Pain free in her elbow, feeling fresh and raring to go, China's star ace Zheng Qinwen is focusing more on her mind game on her return from injury, starting with an encouraging run in Miami.

With the pain in her arm no more, at least for now, and the intensity of her game picking back up, Zheng, a former world No 4, is ramping up in her recovery from last summer's right elbow surgery with a positive flourish, capping off her third tournament since returning to action last month with three quality battles in Miami.

After pulling off solid back-to-back wins over United States pair and home crowd favorites Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, both major title winners, the resurgent Zheng crashed up against a persistent Belarusian barrier, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who sent Zheng packing on Tuesday with a straight-sets, round-of-16 victory at the WTA 1000 tournament.

It was Zheng's eighth loss to the mighty world No 1 in their ninth meeting on the WTA Tour, yet it remains a result more positive than frustrating for the reigning Olympic champion, allowing her to accurately gauge her recovery.

"This is what always happens when competing against a high-level opponent, the match will be decided by only a few key points at critical moments," Zheng said of her 6-3, 6-4 loss to Sabalenka, whom she has beaten only once before, in the quarterfinals at last year's Rome Open.

"When the opportunity presented itself, I didn't grab it. Technically, I don't feel I am way behind. Yet it was the mental focus needed to hang in there during key points that made the difference today.

"Perhaps this is where I need to step up; staying focused and resilient all the time, after having missed competitions at this level for so long."

As far as her body's reaction? It sent out quite a reassuring message.

"Most importantly, my elbow feels much better now compared to Doha," said Zheng, who played her first tournament in over four months at the Qatar Open in early February.

"I still felt a certain level of discomfort after three matches in Doha, while I don't feel any pain now after playing three matches in a row here. I feel like I could keep playing for another day."

A short break, although forced in a manner she might not like, will perhaps serve her better in the long run than a deep run right now would, considering how much her decision to rush back into action the last time had cost her.

Too eager for a home-court return at the highly-anticipated China Open last fall, Zheng, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow in July after the chronic pain grew unbearable following her early exit at Wimbledon, pushed to make her return at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing.

She soon realized it was a reckless move, risking the future of her career.

Midway through just her second match in Beijing, against Linda Noskova in the third round, she was forced to retire in pain, learning the hard way that she needs to listen to her body more.

"At the end, I was hurting even more," Zheng told wtatennis.com during an interview at Indian Wells, her second event this season before Miami.

"We went to do an MRI and there was a lot of liquid in the elbow again. And then we knew, 'OK, time to stop'."

That headstrong decision cost her the opening major in 2026, as Zheng was forced to sit out the Australian Open, where, in 2024, she reached her only career Grand Slam final so far, tearfully nursing her not quite fully healed elbow as she watched her ranking plummet.

"Actually, when me and my team decided together we couldn't go, I was crying a lot in the bathroom ... I know that I have to listen to my body," said the 23-year-old world No 23.

Now though, her body allows her to push it a bit harder.

With four wins out of seven matches since returning to competitive action in Doha, including three over major-winning opponents, Zheng has shown flashes of her top form, particularly her 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback win against 15th seed Keys, last year's Aussie Open champion, on Monday.

The effort to diversify her arsenal of kick serve and ferocious top-spin forehand — underlined by the hiring of a second coach, former ATP pro Marcos Baghdatis, which was believed to be a compromise to help her elbow better recover — apparently needs a little more grind.

"I've always tried to adjust my technique to achieve a higher level,"Zheng said in Miami, where her long-term mentor Pere Riba rejoined her team to form a coaching duo with Cypriot Baghdatis, the 2006 AO finalist, for the first time.

"We are still in the trial period with two coaches, and it will take some time in the beginning to make it work. So far, I feel good working with both."

Zheng's powerful serve and baseline shots, her biggest weapon on the tour, proved to not yet be back to full force against Sabalenka, with the technical adjustment and her re-acclimation to the game's pace at the highest level both taking time.

Although hitting 21 winners, six more than the four-time major champion, Zheng conceded 28 unforced errors and produced a lowly 40-percent first serve during the loss, failing to convert on break chances due to the lack of consistency and quality in shots that mattered.

Her rival seemed glad to have her back on the other side of the net, though.

"I feel like she's getting back on her top level," Sabalenka said of Zheng's performance.

"Of course, she's probably not in her best shape, but I can see she's working hard and trying her best. I am just happy to see her back healthy and building her level back."