Zheng Qinwen has returned to the top 30 of the rankings after reaching her second WTA 1000 final with an impressive win over Elise Mertens at the China Open.

Former world No 4 Zheng slumped to No 160 in the WTA Rankings in June after she missed the latter stages of the 2025 season and the start of the 2026 campaign due to an elbow injury.

After first-round exits from the French Open and Wimbledon, the Chinese star had to go through qualifying to reach the main draw at the US Open.

But she ended up winning seven matches at Flushing Meadows – three in the qualifiers and four in the main draw – as she stunned Grand Slam winners Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the quarter-final.

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That performance sent her back into the top 50 of the rankings and now she has followed it up with a run to the final of her home WTA 1000 event.

The Chinese star upset sixth seed Elina Svitolina in the quarter-final and continued the momentum with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over 13th seed Elise Mertens in the semi-final.

Belgian Mertens took out fourth seed Coco Gauff and eighth seed Swiatek to reach the last four, but Zheng dominated the last-four encounter and secured her first WTA 1000 final since she finished runner-up at the Wuhan Open in 2024.

WTA Rankings Rise

2024 Australian Open runner-up Zheng started the Beijing event at No 54 in the rankings, but her run to the final has seen her surge 26 places to No 28 in the Live WTA Rankings.

She will face third seed Mirra Andreeva in the final and if the 24-year-old is the last player standing, then she will move up another five places to No 23.

Zheng was at No 11 in the rankings last October before injury ended her campaign.

Andreeva, meanwhile, is already assured of climbing to a career-high No 3 after the China Open following her victory over Nikola Bartunkova in the other semi-final.

The 20-year-old Bartunkova – who beat world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka and No 7 Karolina Muchova – has climbed five places to a career-high No 25 following her run to the last four.

Mertens, who has peaked at No 14 in the rankings, has also received a boost as she is up five places to No 14 with her semi-final appearance.

Players will get another opportunity to climb further up the rankings at next week’s Wuhan Open.