Qinwen Zheng triumphed at the Beijing WTA 1000 tournament on Sunday, defeating Russian No. 4 seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the final. This victory marks Zheng's first WTA 1000 title, and she becomes the first Chinese player to win the China Open since its inception in 2004, as well as the lowest-ranked champion in the tournament's history at No. 54.
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Throughout the tournament, Zheng faced tough competition. She began with a close match against Chinese qualifier Han Shi, winning 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2. She then progressed through challenging matches, defeating No. 15 seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-7 (4), 6-4, 3-0, ret., No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-5, and Alina Charaeva. In the quarterfinals, she overcame sixth-seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (6), and in the semifinals, she won against No. 13 seed Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2. Notably, Zheng dropped a total of 78 games throughout the event, the most by any champion at a Tier I or WTA 1000 event since the format was introduced in 1990.
In the final, Zheng's performance on her second serve proved pivotal; despite landing only 38 percent of her first serves, she won 23 of 36 points on her second serve, whereas Andreeva managed only 10 of 22. Zheng capitalized on four of her eight break point opportunities and successfully saved four of the six break points she faced.
This title is a significant rebound for Zheng, who had previously reached a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open and held a rank as high as World No. 4 before injuries impacted her career. After the match, she expressed her gratitude to her team, stating, "Winning my first WTA 1000 title here in China means everything to me, and this trophy belongs to all of you."
Zheng celebrated her victory with karaoke at the trophy ceremony, reminiscent of her celebration after winning the Zhengzhou title in 2023. Andreeva, now ranked No. 5, reached the final in Beijing during her fourth appearance at the event, having previously advanced to the quarterfinals in 2024.