Zheng Qinwen rallies to beat Andreeva, reach China Open semifinals

Home favorite and No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen battled from behind to defeat Mirra Andreeva of Russia 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 in the women's singles quarterfinals at the China Open in Beijing on Friday, advancing to the semifinals at a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 tournament for the first time in her career.

Zheng didn't have the best start in the match after dropping the first four games in the opening set. Although she bounced back quickly by claiming five straight games to lead 5-4, she was outplayed by Andreeva in the next three games to surrender the set.

After adjusting to her opponent's style, Zheng did much better on both offense and defense in the second set, and didn't give up a game on the way to leveling the contest at 1-1.

Andreeva displayed solid defense as she converted two break points in the decisive third set to take a 4-2 lead, but Zheng returned the favor and surged into a 5-4 lead after the ninth game. She then held serve in the ensuing game to clinch another classic comeback victory in "Queen Wen" style.

"At first, I wasn't used to Andreeva's style, as she played at a slower pace than my last opponent," Zheng told reporters after the match. "I had a lot of unforced errors. As the match went on, I understood her style better and began to find solutions."

Zheng's opponent in the semifinals will be Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, who upset top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4 in an earlier quarterfinal contest, ending the Belarusian's 15-match winning streak.

"Tennis is a roller-coaster ... I just really tried to fight for every ball and it was worth it," Muchova said after beating Sabalenka for the third straight time.

"Muchova is a smart opponent. I have practiced with her before ... I'll give my best," Zheng concluded ahead of her clash with the U.S. Open semifinalist.