Zheng Qinwen Becomes First Chinese Woman to Win China Open
Locker Room
October 12, 2026
Zheng Qinwen delighted the home crowd with a hugely defiant and popular win at the China Open.
And unlike during the men’s tournament, the spectators were consistently cheering for their own player as Zheng stormed back to take the title by an impressive 7-5, 6-4.
You may recall that Novak Djokovic commanded the affections of the Chinese audience, even when he faced a home-grown player in Beijing recently.
But nineteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva isn’t quite so revered in these parts – and couldn’t use the crowd to hold onto her lead in either set.
Zheng Qinwen will take this morale-boosting triumph into the new Grand Slam season with fresh reason to feel confident. She might even go deep at Wimbleodn 2027.
The former world number four has never been past the third round at the All England Club. But she has made the last eight of all the other majors.
And there is no reason why the Chinese superstar cannot make her mark on grass as she starts to make big tennis statements once more.
Mirra Andreeva certainly had her chances to take control in the Chinese capital and build on her French Open glory earlier this year.
The Russian will regret squandering three set points in the opener. And the fact that she led 2-0 at the start of both sets may give the youngster some sleepless nights.
But her determined opponent refused to be overcome as she sought to make the dream scenario a reality.
A delighted Zheng said afterwards: ‘The feeling was incredible. To win here in Beijing in front of my home crowd is one of my dreams. I’ve been through a very, very tough year.’
Elbow surgery has worked long-term wonders for a player who has just grasped her first WTA 1000 title at the age of 24. But at first it wasn’t so simple.
‘I feel like I just forgot how to compete after coming back from injury. Finally, after so many losses, I found my fire again,’ she explained.
Zheng Qinwen will look forward to bringing that newfound firepower to Wimbledon 2027 to thrill her many Chinese fans in London.
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