Roland-Garros is heating up for China's eighth seed Zheng Qinwen after the official draw landed her in the same quarter as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. The 22-year-old will kick off her clay-court campaign against Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a proven force on tour with multiple Grand Slam quarterfinal runs.
Succeeding in the opening round would set Zheng on a potential collision course with either No. 28 seed Peyton Stearns of the USA or No. 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. If she and Sabalenka both hold serve through the early rounds, the two stars could square off in the quarterfinals – an enticing rematch after Zheng snapped a six-match losing streak against the Belarusian at the Italian Open just last week.
That victory in Rome not only boosted Zheng's confidence, it also highlighted her rapid rise on clay. With aggressive baseline play and fearless shot-making, she's shown she belongs among the top 10 – now she'll look to translate that momentum in Paris.
China's tennis hopes extend beyond Zheng, too. Yuan Yue, ranked outside the top 50, faces a tough opener against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, fresh off her historic Italian Open title on home soil. Meanwhile, Wang Xinyu will take on former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu. A win there could set up a second-round clash with defending champion Iga Swiatek or Slovakian qualifier Rebecca Sramkova.
As the French Open unfolds, eyes will be on these emerging talents from China, each seeking to make their mark on the red clay. Will Zheng's draw open the door to her first Grand Slam semifinal? Stay tuned as the drama of Roland-Garros begins.
Reference(s):
Zheng Qinwen drawn into same section as Sabalenka at French Open
cgtn.com
