“She looks much more beautiful,” Qinwen Zheng gushes in adorable fangirl admiration for Li Na as she lauds her icon for more than just on-court heroics

Qinwen Zheng went onto describe Li Na as a classic and powerful woman.

“She looks much more beautiful,” Qinwen Zheng gushes in adorable fangirl admiration for Li Na as she lauds her icon for more than just on-court heroics

Qinwen Zheng and Li Na (Credit: WTA and screengrab/X)

Qinwen Zheng clenched an important victory over Wang Yafan in three sets after a thrilling 10-point match tiebreak in the third round of the Australian Open. Later, after the match, she met the Chinese legend Li Na, who is in Melbourne to witness the event. The incident took place when Zheng was doing her media rounds. Li Na surprised the fellow Chinese when she was giving interviews for an English channel.

Today, Zheng has reached her first-ever Australian Open quarter-final. She defeated Océane Dodin in a straight-set match in the fourth round. Post-match, when the Chinese was asked about her meeting with Li Na, she adorably gushed and described her moment. Zheng shared how she was really surprised to see her as it was an unexpected movement.

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Zheng told in the on-court interview with Jelena Dokic, how Li Na is an extremely classic and powerful woman.

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That’s what she told me to do … She’s a really classic, powerful woman. Honestly, I think she looks much more beautiful than when I saw her on TV.

said Zheng laughingly

Qinwen Zheng’s maiden Australian Open appearance is proving exceptional

In an exciting battle between two dangerous players, China’s tennis sensation Zheng defeated France’s Dodin, demonstrating her superior serve and exquisite court control.

The game’s turning point came early, when Zheng hit a brilliant backhand winner down the line. She broke Dodin in the second game and set the tone for the entire match. Throughout the game, Zheng demonstrated exceptional control, winning 19 times to Dodin’s five. Her unforced error total stayed modest at 16, demonstrating her consistency and composure under pressure.

Qinwen Zheng in action at Australian Open
Qinwen Zheng in action at Australian Open (Credits: Imago)

Despite landing only 44% of her first serves, Zheng tactically won three-quarters of those points, giving her control over the majority of her service games. Dodin, ranked 95th in the world, had difficulty defending her serve against Zheng’s aggressive tactics.

Zheng’s unrelenting one-two punch on return, deep strokes followed by strong forehands, proved to be a lethal combination. Dodin struggled, winning only 50% of her first-serve points and trailing 33% on her second-serve.

Zheng will now be facing Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated No.26 seed Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-2. Both players are vying for their maiden Grand Slam semifinal appearance. Zheng lost to Kalinskaya 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in their only previous meeting, in the first round of Guadalajara in 2022.

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