Zheng Qinwen usurps Emma Navarro with big WTA Finals qualification move
Zheng Qinwen is now on track to potentially make her WTA Finals debut after sealing a crucial move up to seventh place in the Live Race to Riyadh.
World No 7 Qinwen started her Wuhan Open campaign in style on Wednesday, with the Chinese star wowing her home fans with a confident 6-2, 6-4 victory over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian.
Her opening win on her debut at the WTA 1000 event comes off the back of a strong run to the semi-finals of last week’s China Open, also a WTA 1000 event.
And Wednesday’s round two victory means that Qinwen, who celebrated her 22nd birthday yesterday, has made a significant move in the WTA Race to Riyadh.
She has now moved up to 3,580 points, narrowly ahead of world No 8 Emma Navarro – who now sits in eighth place on 3,568 points.
Navarro had a slight cushion heading into the back-to-back WTA 1000 events, though surprise losses in her opening match at both tournaments have severely dented her hopes of qualification.
In the past, eighth place was enough to seal a spot in the year-end championships.
However, new rules introduced in 2024 – which mirror the ATP rules for the ATP Finals – mean that Grand Slam champions are guaranteed a spot as long as they finish inside the top 20 of the race.
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova currently sits in 12th position, meaning the Czech is set to qualify ahead of whoever finishes in eighth position.
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With up to 1,000 points on offer, Qinwen has the chance to build a significant – and potentially unassailable – cushion inside the top seven.
2024 has proven to be a landmark year for the Chinese star, highlighted by her historic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
However, she has also reached the Australian Open final and US Open quarter-finals, alongside winning the title at the WTA 250 event in Palermo.
Should she qualify, she would become the first Chinese player to reach the year-end championships since Li Na back in 2013.
Speaking ahead of the Asian swing, Qinwen revealed that sealing a WTA Finals berth was her key target across the final stretch of the season.
“Now I find it a little bit challenging going into the Finals. Indeed, I need good points from these two tournaments,” she said pre-Beijing.
“I was asking my team, `Why do you make me so anxious right now?’ I know I’m feeling the pressure going into the Finals. I have to make sure that I play well here.”
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