Zheng Qinwen advances to final

In the 2026 China Open women’s singles semifinal, Chinese player Zheng Qinwen defeated Belgium’s 13th seed Elise Mertens 2-0, becoming the first home player to reach the women’s singles final in the 20-year history of the event.

Zheng Qinwen started strongly, taking a 3-0 lead. Although her form dipped slightly, allowing Mertens to tie the score at 4-4, Zheng broke serve again in the 12th game to secure the first set 7-5.

In the second set, Zheng quickly established a 3-0 advantage. After both players held serve, Zheng broke again and closed out the match 6-2, advancing to the China Open women’s singles final for the first time. Previously, she had reached the semifinals in 2024.

“The best version of myself is not in the past, but in the present and the future. Thank you everyone for your continuous support; it’s been a tough journey,” Zheng Qinwen said after the match. “My expectation for tomorrow is to give my all on this court. Since I can’t control the result and my opponent is very strong, I promise to give you all a wonderful match.”

Zheng Qinwen’s opponent in the final will be Mirra Andreeva, the Russian star and reigning French Open champion.