From Wildcard to Semifinalist – Zheng’s Second China Open Run

Kinwen Zheng entered the China Open as a wildcard and emerged as one of the tournament's surprise stories, defeating the sixth‑seeded Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6(6) to claim a spot in the semifinals. The Beijing crowd witnessed Zheng break Svitolina's serve four times, including a crucial break in the seventh game of the first set.

After a brief surge from the Ukrainian in the ninth game, Zheng steadied her play, breaking again to close the opening set. The second set saw both players hold serve until Svitolina broke at 3-4, but Zheng answered instantly, leveling the set at 4-4.

A tightly contested tiebreak followed. Falling behind 0-2, Zheng rallied to win four consecutive points, taking a 4-2 lead. The tiebreak extended to 6-6 before Zheng clinched the match point at 8-6, sealing her victory.

This marks Zheng's second semifinal appearance at the China Open and her first WTA 1000 semifinal of the year. Earlier in 2024, she reached the quarterfinals in Beijing, losing to Carolina Muicova. With two WTA 250 titles, two WTA 500 titles, and an Olympic gold medal already earned, Zheng now aims to capture her inaugural Masters 1000 title.