Mirra Andreeva was handed a straight-sets defeat by home hope Qinwen Zheng in the 2026 China Open final.
Zheng defeated Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 to capture her maiden WTA 1000 title and become the first Chinese player ever to win the tournament in Beijing since its reinauguration in 2004. The 24-year-old, who fell outside the top 100 earlier this year as a result of injuries, is set to rise to 23rd in the world following her triumph.
Andreeva was bidding to win her first WTA 1000 title of the season and third overall, but didn’t put in the performance she had planned to deliver.
Mirra Andreeva reacts after losing to Qinwen Zheng in straight sets
Asked in her post-match press conference if she had any regrets about her match with Zheng, the 19-year-old Russian said: “Well, I think when something doesn’t work out, you always regret maybe not doing something. I mean, if I remember those three set points that I had, two of them, the first set point, I think she served on the T, a great serve.
“I returned not so good. Plus-one. Then I put a lob. She finished with a smash. Not much I could do. The second set point, there was a second serve. I could have taken more risk. I kind of went for it, but I still wanted it to be kind of safe.
“But I still thought it was a good return. A long point. Maybe I could have taken more risk, try to be more aggressive. After the third set point also she finished the point with a volley.
“I mean, of course, if I look at that, if I try to bring that back, maybe I would do something different of course to try to change the outcome. Now it is what it is. The only thing I can do is to try to do something different on the next match that I have.”
Mirra Andreeva comments on Qinwen Zheng’s comeback after injury
Zheng underwent surgery after Wimbledon in 2025, and spent most of last season’s second half on the sidelines. She returned to action in February earlier this year and has battled to rise in the rankings after falling outside the top 100.
At the US Open, Zheng came through qualifying before beating Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the quarterfinals. The former world number four’s title-winning campaign in Beijing marked a big milestone in her pursuit of returning to her career-high ranking.
“I mean, for sure today she played great,” said Andreeva of Zheng. “It was also very nice of her to say such a nice thing to me. So I really appreciate it of course, as well. She also mentioned, of course we all know, that she’s had a tough year. It’s also very nice to see her playing better and coming back. Yes, I think that she’s going to be raising her level even more soon.”
Andreeva will now make her way to Wuhan for the final WTA 1000 event of the season, where she is seeded third.