Home favourite Zheng storms into China Open semi-finals

Beijing: Homegrown tennis star Zheng Qinwen delivered a stellar performance to defeat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) at the China Open on Friday, advancing to the semi-finals. The wildcard entrant in Beijing finally secured her maiden straight-sets win of the tournament, requiring over 10 hours on court to reach the quarter-finals.

The 24-year-old Zheng dazzled the crowd with her powerful winners, dropping just two double-faults, including one on the opening point. However, she overcame a 0-2 deficit in the second set to clinch victory on her second match point. "Truthfully, because I really wanted to grab this win, I was really nervous," Zheng admitted to the crowd. "I played really aggressive in important moments," she added, noting that Svitolina pushed her to new heights during the closely contested second set.

Svitolina, the seventh-ranked player, committed just 13 unforced errors in the one-hour-and-47-minute match but was outmatched by Zheng's 48 winners. The Ukrainian struggled to keep pace with her Chinese opponent's aggressive play style.

Later on Friday, the spotlight will shift to another showdown in the semi-finals. Poland's reigning champion Iga Swiatek, the 2023 title holder in Beijing, is set to face Belgium's Elise Mertens for the last Asian spot in the tournament's last four.