Zheng Qinwen extended her impressive form from the US Open by reaching the quarterfinals of the China Open with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Alina Charaeva on Tuesday. This marks Zheng's second consecutive quarterfinal appearance and her fourth overall in Beijing, where she has now matched Li Na and Zhang Shuai for the most WTA 1000 quarterfinals by a Chinese player since the format's introduction in 1990.
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The match lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes. Zheng secured the victory just one day before her 24th birthday. This win was her first against Charaeva at the WTA Tour level.
Zheng expressed her appreciation for the win, saying, "I'm just really appreciative to have won this match because [there were] some ups and downs. But I'm just happy to be on court and in the end get the win because everybody knows it's my last day of [being] 23 years old. I hope my team prepared a good birthday gift for me."
In her previous matches in Beijing, Zheng has often followed a consistent pattern: winning the first set, losing the second, and winning the third. This match was no different. After dominating the first set with 14 winners, Zheng faced a turnaround in the second set as Charaeva won all her first-serve points and converted both break-point opportunities.
In the decisive third set, Zheng took a 5-2 lead before Charaeva fought back, narrowing the gap to 5-4. However, Zheng secured a fifth break of the match to clinch the victory.
Zheng has won seven of her past eight three-set matches at the tour level, with her only loss during this stretch coming against Elena Rybakina, the eventual champion of the US Open. "I would say that physically I wasn't the best, but I'm still holding on," Zheng noted. She added that improving her consistency and focus over matches remains a goal.
Zheng is set to face No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals. Svitolina reached this stage by defeating No. 21 seed Ann Li 6-2, 6-3. This matchup will be their first encounter, with Svitolina looking to secure her place in the semifinals and Zheng aiming for her fourth WTA 1000 semifinal appearance. Zheng leads this year's China Open in total winners and ranks among the top players in aces served.