China’s Zheng Qinwen has ended her six-match losing streak against Aryna Sabalenka after knocking the world No.1 out of the Italian Open on Wednesday.
The eighth seed rallied her way to a 6-4, 6-3, win over a frustrated Sabalenka, who was aiming to reach her fifth consecutive final on the WTA Tour. Coming into the Rome quarter-finals, Zheng had only managed to win one set in six matches played against Sabalenka but managed to turn around her fortunes to claim a surprise win. It is only the second time she has beaten a world No.1 player after last year’s Paris Olympic Games, where she beat Iga Swiatek.
“It was my first time against Sabalenka on the clay. I would say I played right in the game, made some decisions and then tried to be really focused from the beginning until the end,” Zheng told Sky Sports.
“I remember before, when I faced her, I gave away the first two games too easily. So today I made sure I’m there from the beginning.”
Zheng’s latest victory saw her break Sabalenka three times, once in the first set and twice in the second, en route to victory. Overall, she won 82% of her first service points. The 22-year-old is yet to drop a set in the tournament. Earlier in the draw, she registered wins over Olga Danilović, Magdalena Fręch and Bianca Andreescu. It is the first time this season that Zheng has reached the last four of a WTA event.
“It was not easy for me because at the beginning of the year, I struggled with my arm,” she reflected.
“So right now, I am just perfectly in shape and trying to play better tennis all the time.
“I’m happy to make the semifinal in Rome because I had a really good experience the previous year, and I just love to play in front of the Italian fans.”
“I had a lot of first-time memories here. Today, I created another first-time memory in Italy.”
Meanwhile, Sabalenka exits Rome with mixed emotions. During the match, the top seed lost her cool when somebody in the crowd shouted, ‘Come on, Aryna, play tennis.’ She responded by saying ‘shut the f*** up’, which resulted in her receiving a code violation for swearing. To add to her woes, at 3-4 in the second set, she had two break point opportunities but failed to convert them. Then, to cap it all off, the match ended with Sabalenka hitting a double fault.
Zheng will next play Coco Gauff, who defeated Mirra Andreeva earlier in the day. It is the second year in a row that they have faced each other in Rome. In 2024, Gauff won in straight sets before going on to win their only other meeting at the WTA Finals last November.
“I think the game on clay will be much more physical, and I expect it’s going to be a really tough match,” she commented on playing Gauff.
“I need to make sure I’m there every single point because she’s such a good player and she has a good, consistent game on clay court.
“It’s not going to be easy, but I’m just gonna fight until the end and let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Zheng is aiming to become the first Chinese player to reach the final in Rome since Li Na in 2012.
