On May 15th, Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen achieved a groundbreaking victory at the Italian Open in Rome. The 22-year-old defeated the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, marking her first win against the Belarusian player in their seven matches. This victory also secured Zheng’s place in the tournament semifinals for the first time.
Zheng started strong, breaking Sabalenka’s serve in the fifth game to win the first set 6-4. In the second set, she broke Sabalenka’s serve again early, taking a 2-0 lead. Sabalenka, known for her powerful shots, grew frustrated as Zheng controlled the game.
Zheng stayed calm. “I treated her like a normal player today,” she said after the match. This mindset helped her overcome past losses to Sabalenka, whom she once admired as a junior player. Zheng’s father even encouraged her to study Sabalenka’s techniques years ago.
Rome has become a lucky city for Zheng. The crowd cheered loudly as she advanced to her first semifinal of the season. Between 2018 and 2024, Sabalenka had won three titles in Zheng’s hometown, Wuhan. Zheng’s success in Rome also marks her third time reaching the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament.
Zheng’s journey this year has not been easy. She struggled with an arm injury early in the season, which affected her training. “I’m feeling healthy now and working hard every day,” she said. Her next challenge is a rematch against American Coco Gauff, who defeated her in straight sets last year. Gauff, ranked world No. 3, recently won a tough match against Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva to reach the semifinals.
After six losses to Sabalenka, Zheng refused to see her opponent as “a mountain too high to climb.” On social media, she wrote, “Mountains and seas can be crossed.”
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1.1. What made Zheng Qinwen’s victory over Sabalenka groundbreaking?
A Her first final entry.
B First win in seven matches.
C Defeating a hometown rival.
D Winning a WTA 1000 title.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。第一段明确提到“marking her first win against the Belarusian player in seven matches”，选项B准确复现原文。A项“final entry”张冠李戴（实为semifinal），C项“hometown rival”颠倒黑白（Sabalenka在武汉夺冠而非郑的对手），D项“winning title”无中生有（文章未提及夺冠）。故选B。
2.2. The underlined word “mindset” (Para.3) most likely means ______.
A technical strategies
B physical condition
C mental attitude
D training methods
解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。第三段郑说“treat her like a normal player”，强调心理层面的调整，C项“mental attitude’符合语境。A项“技术策略”、B项“身体状态”、D项“训练方法”均属望文生义，脱离上下文。故选C。
3.3. What can we know from Paragraph 4?
A Zheng won her first WTA 1000 title in Rome.
B Zheng reached the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament three times.
C Zheng was defeated by Sabalenka in Wuhan between 2018 and 2024.
D Zheng has competed in Rome for six consecutive years.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第四段中的“Zheng’s success in Rome also marks her third time reaching the semifinals of a WTA 1000 tournament.”可知，郑在罗马的成功也标志着她第三次进入WTA 1000锦标赛的半决赛。故选B。
4.4. Which statement best summarizes Zheng’s story?
A A rising star’s career achievements.
B Overcoming injuries and doubts.
C Strategic analysis of opponents.
D A journey through challenges.
解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。全文贯穿郑突破伤病（第五段）、心理障碍（第三段）、历史败绩（首段）等多重挑战。A项“成就”过于片面，B项仅聚焦部分内容，C项“战略分析”以偏概全。D项“挑战之旅”全面概括其奋斗历程。故选D。
