The return of the Queen(wen)
Chinese tennis player Qinwen Zheng is finally getting back to her best after undergoing an elbow surgery in July 2025. She recently won the China Open, her first WTA 1000 title, while also becoming the first Chinese player ever to win a Masters title. Zheng defeated two top-ten players in Elina Svitolina and Mirra Andreeva to win the prestigious title amid an adoring and raucous home crowd.
The Olympic Gold-medallist from Paris and Australian Open finalist had reached a career-best ranking of world No. 4 before a persistent right elbow injury forced her to undergo surgery last year and miss the rest of the season after a surprise first-round exit at Wimbledon. She did participate in the China Open in September but retired in the round of 32. Zheng missed about eight months of tennis action, which plummeted her world ranking from fourth to 160th.
Elbow injuries in tennis are very tricky, and it felt like she was not going to return to the levels she had reached earlier. However, Zheng has slowly and steadily shown improvements this season and climbed up the rankings. Initially, she struggled for rhythm and fitness and didn’t perform well at the first three Slams, withdrawing from the Australian Open and getting knocked out of the first rounds of both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.
Zheng went into the North American hard-court swing in a positive mood. Although she was knocked out in the qualifying round at the National Bank Open, she reached the round of 16 of the Cincinnati Open.
She performed particularly well at the US Open, defeating Grand Slam champions Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the quarter-finals, losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina in a tightly contested three-setter.
The US Open run was a massive confidence booster that saw Zheng go into her home tournament with a lot of positivity and belief. Winning the China Open has catapulted her back in the top 30 of the world rankings; now 23rd in the world, she seems to be playing her best tennis right now.
Although she won’t qualify for the year-ending WTA Finals, Zheng is definitely back to her best levels. Having seen her play at the US Open and now the China Open, I’m quite sure that, if she continues this kind of form and momentum, she will be a massive threat to several top-ranked players, especially on hard courts. I also believe that Zheng will break into the top ten next season.
Zheng’s return from the injury setback is another reminder that elite athletes don’t let minor setbacks define them. They demonstrate impeccable resilience and, through consistent performances and a positive mindset, they can come back from even dire circumstances. Zheng has earned some really big wins this season, and that could give her immense belief to compete with the top players again. If she continues this form, there’s no doubt that she will break into the top ten of the WTA rankings next year and reclaim her position as one of the elite women’s tennis stars in the world.
