Qinwen Zheng Says Too Much Respect for Aryna Sabalenka Stopped Her from Beating the World No.1 in the Past
Qinwen Zheng is in the semi-finals of the Italian Open after beating World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
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Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng (via WTA)
Qinwen Zheng finally got her first win over Aryna Sabalenka at the seventh attempt to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open. The Chinese star had lost to the World No.1 in their 6 previous meetings on tour. She revealed after the match that showing Sabalenka too much respect was the reason for her losses in their prior meetings.
Zheng met Sabalenka once this season at the Miami Open, and she was beaten in straight sets in the quarter-finals. Ahead of their meeting, Sabalenka was on a 15-match winning streak in ATP Masters 1000 events and had won two titles in the process. But that didn’t intimidate her when they met, as Zheng was clinically precise throughout the match.
Sabalenka had an off day, hitting 27 unforced errors and just 15 winners throughout the match. That led Zheng to control the match despite trailing after the first three games. She denied Sabalenka two break points in the first set, and when the World No.1 added more pressure when the tie was 5-4, she rose up to the occasion and claimed the opening set.
In the second set, it was much easier for Zheng as Sabalenka allowed the pressure to get to her. She failed to convert two break points, allowing Zheng to extend her lead 5-2 and ultimately capture the victory 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 37 minutes. It was Sabalenka’s first loss to a Top 10 player this season.
Zheng was asked during her press conference why she never played like this during her earlier meetings with Sabalenka. The Chinese No.1 revealed that she had respected Sabalenka too much on previous occasions and was the only player she didn’t treat like other opponents on tour.
I know that if I am focused, if I am truly there and want to achieve it, I will. Maybe at the beginning, I respected her too much. I remember watching her play since she was 14-15 years old, I didn’t face her as a regular player. I saw her live at the China Open 2017, where she reached the final. That day, my father told me: ‘You need to learn a lot from her, her forehand, her backhand.’ That kind of respect took me some time to treat her like a normal player, so today I am happy I kept calm and did what I had to do.
Qinwen Zheng said via Rome Press
Zheng is in her first semi-finals this season. She had struggled on the court earlier this season, but since March, she has been able to grind out results. She will face Coco Gauff next at the Italian Open to reach the final of the WTA 1000 tournament.
Qinwen Zheng reveals the different approach she used playing in Madrid and Rome
Qinwen Zheng has played some great tennis on clay in the past. She was the first player to beat Iga Swiatek at the Roland Garros after three years during the Paris Olympics. In fact, she boasts a 3-0 record in clay-court finals and a 17-3 record in her last 20 clay matches. However, she was stunned by Anastasia Potapova in the second round of the Madrid Open. After her win over Aryna Sabalenka, she revealed the difference between how she approached the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
After Madrid, I thought I should be much more stable on clay, also off the court, controlling situations under pressure has always yielded good results for me. If I have ups and downs in training, I feel like I won’t go anywhere important, although today I admit she was very close to turning it around in the second set. I am very happy I maintained that pressure and won the match, but it wasn’t easy.
Qinwen Zheng said
Zheng is the second Chinese woman to reach the semi-finals in Rome since Li Na, who finished as runner-up at the tournament in 2012.
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