Zheng Qinwen continued to shine in front of her home fans at the WTA Wuhan Open. The Paris Olympics champion got past Italy's Jasmine Paolini in a thrilling three-set match, setting up an all-Chinese semifinal against Wang Xinyu.
Under the glow of a raucous crowd, Zheng showcased her dominance from the start, securing the opener with a powerful 6-2 victory aided by a devastating ace.
Paolini, ranked fifth in the world, mounted a strong comeback in the second set, winning 6-3 to level the match and push it to a decisive third set.
Facing match point, Zheng capitalized on several errors from Paolini and delivered a brilliant forehand to edge closer to securing her spot in the semifinals.
The semifinal tie with Wang Xinyu was sealed shortly after. Zheng, 22, who had already defeated Paolini twice last season in Palermo and Zhengzhou, completed her hat-trick of wins as Paolini sent a return wide, an error confirmed by Hawkeye.
Zheng's victory of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 marks her 23rd win since the end of Wimbledon, making her the player with the most wins on the WTA Tour during that period, with only three defeats.
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Zheng overcomes Paolini to set up an all-Chinese semi-final in Wuhan
cgtn.com
