Tibet has been in the news since a devastating mudslide hit Gyirong County on August 26. Numerous people have been reported missing, and search and rescue missions are underway. Chinese WTA pro Qinwen Zheng has shown her class amid these horrifying times and has donated to the mudslide disaster area in the County.

She made a donation of 1 Million Yuan (close to $150,000). The contribution was officially recorded by the China Charity Federation. So far, Zheng is the only prominent tennis player who has come forward and donated to the disaster area in Tibet.

The contribution is focused on the Gyirong Country region in particular because it was the epicenter of the disaster. The donated funds are mainly directed towards emergency rescue and recovery of infrastructure in the County.

The mudslides were triggered after a major glacial collapse took place along the Himalayan border shared by China, Tibet, and Nepal. The border checkpoint at the Gyirong Port was completely obliterated by the flash floods and left thousands missing on both sides of the border. It is a tragedy that came as an absolute shock, and now it’s the duty of the governmental authorities to rescue as many people as they can.

Coming back, this isn’t the first time that Zheng has taken the initiative of donating funds to disaster sites. Back in 2023, she became the savior for people who were affected by earthquakes in Jishishan County of China. Zheng, who was in the early stages of her career at the time, donated $28,000 to the rescue and relief fund that took care of earthquake victims in the Gansu province.

These acts show Zheng’s pure personality, and she has gained a lot of fans through this. She is currently the fourth-highest-ranked Chinese WTA player in the world, but has been struggling to get positive results in 2026. The 23-year-old has a dismal win-loss record of 11-13 and has suffered early exits throughout the season.

Zheng wasn’t able to pull up wins during the early stages of the ongoing US swing either. She suffered a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat in the first round to Alexandra Eala at the Citi Open. This was followed by an exit in the first round of qualifying at the National Bank Open. She was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Lanlana Tararudee in the opening round.

With her ranking having already plummeted to No. 121, there weren’t many expectations from Zheng as she entered the qualifying rounds of the US Open. But the Chinese went on an unexpected run all the way to the main draw with the kind of performances she hadn’t delivered in the last few months.

Qinwen Zheng secures entry into the US Open’s main draw after a remarkable qualifying run

Zheng first came up against her compatriot, You Xiaodi, and racked up a solid 6-3, 6-2 victory. This not only marked her first win of the US swing, but it was also her first victory since the Hellenic Championship in July.

The result appeared to be a major confidence booster for Zheng as she delivered another stunning performance in the second round. The 23-year-old defeated Clara Burel 6-1, 7-5 to keep her chances of a main draw entry alive. She didn’t lose a set once again and was always in control of the match.

Her toughest encounter of qualifying came in the third and final round. Zheng faced Elena Pridankina and made a strong start by clinching the first set. But she then went on to lose her first set of qualifying, and the match was leveled. But Zheng maintained her composure and made the decider a one-sided affair.

Pridankina couldn’t keep up in the third set as Zheng bagelled her and clinched the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. She booked her spot in the main draw with this result and will be up against the 16-year-old Kristina Liutova, who also made her way through the qualifying rounds.

Despite not having a lot of experience in Grand Slams, Liutova can provide a tough challenge for Zheng. Not to mention that she had recently defied the odds by lifting the title on her WTA debut at the Memphis Classic earlier in August. It remains to be seen which one of the two comes out on top in the opening round.