Zheng Qinwen Reaches China Open Semifinals After Beating Svitolina

China's Zheng Qinwen advanced to the China Open semifinals in Beijing on Friday, October 9, 2026, defeating sixth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6(6). The victory strengthened Zheng's bid for the title at home, extended her recent winning run and positioned the former world No. 4 for another significant rise in the WTA rankings.

According to WTA Tennis, Zheng secured the quarterfinal victory after controlling the opening set and recovering from a second-set challenge. Svitolina fought back after trailing, briefly moving ahead 4-3 before forcing a tiebreak, but Zheng prevailed to complete the match in straight sets.

The result continued Zheng's recovery following an injury-interrupted period that had forced her to rebuild her form and compete in qualifying rounds at major tournaments. Punto de Break reported that her recent performances, including a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open, have marked a turnaround in her season.

Zheng has won 12 of her last 13 matches, according to WTA Tennis. Her Beijing campaign has included several demanding three-set contests, although she finished the quarterfinal against Svitolina in two sets. Punto de Break reported that Zheng was guaranteed to leave the tournament inside the WTA top 50, with a potential rise to No. 23 if she wins the title.

Her semifinal opponent will be Elise Mertens, who defeated Iga Swiatek 7-6(0), 6-3 to reach the last four. Mertens won 87 percent of her first-serve points and prevented Swiatek from converting a break opportunity, according to WTA Tennis. The Belgian reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal in five years after previously making the final four in Dubai in 2021.

Mertens said recovery would be important as she balances singles and doubles commitments during the tournament.

"Recovery is key," Mertens said.

She also described her immediate approach to preparing for the next round.

"Eat, sleep and repeat the same. Yeah, just focus on the singles first. That's definitely the goal," Mertens said.

Zheng leads their head-to-head record 1-0 after beating Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in Charleston last year.

The other semifinal will feature fourth-seeded Mirra Andreeva against Nikola Bartunkova, the 26th seed. Andreeva defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in two tiebreaks, while Bartunkova produced a commanding 6-3, 6-0 quarterfinal victory over fellow Czech Karolina Muchova in 67 minutes.

Bartunkova's run includes a victory over world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, described by WTA Tennis as the biggest win of her career. The 20-year-old is competing in her first WTA 1000 semifinal, while 19-year-old Andreeva entered the tournament after qualifying for the WTA Finals.

Andreeva acknowledged the difficulty of her previous meeting with Bartunkova at the US Open, where she won 6-2, 7-6(5).

"Even though I won [at the] US Open, I still felt like the match was tough," Andreeva said.

She expected another competitive encounter in Beijing.

"A lot of up and downs. I think this match is going to be very entertaining for people to watch. She's an amazing" Andreeva said.