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It is the first time Zheng has defended a title, and the No.1 seed, who was a finalist at the Australian Open in January, and she needed all her endurance to complete the feat.

"It was a really tough match, because I think she's an amazing player," Zheng said after her victory over No.2 seed Muchova.

"She volleys really well. And then she has a tough drop shot for me."

"There [was] lot of ups and downs. I [was] trying to be more aggressive in the third set and I'm happy that worked out."

Muchova beat Zheng in their only previous meeting, a also a three-set clash on clay at 2022 Madrid.

But the Czech, who was a grand slam runner-up herself at the 2023 French Open, was unable to grind out the win this time.

Neverthless, it was a positive outing in only her third tournament since coming back from a wrist injury that had left her sidelined for 10 months since last year's US Open.