Zheng Qinwen won her first title in two years by beating French Open champion Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the China Open final on Sunday.
Zheng clinched the match with her first match point, serving an ace to Andreeva’s backhand side. She then fell to the court, sobbing with emotion.
A difficult year
Zheng’s ranking dropped sharply because of an elbow injury, falling from a career-high No. 4 last year to No. 160 this season. She entered her home tournament as a wild card ranked No. 54. She will now return to the top 30, the WTA said.
“I’ve been through a very tough year,” Zheng said in English during the trophy presentation, which had a touch of karaoke. She sang a pop song to roars of appreciation from the crowd in the arena.
Returning to form
Zheng enjoyed a stellar 2024. She reached the final of the Australian Open, won the Paris Olympics singles title at Roland Garros and, in October, claimed her fifth career WTA title in Japan.
As a qualifier at the US Open in August, she showed that her old form had returned, reaching the quarter-finals. She twice rallied from 5-0 deficits to win matches against Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
Andreeva’s rise
Despite the defeat, Andreeva is set to rise to a career-high No. 3 in the rankings. She held three set points on Sunday, leading 5-4 in the first set, before Zheng won 11 straight points to take the set.
“For sure today she played great,” Andreeva said of Zheng. “It’s also very nice to see her playing better and coming back.”