Home hope Zheng sets up Mertens clash in China Open semis

BEIJING, China — Homegrown hero Zheng Qinwen pulled out some of her best tennis to beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) at the China Open on Friday and storm into a semi-final against Belgium's Elise Mertens. Zheng, a wildcard entry in Beijing, finally notched her first straight-sets win of this year's tournament having needed more than 10 hours on court to get to the quarter-finals. The world number 54 sent the crowd roaring as she punched winners down the line, though the seventh-ranked Svitolina came back fighting to force a second set tie-break. Zheng double-faulted on the first point but crawled her way out from a 0-2 deficit and fell onto her back victorious after winning her second match point. "Truthfully, because I really wanted to grab this win, I was really nervous," the 24-year-old told the crowd. "I played really aggressive in important moments," she said, adding that her opponent "raised her level" in a tight second set. Svitolina made just 13 unforced errors over the one-hour-and-47-minute match, but was outgunned by 48 winners from the 2024 Olympic champion. - Mertens upsets Swiatek - Mertens, the world number 19, beat Poland's Iga Swiatek 7-6 (7/0), 6-3, overcoming some nerves to dump out the 2023 title winner. "I...