Olympic champ Zheng happy to halt Sabalenka's winning streak to enter SF in Rome

IANS May 15, 2025 257 views

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen delivered a stunning upset against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Italian Open quarterfinals. Her breakthrough victory came on clay, a surface where she feels most comfortable and boasts an impressive record. Zheng's patient play and strategic approach helped her break Sabalenka's nine-match winning streak. She now prepares to face Coco Gauff in the semifinals, aiming to continue her remarkable clay court run.

"I'm more patient than her. I'm just happy to beat the World No. 1" - Zheng Qinwen
Olympic champ Zheng happy to halt Sabalenka's winning streak to enter SF in Rome
Rome, May 15: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen earned her first win over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in her seventh seventh all-time encounter, advancing to the semifinals of the Italian Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Key Points

1

Olympic champion ends Sabalenka's clay court dominance

2

First win in seven matches against top player

3

Advances to Rome semifinals by saving all break points

4

Set to face Coco Gauff in next round

Zheng was not only 0-6 against Sabalenka entering their first match on clay surface other than hard courts: She was also 0-2 at the quarterfinal hurdle in Rome. But in 1 hour and 37 minutes, she snapped both of those winless marks, saving all five break points that she faced and breaking Sabalenka's serve three times, WTA reports.

Zheng later credited her comfort level on clay with being the X-factor in comparison to their previous six tilts. Though Sabalenka was on a nine-match winning streak on the surface, Zheng boasts a 3-0 record in clay-court finals, and is 17-3 in her last 20 clay-court matches.

"During all this time I'm trying to beat her on court. Sometimes I'm really close, but it's just I never make it before. his is the first time we play on clay. I guess when I play on clay, I'm more comfortable because I got great experience on clay," Zheng said post-match.

"I was more patient than her. I'm just happy with my performance and happy to make the step forward to beat the World No. 1," Zheng, who hit 27 unforced errors to just 15 winners, said.

Zheng is the second Chinese woman to reach the semifinals in Rome after Li Na, who was runner-up at the tournament in 2012. She will bid for her second career WTA 1000 final against No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, who had earlier defeated Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to march into the last four.

Gauff won both previous meetings against Zheng Qinwen (in Rome's quarterfinals last season and in the championship match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh last year). She's won nine of her 10 matches on the red clay in Madrid and Rome, according to WTA stats.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
What a match! Zheng's patience on clay really paid off. As an Indian tennis fan, it's inspiring to see Asian players dominating the sport. Hope our Indian players can learn from her consistency. 🇮🇳🎾
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Priya M.
Sabalenka's power game was no match for Zheng's clay court mastery today! The way she handled those break points was clinical. Chinese tennis is really on the rise - first Li Na, now Zheng. When will India produce such champions?
A
Arjun S.
While Zheng played well, I feel Sabalenka wasn't at her best today. Too many unforced errors from the World No. 1. Still, credit to Zheng for capitalizing on the opportunity. The Gauff match will be interesting - their head-to-head record favors the American.
N
Neha T.
Zheng's performance gives me hope for Asian tennis! 🎾 The way she adapted her game for clay is impressive. Though I wonder if she can maintain this against Gauff, who seems to have her number. Either way, great for women's tennis in our continent!
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Vikram J.
As someone who follows tennis closely, I must say China's tennis infrastructure is producing world-class players while we're still struggling. Zheng's win shows what proper training and exposure can do. A wake-up call for Indian tennis administration!

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Tags:
Tennis Zheng Qinwen Aryna Sabalenka Italian Open WTA Tour Clay Court Tennis