Under the London sun, China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen soared to a new career milestone at the Queen’s Club Championships. With a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over Britain’s Emma Raducanu on Friday, the 22-year-old breezed into her first-ever grass-court semifinal at a WTA 500 event.
Coming off a tight second-round win against US hopeful McCartney Kessler (6-3, 4-6, 7-5), Zheng displayed both resilience and flair. After a brief timeout to switch to fresh trainers in the opening set of her clash with Raducanu, she broke serve in the sixth game and never looked back, sealing her win in just over an hour.
Next up for Zheng is an all-American showdown against Amanda Anisimova, who dispatched Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-3. The other singles semifinal will feature Australian Open champion Madison Keys versus German qualifier Tatjana Maria, setting the stage for an electrifying weekend.
In doubles action, China’s Zhang Shuai and her partner Ellen Perez of Australia served strong early, but ultimately fell 11-9 in a tense match tiebreak to Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Russia’s Diana Shnaider. After splitting the opening two sets 6-3, 6-2, the pair couldn’t hold off their opponents in the decisive breaker, ending Zhang’s bid for a Queen’s Club doubles crown.
With its blend of seasoned pros and rising stars, this year’s Queen’s Club draw is a testament to the growing depth in women’s tennis. As the semifinals loom, all eyes will be on Zheng’s grass-court debut and the fierce matchups promising to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Reference(s):
Zheng reaches first career grass-court semis, Zhang exits from doubles
cgtn.com
