Qinwen Zheng Recalls ‘Lying in Bed’ and Hoping to Play US Open After Surgery

Qinwen Zheng, in the third round of the China Open, will lock horns with Linda Noskova for the third time in her career.

Qinwen Zheng Recalls ‘Lying in Bed’ and Hoping to Play US Open After Surgery

Qinwen Zheng (Image via Instagram/Qinwen Zheng)

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Qinwen Zheng is happy to be finally back on court after a total of 88 days. She underwent elbow surgery and could not play a match since her first-round defeat to Katerina Siniakova at Wimbledon.

Zheng is competing at the China Open, where the seventh seed went past an unseeded Emiliana Arango 6-3, 6-2 to kick-start her campaign in her home tournament, where she is playing for the third time in her career. After her match, the 22-year-old admitted that she has not yet achieved full fitness, and that while injured, she missed tennis a lot, especially the US Open, where she is a two-time quarterfinalist.

I’ve missed competing, but luckily, I’m enjoying playing tennis again and in a stadium like this. It’s been tough because what I longed for most was competing with the other players. I was lying in bed after the surgery, and all I could think about was hoping to be at the US Open, but I couldn’t even move my arm. Now I’m happy and I’m back with the fans cheering me on, which I love, and I can feel the adrenaline and pressure of getting back on the court again.

Qinwen Zheng said at the press conference

Zheng also talked about the complicated recovery process from an elbow injury. Despite gaining between 70 percent and 80 percent fitness, when her team told her there was no risk of playing, she decided to compete in Beijing. It was also the first surgery in her life, and during her rehab, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist tried her hand at different activities, such as learning Spanish and reading books.

Qinwen Zheng will face Linda Noskova next

Qinwen Zheng will be playing Linda Noskova in the third round. Noskova, the 26th seed, knocked out home favorite Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2. Zheng has faced Noskova twice, winning both those fixtures. They last met in the third round of the 2024 Italian Open, where Zheng came from a set down to win the match.

Qinwen Zheng (via X/CGTN)
Qinwen Zheng (via X/CGTN)

Now, Noskova will be a difficult player because she’s extremely fast. Her ball power is high, and she’s going to be a very demanding player for me, so I have to discuss the tactics with my team. I hope to play better in the next match and see if I can recover well, because right now the area of ​​the injury feels quite fatigued. We’ll see what happens, but whatever happens, I hope the fans are there to cheer me on.

Qinwen Zheng said at the press conference

Noskova doesn’t have a WTA 1000 title to her name, with her best performance in this category coming at the 2025 Dubai Open, where she reached the quarterfinals. In Beijing, she has made her second appearance after 2023 (lost in the second round).

Zheng, last year in Beijing, reached the semifinals only to lose to eventual runner-up Karolina Muchova. She also has never clinched a WTA 1000 title, with her best performance being a runner-up finish in last year’s Wuhan Open (lost to Aryna Sabalenka).

Zheng is searching for her first title of the season. The 2024 Australian Open finalist last reached a final at the 2024 WTA Finals (lost to Coco Gauff). Last year, she played six finals, winning three titles. Noskova is chasing her career’s second title, while Zheng has so far five titles to her name.

If Zheng knocks out Noskova, she will face the winner of the third-round match between Zeynep Sonmez and Anastasia Potapova in the fourth round. Zheng is projected to lock horns with first seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

Also read: Lorenzo Musetti Apologizes for Controversial Chinese Comments at Beijing Open