Zheng Qinwen becomes 2nd Chinese qualifier for WTA Finals after Li Na

Zheng Qinwen of China has secured qualification for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals that will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 9, the women's tennis governing body announced on Wednesday.

Zheng is currently seventh on the WTA table and was competing with Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins of the U.S. plus Daria Kasatkina of Russia for the Finals qualification. Since the three didn't perform well enough at a series of recent tournaments in China and Navarro withdrew from both the Ningbo Open and the Japan Open, Zheng has sealed her ranking and a spot in the Finals.

It will be Zheng's first appearance in the year-end competitions and she became the second Chinese player to participate in the Finals after Li Na who did so in 2013.

Zheng has been playing a lot of matches since winning the women's singles gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris in August. In order to recover from the fatigue that came with the heavy load, she withdrew from the Ningbo Open and explained her decision at a press conference on Wednesday.

"I feel sorry about skipping the Ningbo Open. It's a pity," Zheng said. "It was on my schedule to play it, but competing at the China Open and the Wuhan Open was very consuming. I was dealing with an adductor strain in my left leg in the Wuhan Open semifinals and final. I took some pain killers and cold medicine before the Wuhan Open final because I caught a cold at that time. I haven't fully recovered yet."

"I talked to my team and made the decision to skip the Ningbo Open for the sake of my health and to avoid escalation of leg injury," Zheng added. "I hope I can play it next year if I have the chance. I want to focus on recovery and hope that fans can enjoy the Ningbo Open."