Zheng earns challenging victory over Andreeva to reach China Open semi-finals
The Chinese No 1 overcame Mirra Andreeva 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 to reach the last four of the China Open where she will face Karolina Muchova for a spot in the final
Qinwen Zheng, Beijing, 2024 © Imago / Panoramic
Zheng Qinwen withstood a stern challenge from Mirra Andreeva, eventually coming through 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 in a gripping encounter to reach the semi-finals of the China Open for the first time and deny her opponent a maiden WTA 1000 last-four berth.
It was a gruelling, power-heavy match against two fine young talents, with home favourite Zheng underlining her status as one of the most in-form players on the WTA Tour with another victory from a set down in Beijing.
Zheng now has 20 wins from her last 22 matches, a streak which saw her claim Olympic gold in Paris while also picking up the title in Palermo and reaching the last eight at the US Open.
She has now reached a maiden semi-final at one of the biggest events in her native China, where she will take on the perennially dangerous Karolina Muchova, who stunned Aryna Sabalenka in the day’s first quater-final.
Today’s contest was one in which holding serve came at a premium, seeing only 13 holds out of 28 games as recurrent flurries of breaks defined a momentum-shifting match.
This topsy-turvy theme was set immediately as Andreeva surged into a 4-0, double-break lead, before Zheng upended the flow by winning the next five games on the spin to find herself serving for the set at 5-4.
But the young Russian wrestled the momentum back in her favour at the pivotal moment, breaking her opponent for a third and fourth time either side of a confident hold to take the final three games and the opening set at 7-5.
zheng dominant in second set, before tight decider
Unfortunately for Andreeva, however, that five-game run from Zheng was an omen of things to come. The Chinese No 1 broke three times without reply in a quickfire second set to hand the 17-year-old an unwanted first WTA level bagel-set loss.
After a 63-minute opener, the middle stanza only lasted a little over half an hour as Andreeva was left visibly upset at the changeover between the second and third sets.
Yet, in keeping with the theme of this contest, it was the Russian who broke first in the decider, regaining her composure impressively to fend off two break points in her opening service game en route to a 2-0 lead, only for Zheng to hit straight back in the following game.
The pair exchanged further breaks in the sixth and seventh games, before Zheng struck the decisive blow in the ninth game and proceeded to serve out a thoroughly testing victory.
zheng qinwen underlines status as wta’s most in-form player
Andreeva has enjoyed another fine run in the Chinese capital, reaching her third 1000-level quarter-final. But Zheng’s current form and greater experience came to the fore against the backdrop of a feverish atmosphere in which she enjoyed the cacophonous vocal support of her home crowd.
It has been a standout year for the Chinese player, reaching her maiden Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January, before clinching a gold medal at Olympics and repeating her 2023 run to the quarter-finals in New York.
Back under the tutelage of Pere Riba since late last year, Zheng has started to fulfil her long-observed potential as one of the world’s leading players.
As the tour moves into the latter stages of the 2024 season, Zheng’s momentum shows no sign of abating. Quite the contrary. Aside from Sabalenka, who has just exited this tournament, the world No 7 stands alone at the WTA’s most in-form player.
Muchova will provide a different challenge to the match-ups she has so far faced in Beijing, with variety instead of power providing the next puzzle for Zheng to solve.
But with the backing of a partisan Beijing crowd, and the current form of China’s new-found darling of the court, few would be surprised to see Zheng contesting yet another final in her home capital.
