Qinwen Zheng puts Asian Games gold ahead of the WTA-500 title she won in Zhengzhou as she expresses her delight on her feats

Zheng became just the third Chinese women’s tennis player to win a WTA 500 or WTA 1000 singles’ title, after 2-time Grand Slam singles champion Li Na and Zheng Saisai.

Qinwen Zheng puts Asian Games gold ahead of the WTA-500 title she won in Zhengzhou as she expresses her delight on her feats

Qinwen Zheng with the 2023 Zhengzhou Open trophy (Credit: Eurosport)

Chinese No. 1 Qinwen Zheng got her second major triumph in as many weeks on her home soil as she stunned 7th seed Barbara Krejcikova in 3 sets to win just her second career title at the WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open. 

The World No. 19 defeated the Czech pro 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours and 26 minutes to lift her first WTA 500 title. Leading up to the tournament, the 21-year-old won a gold medal in women’s singles at the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou. Zheng defeated her Chinese compatriot, Zhu Lin, in straight sets to clinch the top spot on the podium.

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Asked to rate her victories over the last 2 weeks, in an interview with the WTA, Zheng picked her gold medal win in the Asian Games over Sunday’s victory. “For me, the most important victory in the second half of the year is winning the gold medal at the Asian Games. Because I represent my country to fight for the glory,” she remarked. (H/T: WTA Tennis)

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The young Chinese sensation was in a jubilant mood after her victory on Sunday as she broke into an unexpected karaoke session in the post-match trophy presentation ceremony. Talking about her win, she added, “Also, my first WTA500 title in Zhengzhou, it’s very special because I won it on home soil, in front of my own people. I just feel super happy.”

The 21-year-old has had a breakthrough season of sorts this year. At the 2023 US Open, she defeated 5th seed Ons Jabeur en route to her highest Grand Slam finish, reaching the quarterfinal. Zheng, last season’s WTA Newcomer of the Year, picked up her first title earlier this year at the 2023 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo. 

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Qinwen Zheng reflects on the 2023 season so far

Assessing her performance in the first half of the 2023 season, Zheng said, “I did not play so well, which was very different from my expectations. So after this, I reflected a lot, whether I was too impetuous. I always know that I have this ability, but why it hasn’t been realised?”

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Qinwen Zheng (Image via US Open)

The Chinese pro struggled in the grass court stretch of the season as she suffered a first-round defeat in three consecutive tournaments, including Wimbledon. Before that, she reached No. 19 in the WTA rankings, becoming the fifth Chinese player ever to break into the top 20; the first four in order of career-high ranking were Li Na (No. 2), Wang Qiang (12), Peng Shuai (14) and Zheng Jie (15). She was defeated in the 2nd round of both the French Open and the Australian Open.

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