Qinwen Zheng will be heavily rewarded after beating Mirra Andreeva to win her first WTA 1000 title at the China Open.
Zheng is already an Olympic champion and has reached a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, but she has faced many challenges over the past year.
After Wimbledon last year, Zheng underwent elbow surgery and was only able to play two more matches before properly making her return to the WTA Tour in February.
Zheng initially struggled to show the form that she had prior to getting injured, but after a resurgent couple of months, including winning the China Open, she has now shot back up the rankings.
Qinwen Zheng will break back into the top 25 of the WTA rankings
Zheng was left in tears after losing in the first round of Roland Garros this year, and she subsequently dropped down to world number 160. Zheng, who has been ranked as highly as world number four, did not return to form straight away and also lost in the first round of Wimbledon, but it was the US Open hard court swing where she came alive again.
As a result of her ranking drop, Zheng was forced to play qualifying at the US Open this year, and she was successful in her bid to reach the main draw. However, few expected Zheng to go on and achieve what she did next, and after dramatic victories over the likes of Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys, she made it all the way to the quarter-finals.
Zheng’s remarkable US Open run came to an end against eventual champion Elena Rybakina, but she was heavily rewarded in the rankings, as she rose from world number 121 to world number 52.
The 24-year-old has only taken it to another level after winning the China Open, which concluded for Zheng with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over fourth seed Andreeva.
Zheng was the world number 54 prior to the China Open, but she will now climb 33 places all the way back up to world number 23.
Predict the next WTA player to make their debut as world number one! 💭
Elena Rybakina has just become the 30th world number one since 1975 🥇
What is next for Qinwen Zheng after winning the China Open?
There is still plenty more to come for Zheng, who has a busy Asian swing planned to conclude her 2026 season.
Zheng has entered the Wuhan Open, Japan Open in Osaka and the Hong Kong Open, and she is also currently scheduled to compete in qualifying in Tokyo as a result of her ranking at the time of entry.
This presents a big opportunity for Zheng, who now has no ranking points to defend until February next year. Zheng is currently 20th in the race to the WTA Finals, and therefore is on track to make a return to the top 20 by the end of the season.
Zheng will hope to secure this at her next tournament in Wuhan, where she is a former champion and could face Aryna Sabalenka in the second round.
Before she can take on Sabalenka, Zheng will need to make a quick turnaround from Beijing to play Ann Li in her first round match at the Wuhan Open.
