Zheng Qinwen wins China Open, first Chinese singles champion

Zheng Qinwen secured her maiden WTA 1000 title at the 2026 China Open on Sunday, defeating Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the final. The 24-year-old Paris Olympic champion delivered a resilient performance in front of her home crowd in Beijing, becoming the first Chinese player to win the singles title at the tournament, which dates back to 2004.

Andreeva, the 19-year-old French Open champion and world No. 5, reached the final after a dominant semifinal performance, defeating Czech player Nikola Bartunkova 6–2, 6–2 to record her 50th match win of the season, tying Jessica Pegula for most on tour. Zheng had advanced to the final by defeating Belgium's Elise Mertens 7–5, 6–2 in the semifinals, winning eight of the last 10 games to reach her second career WTA 1000 final.

Andreeva's run to the final secured her career-high ranking of world No. 3, moving up from No. 5 after the semifinal victory. With the final guaranteed to award her enough points to break into the WTA top three, Andreeva has qualified for the WTA Finals and is now in contention for the year-end No. 1 ranking, though Elena Rybakina maintains a significant points lead. Zheng's comeback victory marks a major milestone in her recovery from injury and extended absence, having missed nearly the second half of the previous season and fallen outside the top 150 before her strong US Open showing earlier this year.