Zheng Qinwen makes triumphant return to tennis court at China Open

Zheng Qinwen marked a sensational return to the WTA Tour in front of her home fans at the China Open, overcoming Colombian lucky loser Emiliana Arango with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 victory in Beijing on Saturday. The win follows a two-month hiatus after undergoing elbow surgery, and signifies a promising resurgence in the coming weeks.

The World No. 9's triumph not only represents her first victory since reaching the semifinals at the Queen's Club in June, but also ends a streak of disappointments, as her only other tournament appearance since then had been a first-round exit at Wimbledon.

China's top-ranked player then opted for surgery to address a persistent right elbow injury that plagued her for much of the 2025 season. And despite not being at full fitness, she still chose to compete in the Chinese capital, driven by a desire to reconnect with her fans.

The match against Arango was their third head-to-head meeting, with Zheng improving her record against the South American to 3-0. All of those wins have come in straight sets, including a previous triumph at this year's French Open, and the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics gold medalist is thrilled to be back in action.

"I'm really happy, as I was frustrated after missing out on the US Open. Bringing my best performance here, receiving support from the crowd, and feeling their passion gives me extra motivation to play under those conditions," said Zheng.

"Coming here to the China Open is really due to the support of the fans, because my team did not really support me playing at this tournament. But in every training session, I saw those fans, and I said I really want to play in front of these people."

Looking ahead, Zheng will face the Czech Republic's 26th-seeded Linda Noskova in the next round.