The exit from Sheng, who rose from 287 to 126 in the WTA rankings in a year, came following the tournament saw her reach the quarter-finals and semi-finals for the first time in her singles career.
In the current tournament, Cheng beat former world number two Vera Zvonareva and former 20th seed Anna Konjoh.
Simona Halep, who struggled with injuries heavily during the 2021 season to drop to 20th in the world rankings, continued her successful comeback, with the current tournament being at least the third in a row to reach the semi-finals, and she is one step away. of winning the title.
Halep will meet Russia’s Veronika Kodermetova in the final, as Japanese star Naomi Osaka, the former world number one and first in the tournament, withdrew from the match once morest her due to an abdominal injury.
The final will be Kodermitova’s third in her singles track record at the WTA Tour.