Qinwen Zheng just manufactured one of the most poignant moments of the season in Beijing, defying her wildcard status to win a maiden WTA 1000 title in front of her fanatical home fans.
Zheng’s extraordinary comeback from elbow surgery inspired me to trawl through WTA history and compile a list of Chinese tennis’ five most iconic moments on tour. Here goes nothing.
5. 2012 Cincinnati Open: Li Na beats Angelique Kerber (1-6, 6-3, 6-1)
Li Na will forever be the OG trailblazer. It’s arguable that there may not be a Qinwen Zheng were it not for Li Na’s monumental achievements (Zheng has cited Li Na’s Grand Slam victories as a major source of inspiration in her formative years). This victory at the Premier 5 event in Cincy ended a 15-month trophy drought dating back to her historic 2011 French Open win. This also marked her first title with coach Carlos Rodriguez, who would eventually guide her to a 2nd Grand Slam title and a career-high ranking of 2 in the world. Na showed her trademark tenacity in the final, coming back from a set down to see off the crafty Angelique Kerber.
4. 2026 China Open: Qinwen Zheng beats Mirra Andreeva (7-5, 6-4).
The inspiration behind this list, Zheng’s China Open victory is one of the year’s true fairytale moments. It wasn’t too long ago that Zheng appeared destined for greatness. She enjoyed a spectacular 2024 campaign, rising to No.4 in the world after reaching the Aussie Open final and winning Olympic Gold in Paris. A recurring elbow injury brought the rocket ship down to earth, as surgery and a subsequent drop in form saw her careen out the top 100. But she has shown incredible determination in recent months, fighting through qualifications to secure a quarterfinal berth at the US Open. And she fully realized her redemption arc last week, becoming the first Chinese woman to win Beijing with a straight-sets victory over Russian wunderkind Mirra Andreeva.
3. 2014 Aussie Open: Li Na beats Dominika Cibulkova (7-6, 6-0)
Qinwen Zheng said that she watched this final over ten times as an 11-year-old. Li Na had proven herself to be a fierce competitor on the Melbourne hardcourts, finishing runner-up in 2011 and 2013. This felt like a cathartic moment after the agony of the 2013 final, where Na surrendered a one-set lead after suffering two dramatic falls, one of which twisted her ankle and the other damaged her head. Na got her vengeance in 2014, finally capturing the title that she has shed literal blood and tears for. Na took a nervy first set before dominating the 2nd, becoming the first Asian woman to claim the Melbourne title. At 31 years of age, she remains the oldest Aussie Open women’s champ of the Open Era. Na would reach a career-high ranking of No.2 because of this triumph.
2. 2011 French Open: Li Na beats Francesca Schiavone (6-4, 7-6)
These top two slots were almost impossible to separate. But I ultimately went for Li Na’s groundbreaking 2011 French Open win as my no.2 pick. I don’t think that anybody was truly surprised when Li Na became the first Asian- man or woman- to claim a Grand Slam singles title. But on clay? Na was never a fan of the sticky stuff in the past but grew with confidence with every round of the 2011 French Open. Many thought that diehard clay-court specialist Francesca Schiavone would use that heavy topspin to extinguish Na’s quest for immortality. But Na rose to the occasion, using her cross-court forehand to negate Schiavone’s advantages.
1. 2024 Olympic Gold: Qinwen Zheng beats Donna Vekic (6-2, 6-3)
Ultimately, I had to go with Qinwen Zheng’s herculean efforts at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Sure, it doesn’t quite have the same never-before-seen quality of Li Na’s 2011 French Open win. But the Olympics are technically more elusive than Grand Slam glory, only happening once every four years (there are 16 Grand Slam titles to be fought for during that span). The thing that made this victory even more remarkable was that Zheng overcame Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, bringing the Pole’s awe-inspiring 25-match Roland Garros winning streak to an abrupt end. It felt quite fitting that Zheng’s breakthrough triumph would happen in the same venue where Li Na put Chinese tennis on the map. It’s also fascinating that both players- nominally hardcourt specialists- enjoyed their most iconic day on Parisian clay.
