that one in three sets. This time, she needed only two. Both players are expected to compete in the Wuhan Open next. Zheng will try to carry this momentum forward. She's got her sights set on returning to the top 20. For Zheng, this wasn't just a title. It was a statement. She's not done yet. Not even close.