Zheng makes Beijing history, sets up final with Andreeva

For more than two decades, the China Open waited for a home finalist. On Saturday, Zheng Qinwen ended that wait. The 2024 Olympic champion beat Belgium's Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2 to become the first Chinese player to reach the final in Beijing, a tournament that dates back to 2004. Standing between her and the title on Sunday is French Open champion Mirra Andreeva.

Zheng pulls away after a tight first set

Mertens arrived with momentum after knocking out Iga Świątek 7-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, and for most of the opening set she matched Zheng shot for shot. Once Zheng edged the set 7-5, though, the contest tilted sharply. She won eight of the last ten games and closed out the match in 92 minutes.

The numbers underline how dominant Zheng was on her own delivery. She hit eight aces, won 23 of her 26 first-serve points and finished with a 32-9 advantage in winners. Chinese players had previously been 0-7 in semifinals at the China Open; Zheng turned that record on its head in front of a delighted home crowd.

From surgery to a home final

The result completes a remarkable turnaround. Zheng, a former world No. 4, underwent right elbow surgery in July 2025 and fell outside the top 120 during her recovery. Her revival began at the US Open, where she came through three rounds of qualifying and went all the way to the quarterfinals, beating Madison Keys and Świątek before losing to Elena Rybakina.

Her Beijing run has been anything but straightforward. Her early matches here all went the distance before she found a cleaner gear against Elina Svitolina, whom she beat 6-3, 7-6 in the quarterfinals. Against Mertens, she looked like the player who once sat near the top of the rankings.

Andreeva rolls on to her fifth final of 2026

Andreeva needed only 74 minutes to dismiss Czech outsider Nikola Bartůňková 6-2, 6-2. The 19-year-old Russian struck 16 winners against 10 unforced errors and converted five of her ten break points. Bartůňková had thrashed Karolina Muchová in the quarterfinals but never found a foothold against the fourth seed.

The victory was Andreeva's 50th of the season, drawing her level with Jessica Pegula for the most on tour. It also sends her into her fifth final of the year, where she will chase a fourth title of 2026. Her biggest came in June at Roland Garros, where she beat Polish qualifier Maja Chwalińska 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest women's champion in Paris since Monica Seles in 1992.

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"I'm very happy and excited to be in the finals. I think I played very good today," Andreeva said.

What is at stake on Sunday

History is on the line for both players. Zheng can become the first Chinese woman to lift the China Open trophy, while Andreeva can become the youngest champion in Beijing since Ágnes Szávay in 2007.

The pair have met only once before, and that meeting also came in Beijing: in the 2024 quarterfinals, Zheng recovered from a set down to win 5-7, 6-0, 6-4. Andreeva arrives as the form player of the season, but Zheng will have the full weight of the home crowd behind her, and on this week's evidence, a serve that is firing as well as it ever has.