Wildcard Zheng Qinwen beats Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 to win China Open, her first title since 2024

Zheng Qinwen won the China Open in Beijing on Sunday, 11 October, beating fourth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes. Zheng entered on a wildcard while ranked 54th in the world. The win gave her a first WTA 1000 title and her first trophy of any kind since Tokyo in October 2024. It also made her the first Chinese woman to win the China Open since it became a WTA 1000 event.

From career-high to wildcard and back

Zheng reached the Australian Open final in 2024, won Olympic gold in Paris and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world. A serious right elbow injury then hurt her results, and she had fallen to No. 160 by the middle of this season. She needed a wildcard to get into the main draw in Beijing, and she is now projected to return to the top 30 when the next rankings come out.

It is the sixth WTA Tour title of her career. She is the first wildcard, and the lowest-ranked player, to win the women's title in Beijing since the tournament was relaunched in 2004.

How the final was won

Andreeva had won their only previous meeting and made the better start, breaking early to lead 2-0. Zheng fought back to level the set. Andreeva then had three set points in the 10th game, and Zheng saved all of them before taking the set 7-5.

Both players broke early in the second set. Zheng got the decisive break in the ninth game and served out the match, finishing with an ace on her first match point.

Her first serve was unreliable, with only 38 per cent landing in, but she won 23 of 36 points on her second serve. Andreeva won only 10 of 22 points behind her own second serve. Zheng converted four of eight break points and saved four of the six she faced.

A long road through the draw

Zheng needed three sets in each of her first four matches. She beat Chinese qualifier Han Shi, then No. 15 seed Anna Kalinskaya, who retired in the third set. Next came wins over No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova and Alina Charaeva. She then won in straight sets against No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals and No. 13 seed Elise Mertens in the semi-finals.

She lost 78 games over her seven matches. According to the WTA, that is the most dropped by any Tier I or WTA 1000 champion since that level of event began in 1990.

Consolation for Andreeva

Andreeva, 19, did not win the final but still has a big rankings jump to look forward to. She is set to rise to a career-high No. 3 on Monday. That would make her the third-youngest player this century to reach the top three for the first time, after Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters. After the match she said she had missed a lot of returns while trying to play more aggressively.

Key takeaways

• Wildcard Zheng Qinwen beat Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the China Open final on 11 October.
• It is her first WTA 1000 title, her sixth tour title and her first trophy since Tokyo in 2024.
• Zheng, ranked 54th, is projected to return to the top 30 after falling to No. 160 because of a right elbow injury.
• She saved three set points in the first set and won with an ace on her first match point.
• Andreeva is set to rise to a career-high No. 3 in the world.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 China Open women's title? Zheng Qinwen won, beating Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the final in Beijing on Sunday, 11 October.

Why was Zheng Qinwen playing on a wildcard? A right elbow injury caused her ranking to fall from a career-high No. 4. She was No. 54 going into Beijing and needed a wildcard to enter the main draw.

What is Mirra Andreeva's new ranking? Andreeva is projected to move up to a career-high No. 3 in the WTA rankings on Monday, 12 October.

Sources: WTA, Associated Press, Tennis Majors