Sabalenka next faces three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland who posted a straight-sets victory over 13th seed Elina Svitolina.
The top seed from Belarus won through 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 against the Chinese eighth seed in just under two hours on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The 27-year-old fought back after struggling in the first set against Zheng, who had beaten her in the last eight on clay in Rome last month, extending her record against the Chinese player to 7-1.
“The last tournament I was pretty exhausted,” said Sabalenka.
“Today I was more fresh I was ready to battle, to fight and give everything.
“Honestly, I was actually glad that I lost that match because I needed a little break before Roland Garros.”
Zheng broke and led 4-2 in the first set. But numerous unforced errors – 31 in total – allowed the Belarusian to come back.
The second set was also tight before Sabalenka broke back to lead 4-3, taking advantage of her opponent’s errors.
Sabalenka converted her first match point on a poorly-controlled drop-shot from Zheng to reach her seventh semifinal of the season.
In another quarterfinal, Swiatek bested the former world number three Svitolina of Ukraine 6-1, 7-5 in just over 90 minutes to continue her bid to equal a 102-year record by winning four successive French Open titles. (AFP)
