Zheng Qinwen
Chinese tennis player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zheng Qinwen (born 8 October 2002) is a Chinese professional tennis player. She has been ranked world No. 4 by the WTA, achieved in June 2025, and is only the second Chinese player to reach the top 5 in women's singles after Li Na. Zheng has won five career singles titles, including the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Asian tennis player to win an Olympic gold medal in singles.
_01_(cropped).jpg)
Zheng at the 2024 US Open | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country (sports) |  China | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residence | Barcelona, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 8 October 2002[1] Shiyan, Hubei, China | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Huazhong University of Science and Technology | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Pere Riba (2023–)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Prize money | US$ 10,324,498 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 253–114 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (16 June 2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | No. 138 (6 July 2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | QF (2025) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 3R (2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | QF (2023, 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | F (2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | W (2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 8–13 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 724 (26 October 2020) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | 1R (2022) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Last updated on: 22 June 2026. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Zheng Qinwen | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 郑钦文 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鄭欽文 | ||||||||||
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Zheng won her first WTA Tour tournament in 2023 at the Palermo Ladies Open defeating Jasmine Paolini, defending the title the following year. In total, she has won four WTA Tour titles, one WTA Challenger title, and eight ITF singles titles, and was named the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year and the 2023 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year. She contested a major final at the 2024 Australian Open.
Early life and junior years
Zheng was born in Shiyan, Hubei, on 8 October 2002.[3] Her parents encouraged her to try several sports during her childhood, including table tennis, before she began playing tennis at the age of seven.[4] At the age of eight, she left her parents and moved to Wuhan to receive more advanced coaching.[4] Her mother initially visited her on weekends and later left her job to support her training full-time.[4] During her formative years, Zheng trained at an academy in Beijing under Carlos Rodríguez, who had previously coached Justine Henin and Li Na.[5][6] Zheng turned professional in 2018 while continuing to compete on the junior circuit.[7] In December 2018, she reached the girls' singles final of the Orange Bowl, where she lost to Coco Gauff in three sets.[8] In 2019, she reached the girls' singles semifinals at both the French Open and the US Open, and achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of world No. 6.[7][9] In late 2019, Zheng moved to Spain to continue her development and established a training base in Barcelona.[5][10] She began working with Spanish coach Pere Riba in 2021.[2]
Career
2021: WTA Tour debut
In January 2021, Zheng won the Tennis Future Hamburg, Germany where she defeated Linda Fruhvirtová in the final of the 25k event, held at the venue of the Hamburger Tennis-Verband.[11] On 20 June 2021, she won the final of the 60k Macha Lake Open in Staré Splavy defeating Aleksandra Krunić in two sets.[12] Zheng made her WTA Tour debut at the Palermo Ladies Open, where she defeated second seed Liudmila Samsonova in the first round,[13] before losing her next match to Jaqueline Cristian.[14]
2022: French Open fourth round, WTA final
At the Melbourne Summer Set 1, Zheng reached her first tour semifinal beating Mai Hontama, former No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, and Ana Konjuh, respectively.[15] She lost her semifinal match to second seed Simona Halep, in straight sets.[16] A week after the Melbourne Summer Set, Zheng qualified for her first major event[17][18] at the Australian Open and defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round.[19] In the second, she lost to fifth seed Maria Sakkari, in straight sets.[20]
At the French Open, Zheng defeated Maryna Zanevska on her debut at that major.[21] Next, she beat former French Open champion and 19th seed, Simona Halep, her first top-20 win, to move to the third round of a major for the first time in her career.[22] She moved into the fourth round after Alizé Cornet retired from the match.[23] She lost to top seed and world No. 1, Iga Świątek in the fourth round, citing menstrual cramps as a contributing factor.[24] Despite the loss, Zheng stated she was still happy about her performance and glad that she was able to play against the world's number one.[25] As a result, she moved to a new career-high of No. 54, on 6 June 2022,[26] breaking into the top 50 (at No. 46)[27] a week later after winning her first WTA 125 title at the Open Internacional de Valencia, defeating compatriot Wang Xiyu.[28]
Zheng debuted at Wimbledon and defeated Sloane Stephens in the first round.[29] She won her second round match against Greet Minnen,[30] before falling to the eventual champion, Elena Rybakina, in the third round.[31] During August, at the Canadian Open, Zheng defeated wildcard Rebecca Marino,[32] and fifth seed Ons Jabeur by retirement for her first career top-10 win.[33] After defeating Bianca Andreescu in the third round,[34] Zheng reached the first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of her career, though lost to 14th seed Karolína Plíšková in three sets.[35] At the US Open, Zheng defeated 16th seed Jeļena Ostapenko in the first round[36] and Anastasia Potapova in the second round.[37] She was beaten in the third round by Jule Niemeier, in straight sets.[38]
At the Pan Pacific Open in Japan, Zheng became the first Chinese teenager to reach a WTA Tour final which she lost to Liudmila Samsonova.[39] As a result, she reached the top 30 at world No. 28, on 26 September 2022, becoming the first Chinese teenager to do so.[39] Zheng was named WTA Newcomer of the Year.[40]
2023: US Open quarterfinals, two more titles
Zheng began the season with a win over former world No. 2, Anett Kontaveit, in the first round of the Adelaide International, saving match points in the third set to triumph in a final set tiebreak.[41] She lost to Victoria Azarenka in the second round.[42] On her debut at the Italian Open, she defeated Alizé Cornet,[43] Anna Bondár,[44] and Wang Xiyu[45] to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova.[46] As a result, she reached No. 19 in the WTA rankings, becoming the fifth Chinese player to break into the top 20[47][48] At the French Open, as the 19th seed, she beat Tamara Zidanšek in the first round,[49] before losing to Yulia Putintseva in the second.[50] After the French Open, Zheng split from Pere Riba and began working with Naomi Osaka's longtime coach Wim Fissette.[51]
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The grass-court season yielded disappointing results, as she lost all three singles matches that she played.[51] She received a wildcard into her next tournament in Palermo. As the second seed, she double bagelled Sara Errani,[52] then beat Diane Parry,[53] Emma Navarro[54] and Mayar Sherif[55] to reach her second tour-level final in which she beat Jasmine Paolini to win her first WTA Tour title.[56]
As the 23rd seed, Zheng defeated Nadia Podoroska[57] and Kaia Kanepi[58] to reach the third round of the US Open, where she beat Lucia Bronzetti in a three sets.[59] She defeated fifth seed Ons Jabeur,[60] to advance to her maiden major quarterfinal, losing to world No. 2 and eventual finalist, Aryna Sabalenka.[61] Fissette left Zheng after the US Open to rejoin Osaka who planned to return to the tour after giving birth.[62] Zheng won gold in singles at the Asian Games in September 2023.[63]
She captured her second career title on home soil at the WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open defeating Barbora Krejčíková in the final.[64][65] At the Elite Trophy, she defeated compatriot Zhu Lin in the semifinals,[66] before losing the final to Beatriz Haddad Maia.[67] At the end of the season, Zheng was named Most Improved Player by the WTA.[68] In the off-season at the end of 2023 she rehired Pere Riba.[2][69]
2024: Olympic champion, Australian Open runner-up
Zheng made her debut at the United Cup as China's No. 1 player, part of the team's debut at the tournament, and recorded her first win to clinch the tie with Czechia.[70] Team China qualified for the quarterfinals but was defeated by eventual finalist, team Poland.[citation needed] At the Australian Open, Zheng defeated Ashlyn Krueger,[71] Katie Boulter,[72] compatriot Wang Yafan,[73] and Océane Dodin[74] to reach the quarterfinals. She defeated Anna Kalinskaya to reach the semifinals,[75] and beat qualifier Dayana Yastremska to reach her first major final.[76] She lost the final to world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.[77] As a result, Zheng reached the top 10 in the singles rankings, the second Chinese player to do so after Li Na.[78]
At the Qatar Open, Zheng defeated Magda Linette[79] before losing to Leylah Fernandez.[80] At the Dubai Championships, Zheng defeated qualifier Nao Hibino[81] and Anastasia Potapova[82] before losing to world No. 1 Iga Świątek.[83]
At the Indian Wells, Zheng lost her first match to compatriot Yuan Yue.[84] At the Miami Open, Zheng defeated Katerina Siniakova[85] before losing to Victoria Azarenka.[86]
At the Madrid Open, Zheng retired from her first match against Yulia Putintseva due to a right thigh injury.[87] At the Italian Open, Zheng defeated Shelby Rogers,[88] Linda Noskova,[89] and Naomi Osaka[90] to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Coco Gauff.[91] At the French Open, Zheng defeated Alizé Cornet[92] and Tamara Korpatsch before losing to Elina Avanesyan.[93]
At the Wimbledon Championships, Zheng lost in the first round to qualifier Lulu Sun.[94]
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Zheng defended her title at Palermo in July, where she defeated Sara Errani,[95] Petra Martić,[96] Jaqueline Cristian,[97] Diane Parry,[98] and Karolína Muchová.[99] Seeded sixth at the Paris Olympics, Zheng defeated Sara Errani, Arantxa Rus, Emma Navarro,[100] and Angelique Kerber[101] to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, Zheng defeated top seed and four-time French Open winner Iga Świątek in straight sets, ending her 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros.[102][103] Zheng defeated Donna Vekić in the final to win the gold medal in women's singles, becoming the first Asian player to win Olympic gold in a singles event.[104][105][106][107] This was also China's second-ever Olympic gold in tennis, and the first since the women's doubles in 2004.[108]
At the Cincinnati Open, Zheng defeated qualifier Magdalena Fręch[109] but lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At the US Open, Zheng defeated Amanda Anisimova,[110] Erika Andreeva,[111] Jule Niemeier,[112] and Donna Vekic[113] to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to world No. 2 and eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.[114]
At the China Open, Zheng defeated Kamilla Rakhimova,[115] Nadia Podoroska,[116] Amanda Anisimova,[117] and Mirra Andreeva[118] to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Karolina Muchová.[119] At the Wuhan Open, Zheng defeated Jaqueline Cristian,[120] Leylah Fernandez,[121] Jasmine Paolini,[122] and compatriot Wang Xinyu[123] to reach the final, where she lost to world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.[124] At the Pan Pacific Open, Zheng defeated Moyuka Uchijima,[125][126] Leylah Fernandez,[127] and Diana Shnaider[128] to reach the final, where she overcame wildcard entrant Sofia Kenin to claim her third title of the year and clinch a place at the WTA Finals for the first time in her career.[129][130]
At the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zheng lost her opening group match against Aryna Sabalenka[131] but then defeated Elena Rybakina[132] and Jasmine Paolini[133] to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, she overcame Barbora Krejčíková.[134][135] She lost the final to Coco Gauff in a match which went to a third set tiebreak.[136] Despite the defeat, Zheng reached a career-high ranking of world No. 5 following the tournament.[137]
2025: Italian Open semifinal, elbow surgery
Seeded fifth at the Australian Open, Zheng defeated qualifier Anca Todoni, [138] before losing in the second round to Laura Siegemund.[139] She then lost her opening matches at the Qatar Ladies Open to Ons Jabeur[140] and at the Dubai Championships against Peyton Stearns.[141]
Wins over Viktoria Azarenka,[142] Lulu Sun[143] and Marta Kostyuk[144] saw Zheng reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, before her run was halted by second seed Iga Świątek.[145]
She overcame Lauren Davis,[146] Taylor Townsend,[147] and Ashlyn Krueger[148] to reach the quarterfinals at the Miami Open, where she lost to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.[149]
At the Charleston Open, Zheng made it three quarterfinals in as many tournaments with wins over Maria Sakkari[150] and Elise Mertens,[151] before losing in the last eight to ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.[152]
Having lost her opening match at the Madrid Open to Anastasia Potapova,[153] Zheng overcame Olga Danilović,[154] 26th seed Magdalena Fręch[155] and Bianca Andreescu[156] to reach the quarterfinals at the Italian Open, where she defeated world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, for the first time, after losing their previous six meetings.[157] She lost in the semifinals to fourth seed Coco Gauff in a match which went to a deciding third set tiebreak.[158] Zheng reached the quarterfinals at the French Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka.[159]
At the Queen's Club Championships in London, Zheng made it through to her first grass-court semifinal,[160] which she lost to Amanda Anisimova, in three sets.[161] Seeded fifth, she went out in the first round at Wimbledon at the hands of Kateřina Siniaková.[162]
On 19 July, Zheng announced she had undergone surgery on her right elbow the previous day and would be out of action for an unspecified amount of time, saying on social media that she had been dealing with "persistent pain" in the joint "over the past months" and the procedure was a "necessary step toward a better version of myself on court."[163][164]
Zheng made her return to WTA Tour in the last week of September at the China Open where, as seventh seed, she received a bye and then defeated qualifier Emiliana Arango to reach the third round.[165] There, she retired while trailing in the third set against 26th seed Linda Nosková due to an issue with her recently operated upon elbow.[166] Zheng subsequently withdrew from the Wuhan Open.[167]
2026: Return from injury, out of top 150
Zheng missed the first month of the 2026 season including the Australian Open while she continued to recover from her elbow surgery.[168] In February, she made her return to the WTA Tour at the Qatar Open where she defeated Sofia Kenin[169] and qualifier Alycia Parks,[170] before losing in the third round to second seed Elena Rybakina.[171] The following week, Zheng withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships due to illness.[172] Her next appearance was at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, where, as 24th seed, she received a bye into the second round but lost to Antonia Ružić in straight sets.[173]
At the Miami Open, as 23rd seed, Zheng received a first-round bye and then defeated wildcard entrant Sloane Stephens[174] and 15th seed Madison Keys to reach the fourth round,[175] at which point her run was ended by world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.[176]
She made it through to the third round at her next two tournaments, the Madrid Open, where she lost to second seed Elena Rybakina,[177] and the Italian Open, where she was eliminated by Jeļena Ostapenko.[178] As a result of these early exits, Zheng dropped out of the world's top 50 for the first time since August 2022.[179] At the French Open, she went out in the opening round of this major for the first time in her career, losing to qualifier Maja Chwalińska and winning just four games throughout the entire match.[180] Due to her defeat and subsequent loss of the ranking points she was defending from reaching the quarterfinals the previous year, Zheng fell out of the world's top 100.[181]
Zheng began her grass-court season at the Queen's Club Championships in London, but lost to Jaqueline Cristian in the first round.[182] The following week, having dropped further down the rankings to world No. 160, she defeated Maria Sakkari at the Nottingham Open,[183] before losing in the second round to Talia Gibson.[184] Zheng was given a wildcard entry into the main-draw at the Bad Homburg Open and overcame qualifier Solana Sierra to reach the second round,[185] where she lost to Clara Tauson.[186] At Wimbledon, she lost to 32nd seed Kateřina Siniaková in the first round for the second year in succession.[187]
Personal life
Zheng has cited Li Na—the only Chinese player to win a singles major title—as a source of inspiration.[188][189] In 2024, Zheng said: "I watched her since I was a little kid so I'm trying to follow in her steps. She inspired me a lot when I was a child."[190] Zheng has also credited her parents' support and guidance as a reason for her success.[189]
Following her gold medal win at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Zheng said that she had always wanted "to become one of the Asians that can inspire young kids and make them love tennis more".[191][192] She also said she looked up to Liu Xiang, a Chinese hurdler whose win in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics was China's first gold in any men's track and field event.[191][189] In a 2024 interview with Sky Sports, Zheng said her hobbies include walking with her family, reading, and singing.[193] She also enjoys roller coaster rides and is a fan of the K-pop group Blackpink.[194][195]
Playing style
Zheng's game is centred on baseline aggression and is built around her powerful serve and heavy-topspin forehand. Her forehand has been described as a signature weapon, capable of pushing opponents behind the baseline and creating opportunities for her to dictate rallies.[196] At the 2024 Australian Open, her forehands averaged 2,800 revolutions per minute, the highest spin rate among the women competing at the tournament and close to the men's tournament average.[197] Zheng is also an athletic mover whose first serve can be highly effective when it lands in, complementing her forehand and allowing her to control points from the opening shot. However, her serve has at times been affected by technical issues and a low first-serve percentage. Her heavy topspin and comparatively long swings initially made her particularly effective on clay courts, although she has become increasingly capable on faster surfaces.[198] Although she primarily seeks to dictate play from the baseline, she can vary the pace of rallies with high, looping balls and drop shots, a tactic she used effectively during her victory over Iga Świątek in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.[199]
Career statistics
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Current through the 2026 French Open.
Grand Slam tournament finals
Singles: 1 (runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2024 | Australian Open | Hard |  Aryna Sabalenka |
3–6, 2–6 |
Year-end championships finals
Singles: 1 (runner-up)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2024 | WTA Finals | Hard (i) |  Coco Gauff |
6–3, 4–6, 6–7(2–7) |
Olympic medal matches
Singles: 1 (gold medal)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 2024 | Paris Olympics | Clay |  Donna Vekić |
6–2, 6–3 |
