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Qinwen Zheng disagrees with what has been said about her as she reaches China Open quarter-finals

Qinwen Zheng advanced to the quarter-finals of the China Open with a hard-fought 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Alina Charaeva, marking her fourth three-set win in the tournament. The Chinese star, who turned 24 on the same day, will next face five-time WTA 1000 champion Elina Svitolina in a high-stakes clash.

Zheng, who once reached a career-high world No. 4 ranking and won Olympic gold, has struggled with injuries over the past two years, forcing her to qualify for the US Open earlier this season.

Despite setbacks, she has shown resilience, climbing back into the top 50 with a current ranking of 42nd—just 40 points outside the top 40—and could leap to as high as 23rd if she captures the title in Beijing. Speaking to reporters after her win, Zheng dismissed comparisons to her pre-injury peak, insisting she is focused on continuous improvement rather than reliving past achievements.

Her quarter-final match on Friday will be her second semifinal appearance in her career, having reached that stage once before in 2024. Zheng’s path to the final eight has been far from easy, with all four of her matches decided in three sets, including a dramatic comeback against Marie Bouzková in the third round.

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