Chinese player Zheng Qinwen returns to China Open women's singles semifinals

China News Service, Beijing, October 9 (Reporter Guo Xuan) In the women's singles quarter-finals of the 2026 China Tennis Open held at the National Tennis Center in Beijing on the 9th, Chinese player Zheng Qinwen, who played as a wild card, defeated the No. 6 seed and Ukrainian star Svitolina in straight sets, and advanced to the China Open women's singles semi-finals again after two years. This is also Zheng Qinwen’s first victory since his 24th birthday.

This match is the first match between Zheng Qinwen and Svitolina on the Women's Tennis Players Association (WTA) tour. Zheng Qinwen had a hot start, breaking and holding to take a 2:0 lead, and broke again in the seventh game. Although Svitolina broke Zheng Qinwen's serve to win the set, Zheng Qinwen broke again at the end of the set and won 6:3.

The second set was even more stalemate, with the two sides locked in a tight score and fighting to a 6:6 tie. In the "tiebreak" game, the two sides fought to a 6:6 tie. Zheng Qinwen withstood the pressure at the critical moment and scored two points in a row to win 8:6.

In this game, Zheng Qinwen scored 48 winning points with a fierce offensive. Talking about the key to winning in straight sets, Zheng Qinwen said after the game: "I can stay focused for a longer period of time and my offense is sharper. Now I know when to let go and when to go online."

October 8 this year is Zheng Qinwen’s 24th birthday. This season, Zheng Qinwen has gone through ups and downs, and his world ranking once slipped to outside the top 100. At the US Open not long ago, she broke into the women's singles quarterfinals after playing in the qualifying rounds, tying her best record at the US Open, and her condition improved.

Looking back at the trough of this season, Zheng Qinwen said: "I didn't expect this trough to last for so long. Before, winning was like drinking water for me, it was a normal thing. But now I am grateful for every game I win, because I know how much hard work I have put in to be here. I hope to enjoy tennis more and enjoy every victory."

In the women's doubles quarter-finals, top seeds Zhang Shuai/Siniakova swept No. 5 seeds Hunter/Mladenovic 6:2 to advance to the semi-finals. Zhang Shuai, who plays at home, said that he and Siniakova are both partners and friends. They have the same pursuit and dream of tennis. They cooperate well on the court and both show good condition.