Zheng Overpowers Mertens to Set Up Dream Beijing Final With Andreeva

Zheng Qinwen has given the Beijing crowd the final it dreamed of, overpowering Belgium's Elise Mertens 7-5, 6-2 in Saturday's semifinal to reach the China Open title match. The 24-year-old became the first Chinese player to reach the final of the tournament, which dates back to 2004, and did so as a wildcard entry after recovering from the elbow injury that sidelined her for much of the season. After an early break built a 4-2 lead, Zheng briefly wavered as Mertens levelled at 4-4, but the home favourite held her nerve to take the opener before dominating the second, winning eight of the last ten games to reach her second career WTA 1000 final. The Olympic champion is chasing her first WTA 1000 title on home soil after a resurgent run that included a US Open quarterfinal last month. Awaiting her is 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who earlier crushed Nikola Bartunkova 6-2, 6-2 in 75 minutes, hitting 27 winners to earn her 50th victory of the season, tying Jessica Pegula for the most on tour, and a rise to a career-high world No. 3. Zheng beat Andreeva in their only previous meeting, in the 2024 Beijing quarterfinals.