Zheng Qinwen kept Beijing’s home crowd on edge again on Monday, surviving 18th seed Marie Bouzkova 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 to reach the China Open fourth round.
The Chinese favourite has now won three straight deciding-set matches this week. Since the US Open, eight of her last nine contests have required a final set, with Zheng taking seven of those battles.
Quick facts
- Zheng Qinwen defeated No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5.
- It was Zheng’s third consecutive three-set victory in Beijing.
- She has reached the China Open fourth round for the second time.
- Her next opponent is Alina Charaeva, who recently beat World No. 1 Elena Rybakina.
- Zheng won their only previous meeting, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Marbella clay in 2020.
Bouzkova pushed the match deep into the third set, but Zheng converted her second match point when the Czech player sent a backhand wide. Zheng immediately shouted “Let’s go” and struck a celebratory superhero-style pose toward the stands.
The gesture prompted guesses that it referred either to Cristiano Ronaldo or the Japanese series Sailor Moon. Zheng said neither theory was correct.
Instead, she was recreating a transformation move from Shenbing Kids, a Chinese animated series first released in 2006. Zheng said she watched the programme as a child and still remembers its theme song, Meng De Guang Dian.
“I told my team it was a very childish cartoon,” Zheng said. “That was the transformation action from it. My team had been teasing me, so after I won the point I had to do something back to them. I think people around my age probably grew up with that cartoon.”
Zheng had described the China Open as her “fifth Grand Slam” during media day, and her Beijing run has followed a US Open quarter-final appearance. Her previous trip to the last 16 here, in 2024, ended in the semi-finals.
Charaeva now waits in the fourth round after making the last 16 of a WTA 1000 event for the first time. The Russian’s route included an upset of Rybakina, the world No. 1, over the weekend.
The pair’s sole WTA Tour meeting came five years ago in Marbella. Zheng recovered from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on clay; Beijing offers a different stage, but another demanding draw test for the home player.
