Superb Qinwen Zheng defeats Krejcikova to win Zhengzhou Open in front of home crowd
The Chinese No 1 has won her second WTA title, beating the Czech in front of a delirious home crowd
(Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic)
Qinwen Zheng has won the Zhengzhou Open title, edging out a very impressive Barbora Krejcikova 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to lift her first WTA 500 trophy in front of a delighted Chinese crowd.
It is Zheng’s second WTA title, having also won the Palermo Open this summer, and is her first WTA 500 title – making this win the biggest of her fledgling career to date.
The 21-year-old will make her top 20 debut when the WTA rankings are updated tomorrow as she moves up to 19th in the world.
Zheng starting to back up early promise with coming-of-age performances
While still only 21 years of age, the Chinese No 1 has been generating much excitement in her homeland for some years now. Earmarked as the most promising young talent since Li Na, Zheng’s explosive shot-making and all-round ability caught the attention of the wider tennis world soon after emerging on the professional scene.
Not until this year, though, has Zheng reached those crucial first milestones and reaffirmed the early buzz around her dynamic game style.
First came a WTA 250 title on the clay courts of Palermo earlier this year, before an eye-catching run to the quarter-finals of the US Open this summer. Now, a first WTA 500 title and a top 20 debut caps an excellent season of progress for the young Chinese player.
Compelling battle goes the way of the home hope in China
Zheng had to do things the hard way in a compelling final in Zhengzhou.
Despite breaking Krejcikova early, she struggled to get a foothold in the match, squandering that break of serve before being overwrought by the metronomic precision of the Czech’s tennis. Broken three times, Zheng surrendered the first set with little of the trademark fight her fans have become accustomed to.
That fire was back in the second set, however. Again there was an early break for Zheng, but this time consolidated with commanding holds of serve before a second break won her the set to level up the contest at one set all.
The decider was a see-saw struggle that brought out the best in both players – as well as teasing out some pressure-induced errors.
For the third straight set, Zheng broke her opponent early. But Krejcikova would not let Zheng get away, breaking back three times to extinguish the Chinese No 1’s leads at 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 down.
A fourth and final break for Zheng at 4-4 proved decisive, however, as she stopped the run of consecutive breaks with a commanding hold at 5-4 up to take the match. With it, Zheng earned the biggest title win of her career thus far, and all in front of a rapturous rally of home support.
Krejcikova was bidding for her eighth career singles title, and her third this season, having also won the title in Dubai and taken the crown in San Diego. It was not to be for the world No 12 in Zhengzhou, but a fourth final this year caps another impressive season for the 2021 Roland-Garros champion – despite the lack of a deep Grand Slam run.
But it was Zheng’s day in Zhengzhou. The newly-turned world No 19 was excellent in the last two sets, and used the energy of a vocal home crowd to superb effect to help get her over the line.
After a difficult couple of months in which her coaching partnership with Wim Fissette was unexpectedly terminated, this title win will have served as the perfect tonic for Zheng. The sting of that split perhaps also provided that extra level of motivation required to edge out a tireless Krejcikova in the final.
If there was any lingering doubt about Zheng’s ability to deliver on the big stage, it has been well and truly dispelled with her performance today.
Zheng is here to stay, and she has set herself up perfectly for what looks set to be a hugely exciting 2024.
