Zheng back on track with impressive Italian job

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China Daily, July 25, 2023
Adjust font size:

Zheng Qinwen is on the up again after claiming her first career title in a country where she has made a habit of success.

Desperate to bounce back from a grass-court slump, the world No 24 turned things around by collecting her maiden WTA singles title on Sunday at the Palermo Ladies Open on the Italian island of Sicily.

Up against local favorite Jasmine Paolini, Zheng overcame a second-set setback to beat the 47th-ranked Italian 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 on clay in two hours and 14 minutes, winning her first WTA trophy at her second attempt, following her runner-up finish in Tokyo last September to Liudmila Samsonova.

Despite serving at just 46 percent, Zheng, a powerful hitter boasting a strong forehand, hit 26 winners and broke Paolini four times, while saving five of eight break points, to become the 12th Chinese mainland woman to win a WTA singles title.

She joins 38th-ranked compatriot Zhu Lin, winner of February's WTA Thailand Open, as this season's second Chinese singles champion on the tour.

Zheng made her WTA Tour main-draw debut in Palermo two years ago after fighting through the qualifiers, so was delighted to celebrate another career milestone in the Sicilian city.

"I won my first WTA match here and today also my first WTA title," Zheng said in her victory speech.

"But you probably don't know that I won my first ITF championship also in Italy (Cordenons, August 2020). This is really special for me ... I will remember this," said the 20-year-old native of Hubei province.

Clay has been by far the most fruitful surface of Zheng's young career.

Four of her eight career ITF titles came on clay courts. On the WTA Tour, she reached the fourth round of Roland Garros last year, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek, and also reached the quarterfinals at a WTA 1000 tournament in Rome in May.

Currently coached by Belgian Wim Fissette, Zheng snapped a four-match losing skid, including three in a row on grass, with her run in Palermo.

Five wins in a row marked the first time that she won back-to-back matches since that aforementioned streak in Rome.

With her confidence back, Zheng is hopeful that Sunday's triumph will be the first of many titles.

"I am really happy about my fighting spirit today that helped me stay on a very high level in the third set after losing the second," said Zheng, who won the Newcomer of the Year Award last season following a rapid rise up the WTA rankings.

"For me, this is only the beginning. This will only motivate me to work harder and win more titles in the future.

"I will remember how I fought back today and stick to the mental resilience facing whoever across the net on whatever surfaces to fight for more breakthroughs."

Zheng captured the world's attention last season with a strong upswing on the women's circuit, becoming the first Chinese teenager to break into the top 25 last October. However, she appeared to hit something of a "rookie wall", as they say in the NBA, in the first half of her second full year on the WTA Tour.

She's been suffering from health issues, a lack of chemistry with her previous coach, Pere Riba, and inconsistent performances since the Australian Open. First- and second-round exits at tournaments were becoming worryingly frequent for Zheng this year, even though she was still going for her shots with the same aggression that had marked her out as a talent to watch on the circuit.

She put her lack of consistency down to a disjointed schedule.

"The three consecutive losses on grass were mainly because of my poor training and preparation at that time," said Zheng, who lost to Czech world No 36 Katerina Siniakova in straight sets in her Wimbledon opener on July 4.

The defeat snapped Zheng's impressive run on the major stage, which had seen her reach at least the round of 64 at her previous six Grand Slam events. The early Wimbledon exit followed losses at warm-up tournaments at Eastbourne and Berlin.

Now back to winning ways, Zheng has vowed to work harder both on and off the court to achieve her ambition of joining the world's elite at the top of the rankings.

"I won't stop here. I have a lot more room to improve technically, physically and mentally," she said. "I am still confident about my goal."

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久夜色精品国产噜噜亚洲AV| 美女叉开腿让男人捅| 理论片午午伦夜理片影院99| 国产精品国产精品国产专区不卡 | 国产亚洲欧美在线| h肉3d动漫在线观看网站| 最近最新视频中文字幕4| 午夜丰满少妇性开放视频| aa级国产女人毛片水真多| 少妇高潮太爽了在线视频| 亚洲av无码一区二区三区dv| 精品久久久久香蕉网| 国产日产精品_国产精品毛片| 一个人看的免费高清视频www| 最新版天堂中文在线官网| 亲密爱人完整版在线观看韩剧| 边摸边脱吃奶边高潮视频免费| 国产超碰人人爽人人做| 中文字幕日韩在线| 欧美影片一区二区三区| 劲爆欧美第一页| 老鸭窝在线免费视频| 国产第一页在线播放| jizzyou中国少妇| 忘忧草www日本| 久久午夜无码鲁丝片| 欧美成人精品第一区二区三区| 午夜精品久久久久久久99热| 国产女人18毛片水| 外卖员被男顾客gay| 中文无线乱码二三四区| 欧洲卡一卡二卡在线| 伊人久久大香线蕉综合影| 蜜中蜜3在线观看视频| 国产精品久久久久久久久久免费 | 欧美综合视频在线| 午夜在线观看视频免费成人| 美女裸体a级毛片| 国产对白受不了了| 一区二区精品视频| 日本视频网站在线www色|