“Very Unprofessional Behavior” – Well-Known Tennis Presenter Under Fire for an Awkward Comment on Qinwen Zheng at Roland Garros

Qinwen Zheng is looking to bring further glory at Roland Garros after the Olympic Gold medal win.

“Very Unprofessional Behavior” – Well-Known Tennis Presenter Under Fire for an Awkward Comment on Qinwen Zheng at Roland Garros

Qinwen Zheng faced with an awkward situation which she probably did not realize right away (via X)

Qinwen Zheng has been progressing very well at Roland Garros. The Chinese star dismantled Victoria Mboko in straight sets to progress into the fourth round of the French Open. However, the headlines she is generating are not for her performance, but for what happened on the Tennis Channel during her interview.

Mark Petchey, a famous tennis presenter, made some inappropriate comments regarding Zheng’s Nike suit on air. The Chinese superstar has been attracting a lot of attention because of her fashion game, but the comments generated from Petchey didn’t sit well with everyone.

Zheng, the reigning Olympic champion, kept up her strong run on Roland Garros‘ clay courts. The Chinese player, seeded eighth, looked confident and composed throughout the match. She secured a straight-sets win over Mboko, a Canadian making her Grand Slam debut. Zheng booked her spot in the tournament’s second week with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

Fans blast Mark Petchey for his comments on Qinwen Zheng

As soon as the video of Mark Petchey went viral, the fans went absolutely berserk on X (formerly known as Twitter). They were disgusted by the comments he made on Qinwen Zheng.

Qinwen Zheng (4)
Qinwen Zheng (Image via X)

The thing that was awkward was that Zheng didn’t notice what was being said about her outfit. However, it is likely that staff and PR team would have told her about it.

Zheng has now won nine matches in a row at Roland Garros, continuing her strong form since claiming Olympic gold last year in Paris. This marks the second time she has reached the fourth round at the French Open. Her previous run to this stage came during her debut in 2022.

Up next, she will face Liudmila Samsonova, the 19th seed from Russia. Samsonova advanced by defeating Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Both players are aiming to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the first time. A win for Samsonova would also mark her first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.

Qinwen Zheng eases into Round of 16 at Roland Garros

Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng has come a long way since her breakout as a teenager on the ITF circuit just four years ago. Now the No. 8 seed and Olympic gold medalist, she brought both experience and composure to her third-round match at Roland Garros. Facing 18-year-old Victoria Mboko, a rising talent, Zheng maintained control throughout and secured a 6-3, 6-4 win in 1 hour and 26 minutes.

Qinwen Zheng
Qinwen Zheng (via X)

Mboko entered the match with an impressive 42-5 season record and a growing reputation. In her Grand Slam debut, she had not lost a set across five matches. She had also pushed Top 15 players Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff to three sets in prior meetings. But despite her momentum, she couldn’t overpower Zheng’s steady play.

This win marks Zheng’s return to the fourth round in Paris for the first time since her debut in 2022. She now prepares to face No. 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova. The Russian advanced by defeating Dayana Yastremska in straight sets, delivering a cleaner match with balanced stats: 11 winners and 11 unforced errors. Yastremska, by contrast, was more erratic with 27 winners and 26 errors.

Zheng and Samsonova are both eyeing their first quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros. For Samsonova, it would also be her first time in the last eight at any major. Although Samsonova leads their head-to-head 3-2, Zheng claimed their only clay-court meeting in Palermo back in 2021—her first match in a WTA main draw.

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