Qinwen Zheng ground through yet another three-set marathon at the 2026 China Open, edging Marie Bouzková 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 in a nearly three-hour battle in Beijing. The Chinese star has now gone the distance in three consecutive matches, logging over eight hours on court — more than anyone else in this year's draw.
Qinwen Zheng Advances in Beijing
After splitting the first two sets, Zheng leaned on her serve to pull away in the decider.
She fired 11 aces and won 81% of her first-serve points, converting her second match point to close out the win. Bouzková, the 18th seed, had built a 3-0 lead in the second set to level the match, but she couldn't sustain that momentum in the third.
"I just think I believe here everybody wants to take me down" Zheng said. "They really show up [with] their best tennis."
Thirteen of Zheng's 21 tour wins this season have come in deciding sets, so tight matches on home soil are nothing new for the No. 3 seed. Now, these latest WTA scores send Zheng into a round-of-16 meeting with Alina Charaeva.
The unseeded Armenian knocked off world No. 1 Elena Rybakina earlier in the draw, and promises another tough test for Zheng.
