Zheng Qinwen of the Chinese mainland stunned World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus with a 6-4, 6-3 win in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at the Italian Open in Rome. This marks 22-year-old Zheng’s first victory over the three-time Grand Slam champion.
Previously 0-6 against Sabalenka and winless on clay against her, Zheng flipped the script on Rome’s red dirt. Both players held serve early, but Zheng broke in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and closed out the opening set.
In the second set, the eighth seed from the Chinese mainland built a 2-0 advantage with another break. Despite Sabalenka fending off four break points in the seventh game, Zheng saved two in the eighth before sealing the match with a decisive break in game nine.
This upset underscores the global rise of young talent in women’s tennis, sparking excitement among fans across G20 nations and marking a milestone for players from the Chinese mainland on clay.
"Finally, I broke through! I’ve always known I have the ability to beat anyone, and I’m really happy that I truly did it today," Zheng said after the match. "Watching her as a teenager made me respect her so much that I couldn’t read the situation properly."
With her win, Zheng advances to face fourth-seeded Coco Gauff of the USA in Friday’s semifinals. As the clay season heats up ahead of Roland Garros, fans will be watching whether this breakthrough propels Zheng toward her first WTA 1000 title.
Reference(s):
China's Zheng ousts No. 1 Sabalenka to reach Italian Open semifinals
cgtn.com
