Zheng Qinwen defeated Elise Mertens 7–5, 6–2 on Saturday, October 10, 2026, to secure a place in the Beijing WTA 1000 final. The semifinal lasted one hour and 32 minutes.
According to the WTA, Zheng is the first Chinese player to reach the China Open singles final. Players from the host country had lost all seven of their previous semifinals at the tournament.
An attacking edge
Zheng finished with 32 winners and 16 unforced errors. Mertens, the 13th seed, recorded nine winners and 12 unforced errors. Zheng also struck eight aces to the Belgian's none and won 61% of the points played.
After holding off Mertens' comeback in the opening set, Zheng won eight of the final ten games. The victory takes her to an 11th career WTA Tour final and her second at WTA 1000 level.
Andreeva awaits in the final
Her opponent will be fourth seed Mirra Andreeva, who beat Nikola Bartunkova 6–2, 6–2. The finalists have met only once: Zheng recovered to win their 2024 Beijing quarterfinal 5–7, 6–0, 6–4.
The final is scheduled for Sunday, October 11, not before 7:30 p.m. in Beijing, or 8:30 a.m. in Brasília. Its start depends on the completion of the doubles final.
The official WTA highlights feature the best moments from Zheng's semifinal against Mertens at Beijing 2026.
