Qinwen to Face Andreeva in Beijing Tennis Final

Having previously been ranked fourth in the world before dropping outside the top 100 in late spring, the Paris Olympic champion became the first Chinese player to reach the final of this tournament.

«I always want to give my best» in Beijing, Zheng said, emphasizing that for her, this tournament represents a «fifth Grand Slam». The native of Hubei province in central China added that the tournament holds a special place in her heart.

From the start of the match, Zheng applied heavy pressure on Mertens' serve and constantly attacked on the return to race to a 3-0 lead.

However, the Belgian, who had knocked out fourth-ranked American Coco Gauff and ninth-ranked Polish player Iga Świątek in previous rounds, fought back and leveled at 4-4 after breaking her opponent's serve. But she dropped her serve again when Zheng led 6-5.

The start of the second set mirrored the first, as the Chinese player broke Mertens' serve in the opening game to take a 3-0 lead. This time, she successfully maintained her advantage and even extended it with another break, sealing the match in just over an hour and a half.

The Best Version Is Yet to Come

Zheng had reached the semi-finals in Beijing in 2024 before losing to the Czech Republic's Karolína Muchová. Prior to that, four other Chinese players had fallen at the semi-final hurdle.

Zheng (24 years old) will conclude her campaign on Sunday by playing in her second 1000-level tournament final, the most prominent WTA events after the Grand Slams. She had reached the finals of the Australian Open and the Wuhan tournament in 2024.

Thanks to her qualification for the final, she has guaranteed a return to the top 30 in the world rankings. She also won her only previous encounter against Andreeva, which came in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Beijing edition.

«I'm not saying I'm back, I feel that the best version of me is yet to come», Zheng said, just weeks after reaching the US Open quarter-finals as a qualifier.

Andreeva to Rise to Third Place

Mirra Andreeva had booked her spot in the final earlier after defeating Czech player Nikola Bartůňková, ranked 34th globally, 6-2, 6-2.

«I am very happy with the way I played», said the teenager from Siberia, before contesting her fifth final of the season, thus equaling the feat of world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, and third-ranked American Jessica Pegula.

Andreeva's (19 years old) qualification for her fourth 1000-level tournament final—having triumphed in Dubai and Indian Wells in 2025 and lost the Madrid final in 2026—will guarantee her a career-high ranking of third in the world upon the tournament's conclusion.

The recent French Open champion became the youngest player to reach the Beijing final since Hungary's Ágnes Szávay, who won the title in 2007 at the age of 18.

Despite her young age, Andreeva pointed out her experience in facing players on home soil and in front of their fans before facing Zheng, saying, «We all know she will be playing at home», but adding, «I think things will be fine».

As for Bartůňková, who had earlier in the tournament eliminated world No. 2 Sabalenka as well as compatriot and eighth-ranked Muchová, she will enter the top 30 for the first time in the upcoming world rankings.

«Shanghai Tennis»

Sporting a new mustache, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz defeated Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-3, kicking off his campaign at the Shanghai (1000) tournament yesterday, just days after clinching the Tokyo tournament title, where he secured his first trophy since returning from injury.

The second-ranked Spanish star delivered a strong performance to dismiss the 55th-ranked Argentine in the second round in just 66 minutes.

The former world No. 1, 23, said: «I am very, very happy with the way I played today. It wasn't easy».

He added: «I only had two days of preparation... I came from Tokyo and the conditions were completely different. I just tried to play my best».

When asked by the on-court interviewer about his new look—after signing a camera lens with the phrase «Mustache Team» following his victory—Alcaraz said: «It's staying».

In the next round, he will face the winner between Peru's Ignacio Buse or Belgium's Zizou Bergs.

Earlier, Russia's Daniil Medvedev came from a set down to defeat Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, in his first match since being defaulted from the China Open.

Medvedev had been defaulted from his semi-final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in Beijing for hitting a spectator with a ball, ending his participation in the 500-level tournament without any ranking points or prize money.

The former world No. 1 stated that what happened was an unintentional accident.

Five days later in Shanghai, sixth-ranked Medvedev managed to overcome a shaky start to defeat world No. 59 Struff.

He fired 21 aces to reach the next round, where he will face Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrčina.

Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime, ranked fifth globally, also escaped a major upset, needing three hours to overcome Argentina's Camilo Ugo Carabelli, ranked 77th in the world, 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5.

The Canadian will face Spain's Pablo Carreño Busta in the third round.

Several matches were suspended during the afternoon due to rain, but American Taylor Fritz, Norwegian Casper Ruud, and Frenchman Arthur Fils all advanced after play resumed.