Zheng Qinwen battled past Marie Bouzkova 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 in a nearly three-hour match on Monday, advancing to the round of 16 in Beijing after another grueling three-set test on home soil.
Zheng Survives Another Three-Set Battle Against Bouzkova in Beijing
Playing in front of a home crowd at the China Open, Zheng Qinwen has made a habit of taking the long route through the tournament. Monday’s round-of-32 clash against No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova saw the Chinese star grind through a 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-5 victory that lasted nearly three hours. The win marked Zheng’s third consecutive deciding-set win of the week.
The match got underway on Monday, October 5, 2026, with first serve scheduled for approximately 2:00 AM ET (11:00 PM PT). Dating back to the US Open, eight of Zheng’s past nine matches have gone the distance, and she has emerged victorious in seven of them. Her latest encounter required every bit of her endurance on court, bringing her total time played in Beijing past eight hours—more than anyone else in this year’s draw.
Bouzkova had made the stronger start to the second set by building a 3-0 lead to level the match, but could not sustain that momentum into the final frame as the players traded service holds for much of the decider. Earlier in the contest, Zheng earned the first break of the match, but the Czech player responded by converting a break point in the sixth game before the opening set progressed to a tiebreak that Zheng claimed 7-3. After splitting the opening two sets, Zheng leaned heavily on her serve in the decider. She fired 11 aces and won 81% of her first-serve points, ultimately converting her second match point when Bouzkova’s backhand sailed wide.
“Bouzkova is a very steady player, so I need to be patient, and I need to balance between forced and unforced errors.”
Zheng Qinwen
Fighting through tight matches on home soil is familiar territory for the tournament’s No. 3 seed, with thirteen of her 21 tour wins this season coming in deciding sets. I just think I believe here everybody wants to take me down
Zheng noted after the grueling encounter, adding that they really show up [with] their best tennis.
Zheng Explains Cartoon Tribute After Match Point
As Bouzkova’s final backhand sailed wide, a pumped-up Zheng belted out a Let’s go
and struck a superhero-like pose for the fans in attendance. The gesture immediately sparked speculation from observers wondering if the celebration honored soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo or the Japanese animated series Sailer Moon.
Addressing reporters after the match, Zheng clarified that the pose had nothing to do with either suggestion. Instead, it served as an intentional ode to Shen Bing Xiaojiang
—translated as Shenbing Kids
—an animated Chinese series that debuted in 2006. Growing up watching the show, she fondly remembers singing its theme song, Meng De Guang Dian.
“I told my team it’s a very childish cartoon. That was a transformation gesture in the cartoon. My team members were making fun of me. After winning that point, I need to do something to my team … I think people in my age might [have grown] up with that cartoon.”
Zheng Qinwen
Zheng Prepares to Face Charaeva in the Round of 16
The victory sends Zheng into a round-of-16 meeting in Beijing, where she will face Alina Charaeva.
Zheng and Charaeva have met once before on the WTA Tour driven by Mercedes-Benz, way back in 2020 on clay in Marbella, Spain, where Zheng came from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. As Zheng describes it, viewing the China Open as like her fifth Grand Slam,
her latest run puts her into the fourth round in Beijing for the second time, matching her previous deep run from 2024 when she reached the semifinals.