Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen has reflected on the challenges of coming back from the lowest point in her career following a devastating injury to secure historic victory in front of her adoring home fans at the China Open on Sunday.
Zheng delighted the home crowds as she captured the women's singles title in Sunday's final in Beijing to become the first ever Chinese winner of the event, fulfilling one of her childhood dreams.
After defeating fourth-seeded Russian player Mirra Andreeva, Zheng broke down in tears during an emotional celebration at the National Tennis Center in the Chinese capital.
The win comes after an injury-hit period which has plagued the Chinese star ever since she stormed to Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games and peaked at a career-high ranking of No. 4.
After undergoing surgery on a persistent right elbow injury in July 2025, Zheng has had to fight her way back. Her ranking fell as low as No. 160 after she returned to the tour earlier this year.
Struggling for form and with her WTA ranking too low to qualify for direct entry into the U.S. Open which started in late August, Zheng had to come through several qualifying rounds.
But with a point to prove, Zheng finally reached a turning point with her head-turning performances in the main draw, as she beat Grand Slam winners Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek to reach the quarter-finals, where she eventually suffered a narrow defeat to the eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
Carrying that momentum back to Beijing's Diamond Court for the China Open, Zheng thrilled the home fans as she secured a historic and deeply emotional triumph after more than a year of struggle.
After the tears of celebration and the excitement of an impromptu karaoke performance on the final match court, Zheng shared her sense of relief in a candid interview afterward.
Asked what she would say to the version of herself who was injured last year, Zheng offered a lighthearted wish for a healthier diet.
"I would tell my past self: I hope you can eat a bit healthier. To be honest, because there was no tennis [matches] to test myself, I really was not that disciplined, and it showed on the court. That is the conclusion I reached after reviewing everything in that long period," she said.
Recalling the darkest time earlier this year, Zheng described how she dug deep to rediscover her best tennis, and continue her approach of taking one match at a time.
"But everything is destined. You cannot rush it. This has all been so hard. When I played U.S. Open qualifying matches, I never imagined any of this could happen. That was truly the lowest point of my life. I could only play match by match, facing an unknown road ahead," she said.
The victory, which marked Zheng's maiden WTA 1000 title, earned her crucial ranking points which sees her now rise to No. 23 in the WTA rankings as she continues her comeback.
Zheng Qinwen completes injury comeback in style by serving out historic China Open win
