分享縮略圖
 

Steely Zheng keeps eyes on the prize

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China Daily, November 6, 2024
Adjust font size:

Staying alive and doing it the "Queen Wen" way — China's top ace Zheng Qinwen's career-first victory at the WTA Finals has cemented her reputation as the most resilient fighter on the women's circuit this year.

As a last-minute qualifier to the 2024 WTA Finals, reigning Olympic champion Zheng has again put the steely will that drove her to top of the Paris podium on full display, after the world No 7 pulled off a 7-6 (4),3-6, 6-1 win over group opponent Elena Rybakina in her second match in Riyadh on Monday, keeping her in contention for the title at the coveted season-ending championship.

It's the first time the 22-year-old Zheng has qualified for the Finals, where the top-8 singles stars and doubles teams compete in round-robin groups, before progressing to the semifinals to fight for a share of a whopping $15.25 million purse being offered by debutant host Saudi Arabia.

Zheng's win over Rybakina, her first in three encounters against the 2022 Wimbledon champion, also marked her Tour-leading 20th three-set win in her 24 matches that went to a decider, also a record, this season, consolidating the power hitter's status as one of the mentally toughest opponents in the women's game.

Of course, she'd love to have quicker wins, but Zheng took particular pride in the huge progress of her mental game, which has contributed significantly to her fruitful 2024 campaign.

"I don't know. Maybe in lot of matches, because I know it's supposed to be three sets, I always let it happen in three sets," Zheng joked about her tendency of having to go the distance to win after outlasting the Kazakh world No 5 over nearly two hours and 30 minutes at the King Saud University Indoor Arena.

"It's tough for me to play against her. I had a lot of chances in the second set, but I didn't take them ... But in the third set, I told myself, even if I broke her first, I had to stay focused on my service game, because (there are) two big servers on court. One little detail can change a lot.

"I think when everybody arrives in the third set, they've already got into a rhythm, not like the beginning of the match. And for me, I felt I raised my level in the third, and I started to play my tennis again."

So focused on clinging on to the win in order to progress, at least into the final group round, Zheng let her emotions get the better of her midway through the deciding set, as she chastised a group of loudly cheering Chinese fans in mandarin, urging them to stop calling her name before she was about to serve.

She expressed regret for venting her nerves on her loyal supporters, who almost turned the Saudi arena into a "home" court, where red Chinese flags flew vigorously during changeovers and chants of "Queen Wen! Come on!" filled the air.

Zheng used the post-match interview to apologize to her fans for "not keeping her temper in check" during tense moments, yet she insisted that sometimes it's helpful to blow off steam.

"You need to know how to use the crowd ... My heart rate went up (when they shouted my name), so I had to hold on, until I couldn't hold it in anymore and I shouted at them to stop. I am not supposed to say that to my supporters though.

"Afterward, I felt my level automatically got better, and I felt I was able to see the ball better and to react faster," said Zheng, who, with the win, has overtaken Jessica Pegula of the United States in the live WTA rankings, climbing to a career-high No 6.

By firing six aces in Monday's match, Zheng now leads the WTA Tour on 420 for the year so far, with Rybakina second at 352. The win also makes Zheng the first Chinese player to rack up at least 50 Tourlevel victories in one season.

Despite an opening loss to her bitter rival and world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, Zheng remains on course for a semifinal berth, with the winner of her final Group Purple clash, against Jasmine Paolini, set to advance into the final four.

Having won all her three previous matches against the 4th-ranked Italian, Zheng said she's approaching the match with the in-form Paolini, who made back-to-back major finals this year at the French Open and Wimbledon, as seriously as possible.

"I am gonna block all that out," Zheng said of her advancing odds. "I just have to do the best that I can and not think about what's happening outside, because I play better when I block everything and just focus on me and my opponent."

As an aggressive baseliner and a fierce server, Zheng's career potential still holds plenty of exciting possibilities after a breakout season began with a run to her first Slam final at the Australian Open and culminated with a golden finish at the Paris Games.

She backed it up with a successful homecoming through the Asian Swing, where she reached the semifinals in Beijing, the finals at her home tournament in Wuhan, and won her third title of the season in Tokyo.

"It's far away for me to think about 2025, but I guess I just keep going and don't get relaxed," Zheng said of her thoughts on next season. "Once you relax, it's easy to drop. So I know how important it is to stay mentally strong and focused."

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: 精品视频一区二区观看| 2021国内精品久久久久影院| 日韩专区第一页| 亚洲欧洲一区二区三区| 男男性彩漫漫画无遮挡| 国产999精品久久久久久| 黄色免费网站网址| 国产精品久久久久久福利| 97一区二区三区四区久久| 天天做天天爱天天爽综合网| 一级免费黄色片| 无码中文字幕av免费放| 久久天天躁狠狠躁夜夜avapp| 欧洲精品99毛片免费高清观看| 亚洲欧美日韩高清一区二区三区| 男女混合的群应该取什么名字 | 国产免费变态视频网址网站| 免费v片在线观看视频网站| 国产精品女上位在线观看| 91高清完整版在线观看| 大学生一级毛片免费看**| z0z0z0另类极品| 小情侣高清国产在线播放| 中国国产成人精品久久| 扒开双腿猛进湿润18p| 久久99热国产这有精品| 日本制服丝袜在线| 久久精品人人做人人爽电影蜜月| 极品尤物一区二区三区| 亚洲一区无码中文字幕| 欧美女人毛茸茸| 亚洲国产综合专区在线电影| 欧美特黄视频在线观看| 亚洲激情视频在线观看| 水蜜桃免费视频| 亚洲毛片在线看| 永久黄网站色视频免费| 亚洲精品午夜久久久伊人| 毛色毛片免费观看| 亚洲欧美综合在线天堂| 欧美精品高清在线观看|