Zheng Qinwen Creates History at China Open

Zheng Qinwen has delivered an Olympic gold medal to China. She has given China a true global sports superstar. On Sunday, she gave China something it had never had — a China Open champion of its own.

Zheng defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 on Capital Group Diamond Court, sending 14,000 fans into a frenzy and setting the stage for an impromptu karaoke celebration.

Zheng already had become the first Chinese player to reach the final. But, that was never going to be enough.

“Everybody, they told me that I already make history to reach the finals,” Zheng said. “I don’t want just to stop in the final, I want to become a champion. If somebody wants to make a new history, they need to arrive at least to champion, not to finals.

“Honestly, after winning this title, I felt like finally I achieve it, finally I once again become the one who making new history.”

After the trophy presentation, Zheng was handed a microphone by the public address announcer and treated the adoring crowd to “Light of Dreams,” the theme song from Shenbing Kids. The anime inspired the signature celebrations she performed throughout her remarkable run to the title.

At first, the 24-year-old covered her face with one hand, laughing and squirming at the prospect. Then she took the microphone and made the moment her own. 

“Indeed, I like singing,” Zheng said. “When I was a kid, when I lost a match, I liked to sing songs — sometimes sad songs so I can feel the feeling of failure.”

There was no sadness in this one.

The historic victory not only made Zheng the first player from China to win the China Open, but also earned her first WTA 1000 title. It added to a career that already includes Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games and a career-high world ranking of No. 4.

The title also marked a major step in Zheng’s comeback after two difficult years. Following an elbow injury and surgery in 2025, she endured months of recovery, rehabilitation and struggle and fell to No. 160 in the rankings. Currently ranked No. 54, Zheng is climbing back toward the top, with her China Open triumph expected to propel her into the Top 25 in the next rankings update. She became the lowest ranked player to win the China Open in its history. 

Her recent results suggest her best form is returning. Zheng has won 14 of her past 15 matches, including a run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.

“Today, she played great,” Andreeva said. “We all know that she’s had a tough year. It’s also very nice to see her playing better and coming back. I think that she’s going to be raising her level even more soon.”

Zheng saved three set points in the opener, then rattled off the final 10 points, including breaking serve at love, to close a thrilling first set.

At 4-4 in the second, Zheng crushed a crucial overhead smash to erase a game point at deuce. The overhead was one of Zheng’s 24 winners in the final. She finished the tournament with 243 winners, the most by any player at any tournament this year, including the Grand Slam events.

Zheng then broke Andreeva, the reigning French Open champion, to take a 5-4 lead, and served out the championship with her fourth ace. All four of her aces came at crucial moments.

Zheng crumpled to the court in celebration.

Zheng’s winding road to the title reflected the challenges of her own comeback. The first wildcard to win the China Open, she needed four three-set victories to reach the quarterfinals. She became just the second player since the tiered tournament format was introduced in 1990 to win four three-set matches enroute to a Tier I or WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

In the semifinals, Zheng defeated world No. 7 Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8), extending the celebration of her 24th birthday with a victory in front of thousands of adoring fans. That win set the stage for Sunday’s championship showdown.

By the time she lifted the trophy, Zheng had spent 15 hours and 15 minutes on court during the tournament. 

The title was the reward for nearly two weeks of hard-fought victories — and a milestone for Chinese tennis. She’ll take home a prize money check of $1,151,380 for her efforts.

“I feel that if I’m not the champion of this tournament, I’m not at the end of this journey, I cannot relax,” she said. “The moment when I won the title, I feel that finally I can relax. My brain, my body can finally relax.”

By Nick Mathews