Zheng Qinwen is through to the Wuhan Open final after a straight-sets win over Wang Xinyu.

In a historic, first-ever all-Chinese semi-final at a WTA 1000 event, Zheng reached her first such final, prevailing 6-3 6-4.

There was little to separate the two in the opening exchanges – just as Zheng edged in front with the first break in the fourth game, Wang responded, levelling the scores back at 3-3.

However, Zheng rallied, successfully defending a break point on her way to winning the last three games in a row to take the first set.

Wang faced 12 break points throughout the match, but failed to defend one in the second-set opener, before protecting three as she took a 2-1 lead.

Despite her fight, the Olympic gold medallist dug deep once more, getting two back-to-back breaks in order to clinch clinching the match.

She will face Aryna Sabalenka, who has never lost a match in Wuhan, in the final on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Home favourite

It has been a banner year for Zheng, who is also still in with a chance of qualifying for the WTA finals. Including the Olympics, she has reached the final of four events during 2024, the most she has managed during a single season. 

Only Qiang Wang and Shuai Peng (four each) have made more WTA level finals on Chinese soil than Zheng (three, Zhengzhou and Zhuhai in 2023 and Wuhan in 2024) among Chinese players in the Open Era.

In fact, Zheng is just the second Chinese player to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event since the introduction of the format in 2009, after Li Na.

World number seven Zheng Qinwen will face Wang Xinyu in the first all-Chinese semi-final at a WTA 1000 event on Saturday, following the duo's quarter-final victories on Friday.

Zheng overcame Wimbledon and French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the last eight of the Wuhan Open, teasing several errors out of the Italian in the deciding set of a big-hitting encounter.

She has now won more matches since the end of Wimbledon (23) than any other player on the WTA Tour, and her next opponent will be compatriot Wang.

Wang came through a gruelling encounter with Ekaterina Alexandrova earlier on Friday, saving two match points en route to a 4-6 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory.

Making her first WTA 1000 semi-final, the world number 51 is the second-lowest ranked player to ever reach that stage in Wuhan.

The winner of Saturday's tie will take on either Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff in the final, with both players bidding to become the first Chinese player to go all the way at the tournament.

Data Debrief: Rare home contest in the offing

Since the inception of WTA 1000 events in 2009, only two local pairs have met in a semi-final match in the format, ahead of Zheng and Wang becoming the third this weekend.

Serena and Venus Williams faced off in Miami in 2009, while Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin battled it out in the final four of the 2019 Cincinnati Open.