Elbow surgery, a ranking freefall and tears on home soil: Zheng Qinwen just made China Open history

Zheng Qinwen walked onto the Beijing court as a wildcard ranked No. 54 — a long shot. Little more than a year earlier, elbow surgery had dragged her as low as No. 160 in the world. On Sunday she beat Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4, saving three set points in the opener before ripping through 11 straight points, to become the first Chinese woman to win the China Open in the tournament's history. It is her first WTA 1000 title, sealed with an ace and celebrated on her knees in tears — followed by a karaoke singalong for the home crowd.