Zheng Qinwen hits a return during the women's singles semifinal between Zheng Qinwen of China and Elise Mertens of Belgium at 2026 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Oct. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Zheng Qinwen defeated Belgium's Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2 here on Saturday to reach the China Open women's singles final for the first time, while home veteran Zhang Shuai and the Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova advanced to the women's doubles final.
Zheng, a wild card, broke 13th seed Mertens in the second game, but the Belgian broke back in the seventh to level at 4-4. After a tight finish to the opening set, Zheng prevailed 7-5 before taking control of the second to seal the victory.
The result marked Zheng's best performance at the event and made her the first home player in tournament history to reach the singles final.
"The best version of me will come in the future," reflected Zheng right after the match. "I spare no effort here (China Open). I will give it all out and present a good match tomorrow."
Zheng will face this year's French Open champion Mirra Andreeva in Sunday's final after the fourth seed cruised past the Czech Republic's Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal.
"I'm very happy and excited to be in the final," said Andreeva. "Obviously she (Zheng) is aggressive, she likes to hit a lot of balls, she tries to play fast. I will try to play my best in the final."
In the women's doubles, top seeds Zhang and Siniakova defeated Indonesia's Aldila Sutjiadi and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe 6-4, 6-2 to reach the final.
The women's singles and doubles finals are scheduled for Sunday. ■
Zheng Qinwen celebrates after the women's singles semifinal between Zheng Qinwen of China and Elise Mertens of Belgium at 2026 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Oct. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Zheng Qinwen hits a return during the women's singles semifinal between Zheng Qinwen of China and Elise Mertens of Belgium at 2026 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Oct. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Elise Mertens hits a return during the women's singles semifinal between Zheng Qinwen of China and Elise Mertens of Belgium at 2026 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Oct. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
Zheng Qinwen celebrates after the women's singles semifinal between Zheng Qinwen of China and Elise Mertens of Belgium at 2026 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Oct. 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
