Iga Swiatek and Zheng Qinwen were forced to dig deep in Beijing as the China Open third round turned into a test of endurance, composure and recovery. Swiatek overturned a sizeable deficit against Donna Vekic, while home favourite Zheng Qinwen survived another three-set battle to keep her title hopes alive. For Swiatek, the danger was particularly real. The former world No. 1 trailed Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 5-2 and was staring at an early exit before producing the kind of fight that has defined her career. The Polish star saved herself from the brink, dominated the second-set tiebreak and eventually completed a 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2 comeback in two hours and 40 minutes.
The result sent the 2023 China Open champion into the last 16, but the scoreline does not fully capture how close Swiatek came to going out. Vekic was serving for the match at 5-2 in the second set, but Swiatek refused to surrender. She broke twice to level the set at 5-5 before taking complete control of the tiebreak, winning all seven points. That turnaround changed the complexion of the contest. Swiatek had previously won all four of her meetings with Vekic, dropping just one set, but this was arguably her most demanding encounter against the Croatian. According to the WTA, Swiatek responded by becoming more aggressive and changing her patterns of play, particularly with her down-the-line shots.
“I was just angry, wanted to change something, because clearly it wasn’t working,” the 25-year-old from Poland said on court. “Sometimes if you care a bit less because you’re… probably going to lose, it also helps you a bit,” she later told reporters. The former world No. 1 will now face American teenager Iva Jovic in the fourth round, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
Zheng survives another marathon. If Swiatek’s victory was about escaping from a seemingly lost position, Zheng Qinwen’s latest win was another demonstration of her ability to survive long matches. The Chinese star defeated No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 54 minutes to reach the last 16. It was Zheng’s third consecutive three-set match at this year’s China Open. The victory was particularly significant given the workload Zheng has already carried in Beijing. The WTA reported that she had spent eight hours and one minute on court through her opening three matches, the most of any player in the tournament at that stage. She has also won 13 of her 21 WTA Tour victories this season in deciding sets.
Zheng’s path to victory against Bouzkova was far from straightforward. She had opportunities to take control early, but the Czech player repeatedly found ways back into the contest. Zheng eventually produced her best tennis late in the deciding set, winning the final two games to close out the match. “I gave everything,” said Zheng, who had already spent more than five hours on court in the first two rounds. “Truthfully speaking, I felt a lot of pressure today,” the 23-year-old told her home crowd, thanking fans for their support but commenting on distractions during play.
The home support has been both an advantage and an additional source of pressure for Zheng throughout the tournament. She acknowledged the challenge of maintaining concentration while playing in front of an expectant Chinese crowd. “Sometimes I’m a bit screaming in Chinese, because I really see you guys are moving, but next match I hope I will be better on this,” she said. Zheng will now meet 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva for a place in the quarterfinals. Charaeva has been one of the surprise stories of the China Open after eliminating top seed Elena Rybakina earlier in the tournament.
The defining feature of the women’s draw in Beijing is not simply who is winning, but how the leading players are being forced to win. Swiatek and Zheng reached the last 16 through very different routes, yet both victories highlighted the physical and mental demands of the China Open. For Swiatek, coming back from 6-4, 5-2 down showed her ability to make tactical changes when the match appeared to be slipping away. For Zheng, three consecutive deciding sets underline her growing reputation as a player capable of surviving prolonged pressure, although the workload could become increasingly important as the tournament progresses.
The China Open is a WTA 1000 event and features a 96-player singles draw, with the 32 seeds receiving first-round byes. The 2026 edition is the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season with a 96-player field. That makes the next round particularly important. Swiatek will have to recover quickly before facing Jovic, while Zheng faces Charaeva, who arrives with considerable momentum after eliminating Rybakina. The other major names remain in contention too. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova advanced to the last 16 and will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, while Coco Gauff, the highest-ranked player remaining in the women’s draw at the time, was scheduled to face China’s 16-year-old Sun Xinran.
With the tournament entering the knockout stages, the margins will only become smaller. Swiatek has already demonstrated that she can survive from a losing position, while Zheng continues to thrive in matches that stretch deep into the deciding set. In Beijing, reaching the next round is no longer simply about playing the better tennis. It is increasingly about having enough resilience left when the match reaches its most decisive moments.
