Qinwen Zheng and Elise Mertens Advance to Beijing Semifinals, Field Level Media reports
Home favorite Qinwen Zheng and Belgium’s Elise Mertens advance to the China Open semifinals in Beijing after securing upset victories on Friday, Field Level Media reported.
Upsets Shape Quarterfinals in Beijing
Unseeded Zheng defeated No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 7-6 (6) in 1 hour and 47 minutes at the WTA 1000 tournament. Zheng claimed three service breaks in the opening set to establish command. Svitolina answered by breaking serve to capture a 4-3 lead in the second set, but Zheng immediately leveled the score. Svitolina took an early 2-0 lead in the tiebreaker before dropping the next four points and the match momentum. Azat TV reported that Zheng seized four consecutive points to close out the tight second-set tiebreaker.
On the other side of the draw, 13th-seeded Mertens eliminated No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-6 (0), 6-3 in 1 hour and 50 minutes. Mertens recorded her third straight win over a Grand Slam champion in Beijing, having previously ousted Jelena Ostapenko and Coco Gauff. Field Level Media noted that Mertens struck five aces, won 87 percent of her first-serve points by converting 33 of 38 attempts, and did not face a single break point against the 2023 tournament champion Swiatek. Azat TV added that Mertens hit 24 winners against 11 unforced errors and became the first player to claim a tiebreak to love against Swiatek at the WTA level.
Physical Recovery Fuels Zheng After June Ranking Drop
Zheng reflected on her journey back to the late rounds in Beijing after experiencing a sharp ranking decline earlier in the season. She plummeted from as high as No. 4 in the world rankings down to No. 160 in June. A rigorous training block prior to the U.S. Open provided the physical and mental reset she needed to reverse her form. Two of Zheng’s previous three WTA 1000 semifinals occurred on home soil in 2024 at Beijing and Wuhan.
It was a really great win for me,
Zheng said after her quarterfinal victory, as reported by Field Level Media. I think she also play her best tennis. I’m just happy to have lot of winners during the match, and at the end, be brave in important moment. I finish with really good winners.
Implications for WTA Finals and Semifinal Matchups
Swiatek’s defeat yielded immediate consequences for the season standings. Azat TV reported that Swiatek’s loss officially clinched WTA Finals berths for Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova. The semifinal round pairs Zheng against Mertens. Zheng leads the head-to-head series 1-0, having won their only previous encounter in a three-set clay-court match at Charleston in April 2025.