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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