Zheng Qinwen was on majestic form in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinals to upset No.1 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-2 in just 78 minutes.

However, No.2 seed Belinda Bencic advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-2 defeat of qualifier Shelby Rogers, her fifth in a row over the American. Rogers dropped just four points through her first six service games, but after Bencic proved steadier in the tiebreak, the Swiss player took control.

Highlights: Bencic d. Rogers

Here are the key takeaways from Zheng's performance.

The result continues Zheng's upward trend: The 20-year-old notched her third career Top 10 win, following her 2022 defeats of Ons Jabeur in Toronto and Paula Badosa in Tokyo. The result puts Zheng into her third tour-level semifinal, and second at WTA 500 level following her run to the Tokyo final last September.

Zheng's overall trajectory is still a fast-rising one. This time 12 months ago, she had only just cracked the Top 100; now, she is a solid Top 30 player at No.29. But a deep run in Abu Dhabi does shake off a slightly disappointing Australian Open result, where she fell to Bernarda Pera in the second round.

Zheng displayed multi-pronged excellence: First-strike power was the bedrock of the Chinese player's game, as ever. She tallied 25 winners, including four aces, to Kasatkina's eight. Two blistering forehand return winners were also key to building a double-break lead in the second set.

But Zheng also showcased a broadening repertoire, and an increasing number of ways to winning a point. She showed keenness to come to net and clean execution once there, even essaying successful plays via the serve-and-volley and net-rush off the return. A pair of perfect drop shots also leavened the power plays.

Tactically, Zheng was sharp as well. When Kasatkina attempted to draw her into longer rallies, Zheng was content to patiently trade heavy topspin before going for the winner. Wary of Kasatkina's ability on the run, Zheng elicited errors from her opponent with sudden injections of pace towards the feet.

Zheng's scoreboard management was superb: As indicated by the scoreline, there were few moments when Kasatkina seemed like a threat to win the match. But much of that was due to Zheng's focus in maintaining an iron grip of momentum.

Even a straightforward match can contain potential turning points, but Zheng raised her level almost every time. She saved the only two break points she faced in the first set with unreturnable serves, and nailed a drive volley to hold that game for 3-0. Serving at 4-1 in the second set, she came through the highest-quality game of the match, weathering everything Kasatkina threw at her and saving another break point with a hefty forehand.

Serving for the match, Zheng fended off break point with another forehand winner. After being denied victory on her first match point by an umpire overrule, she showed off stellar reflexes to convert her second, chasing down a Kasatkina drop shot and finishing with a high volley winner.