Aryna Sabalenka thanks Qinwen Zheng for winning the ‘olympic gold’ after experiencing the growth of tennis popularity in China
Aryna Sabalenka praises Qinwen Zheng for making tennis popular in China since winning the Olympic gold medal in Paris.
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Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng (via X/Tennis Majors)
Aryna Sabalenka declared her love for the Chinese crowd after her semifinal victory over Coco Gauff at the Wuhan Open. The Belarusian added that Chinese star Qinwen Zheng has made the sport popular in the country since winning the women’s singles Olympics gold medal in Paris.
Gauff made a brilliant start in the first set, outplaying Sabalenka in every department. The American needed just 28 minutes to take a 5-0 lead before the World No. 2 earned her first match point. Gauff continued with the same form in the second set, leading 4-2 but several mistakes led Sabalenka into the match.
In the deciding set, Sabalenka was full of confidence after winning the second. She became more aggressive, forcing Gauff to more errors as the match went on. Gauff did well to recover, rallying from 1-4 down to 4-4. However, Sabalenka broke one final time to seal a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and twenty-six minutes.
The victory took the 26-year-old one step closer to winning her fourth tour-level title of the year. During her on-court interview, she admitted her excitement to the crowd support throughout the match.
I don’t know. That sounds crazy. I love this place. Thank you so much Qinwen for winning the gold medal. I feel like tennis is getting more popular in China now. Full crowd. It’s really enjoyable playing in front of you. I’m really happy to be in the final. Ifs one more to go. I’ll give everything I have to win this beautiful trophy for the 3rd time.
Aryna Sabalenka said
Sabalenka has been in top form since the North American swing. She has won two titles in her last three tournaments, including the US Open in September.
Aryna Sabalenka excited after exploiting Coco Gauff’s mistakes to her advantage in the semifinals
Aryna Sabalenka has admitted that she took her chances during her win over Coco Gauff in the semifinals. The Belarusian improved her record to 16-0 at the Wuhan Open, dating back to 2018, after her victory.
Despite losing the first set, the World No. 2 didn’t lose confidence in the match. She pounced on her opponent’s mistake to come from behind to win the match. It was her 19th win in her last 20 matches this season. After the match, she revealed that she had to work hard for the victory.
I knew I had to work really hard to get the win. A couple of mistakes from her and I got a little belief that I still had chances in this match. I’m really happy with this win. It’s a really important one.
Aryna Sabalenka said
Aryna Sabalenka on beating Coco Gauff to reach 3rd Wuhan Final:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 12, 2024
“This definitely felt like one of the biggest matches of my career, crowd- wise, it’s like another grand slam final match. Coco is an incredible player. We have had a lot of tough battles in the past. She’s in… pic.twitter.com/gj7NqWKaRK
Sabalenka will face the winner between Qinwen Zheng and World No. 51 Wang Xinyu in the final. The Australian Open champion is seeking her fourth title of the season.
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Victor Okechukwu
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