From World No. 54 to Champion: Zheng Qinwen Stuns Andreeva to Win China Open, Ends Two-Year Wait for a Title

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen rediscovered her winning touch on home soil, defeating French Open champion Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 to win the China Open title on Sunday and end a two-year wait for a trophy.

The Chinese star sealed the victory with an ace directed towards Andreeva’s backhand on her first match point, before collapsing onto the court in tears of emotion. The triumph marked a remarkable comeback for Zheng, whose career had been disrupted by an elbow injury that caused a steep decline in her world ranking.

Once ranked a career-high No. 4 in the world, Zheng had slipped to No. 54 before arriving in Beijing. She entered her home tournament as a wild card, but produced a series of strong performances to claim the biggest reward of her comeback.

Zheng’s latest success comes after an outstanding 2024 season, when she reached the Australian Open final, won the women’s singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and captured another WTA title in Japan in October. The Olympic triumph at Roland Garros established her among the leading figures in women’s tennis.

Her resurgence had already become evident at the US Open in August. Competing as a qualifier, Zheng reached the quarterfinals and demonstrated her fighting spirit by recovering from 5-0 deficits in matches against Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, both of which she went on to win.

The China Open victory now provides further evidence that Zheng is regaining the form that took her to the top of the sport. Winning in front of her home crowd also adds emotional significance to a title that ends a difficult period marked by injury and falling rankings.

Despite the defeat, Andreeva has reason to celebrate. The French Open champion is set to climb to a career-high world No. 3, underlining her rapid rise among the elite players on the women’s tour.

For Zheng, however, the Beijing triumph represents more than another trophy. It is a statement of resilience from a player who has battled back from injury and ranking setbacks to return to the winner’s circle.