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Wildcard entrant Qinwen Zheng secured her spot in the semifinals of the 2026 China Open on Friday by defeating the No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina in straight sets. The victory marked Zheng’s second career appearance in a WTA semifinal and came after a tightly contested match lasting one hour and 47 minutes.
Zheng & Svitolina Battle Through Tiebreak in Quarterfinal
Zheng dominated the first set from the baseline, breaking Svitolina twice to claim it 6-3. However, the second set proved much more competitive. Both players held serve consistently through 12 games, prompting a decisive tiebreak. In a tense finish, Zheng converted her second match point to close out the set 7-6 (8-6) and advance.
This win marks Zheng’s 12th victory in 13 matches on the WTA Tour this fall, a run that is expected to propel her back into the Top 40 rankings after having dropped as low as No. 160 earlier in the season. Her performance at the China Open places her among an exclusive group, as she is only the third wildcard to reach the semifinals at this tournament, joining former semifinalists Peng Shuai in 2006 and Wang Qiang in 2018.
Following the match, Zheng reflected on her performance: “It was a really great win for me. I think she also played her best tennis. I’m just happy to have a lot of winners during the match and, in the end, to be brave in important moments.”
Looking ahead, Zheng will meet No. 13 seed Elise Mertens in the semifinals, following Mertens’ upset of the eighth seed earlier in the tournament.
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