Zheng Qinwen of China hits a return during the women's singles quarterfinal against Anna Kalinskaya of Russia at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan 24, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

DUBAI - Sixth seed Zheng Qinwen of China beat Japan's Hibino Nao 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 here on Tuesday, advancing to the round of 16 in the WTA 1000 Dubai singles.

Zheng, who had recently reached the final of the Australian Open, was in poor condition in the first set and fell behind after consecutive mistakes. She also took a medical timeout during the match.

In the next two sets, Zheng gradually found her own rhythm and eventually secured a comeback win.

READ MORE: Zheng finishes AO with career first major tournament runner-up

In the round of 16, Zheng will face Russia's Anastasia Potapova. The two have had three previous encounters, with Zheng having two wins and one loss.