China’s Zheng Qinwen eyes WTA finals after US Open exit

China’s Zheng Qinwen concluded this year’s Grand Slam journey with a US Open quarterfinal defeat to Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday, as her runs to the final stages of major tournaments have attracted widespread attention and interest in tennis across China.

Having been thwarted by world No.2 Sabalenka at the same stage in the US Open in 2023, the 21-year-old Zheng was sent packing after a 1-6, 2-6 defeat. It was Zheng’s third consecutive loss to the Belarusian following her runner-up finish in January’s Australian Open.

Despite the loss, Zheng’s performance so far this season has been impressive, highlighted by her deep runs in major tournaments and her historic Olympic gold medal in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. She became the first Asian-born player to claim gold in a tennis singles event at the Olympics in August. 

She will return to China to gear up for the China Open in Beijing and Wuhan Open in Central China’s Hubei Province as she still aims to qualify for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, the prestigious year-end tournament featuring the top eight players of the season. 

Should she qualify, she would become the first Chinese player to reach the WTA Finals since Li Na, marking another significant milestone in her career. 

Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday that Zheng has made steady progress this season and her Olympic triumph has had a tremendous impact on tennis in China.

“There’s no regret in losing to a stronger opponent. She still needs to build on her strength and consistency to catch up with the world’s top three players,” Liu said. 

Zheng’s performances have captivated millions in China, demonstrating how her success is fostering a renewed wave of enthusiasm for the sport in the country. Her journey is seen as a continuation of the legacy left by Li, inspiring a new generation of tennis players and fans in China, Liu noted. 

The WTA officially congratulated Zheng on its Sina Weibo account on Wednesday, celebrating her achievements in 2024, including being the Australian Open runner-up, winning the Olympic gold medal, and reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open. 

“Although Zheng did not progress further at the US Open, she has recorded her best performance in Grand Slams within a single season. We hope she will rest and recover before continuing her pursuit of qualifying for the WTA Finals,” read the post.

The US Open posted a heartfelt message on Weibo after her quarterfinal loss, encouraging her to keep pursuing her dreams. 

Chinese netizens also applauded her efforts on social media, saying that Zheng already did a good job overcoming the fatigue from consecutive competitions after the Olympics. 

Zheng said after the game that she could have done better and her tight schedule since the Olympics had left her with limited preparation time. 

Looking ahead, she expressed her enthusiasm for competing in her motherland.

In 2023, I arrived at the China Open exhausted after playing five games at the Hangzhou Asian Games. This year, I hope to have more time to prepare for the tournaments in China, she said. 

Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Shuai and Kristina Mladenovic from France advanced to the women’s doubles semifinals of the US Open after defeating Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the quarterfinal. The duo will face the third seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova on Thursday.