Zheng Qinwen completed a home-soil breakthrough at the China Open in Beijing, defeating Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the final to become the first Chinese champion in the tournament’s history. The wild card collected her first WTA 1000 trophy and the largest title of her career after a demanding seven-match run.
The Olympic gold medalist arrived outside the top tier of the rankings but leaves Beijing at No. 23, a rise of 31 places. She is also the lowest-ranked player to lift the China Open title since the event began in 1994, excluding its 1996-2004 absence.
Quick facts
- Zheng beat fourth seed Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 for the China Open title.
- She recorded 243 winners and 51 aces during the tournament.
- Zheng spent 15 hours and 16 minutes on court, the highest total at any event this season.
- Nikola Bartunkova reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal and moved to a career-best No. 29.
- Andreeva and Linda Noskova secured their first WTA Finals singles qualifications.
Zheng’s route was built on resilience as much as power. She survived four successive three-set matches on the way to the quarterfinals, then removed sixth seed Elina Svitolina and 13th seed Elise Mertens before taking down Andreeva in the championship match.
Her 243 winners were the highest single-tournament total by any player since Aryna Sabalenka struck 247 at the 2023 Australian Open. Zheng’s 51 aces were second only to Elena Rybakina’s 54 at the US Open this year.
Beijing extended Zheng’s sharp late-season form. Since reaching the US Open quarterfinals as a qualifier, she has won 14 of 15 matches. Four tiebreaks and four three-set contests contributed to the record time she accumulated on court, with Opta’s tracking data dating back to 2023.
Andreeva, 19, still emerged with a ranking milestone despite losing the final. The Russian climbed two places to a career-high No. 3 and later sealed a place at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, also qualified for the season-ending event and will make her singles debut there. Andreeva will likewise play the Finals singles competition for the first time, having qualified for doubles alongside Diana Shnaider last season.
They join Sabalenka and Rybakina in the field, leaving four singles berths still available.
Bartunkova was another of Beijing’s major movers. The 20-year-old Czech had never advanced beyond the last 16 at a WTA 1000 before this week, but reached the semifinals after earning the second and third Top-10 victories of her career.
She beat Sabalenka in straight sets in the third round, then overwhelmed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. Bartunkova needed just 67 minutes, opening a 5-0 lead inside 20 minutes and winning the final seven games after Muchova briefly narrowed the gap.
That result came immediately after Muchova’s dramatic 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7) victory over Naomi Osaka, a 2-hour, 52-minute contest that stood among the tournament’s most gripping matches. Muchova recovered from deficits of 4-1 in the opening set and 3-1 in the decider.
She was unable to convert three match points at 5-4 in the third set, then had three further chances in the tiebreak. Muchova finally finished on her ninth match point, putting away a backhand volley winner.
“I was shaking,” Muchova said after escaping Osaka.
Bartunkova’s semifinal run lifted her from No. 126 at the start of the season to a new career peak of No. 29. Elsewhere in Beijing, Sara Bejlek produced a standout defensive point against Osaka, chasing down heavy groundstrokes before threading a passing shot down the line while leading 4-3 in the first set.
Off court, Alexandra Eala discussed perfectionism, public scrutiny and pressure management during an appearance on Maria Sharapova’s “Pretty Tough” podcast. On court, though, the Beijing fortnight belonged to Zheng: a home champion who combined aggressive striking with the stamina to withstand the longest workload of the WTA season.
