Zheng Qinwen makes China Open history to reach final

The world No. 54 defeated 13th seed Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2 in Beijing on Saturday, extending her impressive run after receiving a wildcard entry following an elbow injury.

Zheng had Chinese fans on their feet early in the match, breaking Mertens to establish a 4-2 lead. However, the Belgian fought back to level the set after the Olympic gold medallist missed opportunities to secure a double break.

The home favourite recovered her composure at a crucial stage, earning a set point at 6-5 before forcing Mertens into an error to take the opener.

Zheng carried that momentum into the second set, racing into a 3-0 advantage before breaking again in the eighth game to seal victory in one hour and 32 minutes.

The result ended a run of seven consecutive semifinal defeats by Chinese players at the tournament and booked Zheng's place in the 11th final of her WTA Tour career. She will now face fourth seed Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal.

Zheng won their previous meeting in the 2024 China Open quarterfinals, recovering from a set down to beat the Russian. Andreeva, however, arrives in the final after winning the French Open this year.

"She's always a tough opponent because she's always there fighting. A very consistent player," Zheng said. "It is not an easy match, but I'm also a tough player. Tomorrow is going to be a hard battle."

The Chinese star has had to work hard to reach the championship match, with each of her first four contests going to three sets. Those victories included wins over Anna Kalinskaya, Marie Bouzkova and Alina Charaeva, before she beat sixth seed Elina Svitolina in straight sets to reach the last four.

Zheng, who reached the semifinals in Beijing in 2024, is the lowest-ranked player to reach the final since 2004 and the first wildcard entrant to do so since that year.

READ MORE: Rocco Meiring impressed by Tatjana Smith’s comeback