From being broken to dragging into the grab ten, to winning the grab ten battle, Hubei nova Zheng Qinwen has broken through another level!
On 17 January, the 2022 Australian Open began its first round at Melbourne Park. Zheng Qinwen, who passed three consecutive levels from the qualifiers to the main tournament, spent 2 hours and 27 minutes to eliminate Belarusian Sasanović in three sets 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5), and immediately advanced to the top 100 in the world rankings to 89th.
Big Heart Continues to Create "Surprises"
In the past two weeks, 19-year-old rising star Zheng Qinwen created a lot of suspense, and turned these suspense into surprises, all the way to the Australian Open women's singles main competition. In the first round, her opponent was World No. 76 Sasnovic. The latter has played in 27 Grand Slam tournaments, with the best record of advancing to the round of 16, including six australian opens and two rounds of 32. Zheng Qinwen is a veritable newcomer in the Adult Grand Slam Tournament, and the pre-tournament world ranking is also outside the 100th.
Although the data is slightly inferior, it does not affect Zheng Qinwen's desire for victory. Once the match began, she quickly took control of the game, completing two breaks in the first six innings to take a 5-1 lead. Subsequently, Sasnovic broke back two sets with a guarantee, and Zheng Qinwen easily saved the second serve to win the set, taking the lead 6-3. In the second set, after the two sides broke each other's serves, Sassnovic asked for a medical timeout of nearly 10 minutes, disrupting the rhythm of the game, and Zheng Qinwen had no feelings and handed over the second set 1-6.
Back at the same running line, the two competed in the decider like a tug-of-war. Zheng Qinwen withstood the pressure of being the first to be broken to get the match point, but the opponent did not want to easily hand over the qualification and tenaciously dragged the game into the grab of ten. Without any retreat, the Hubei girl fired from the serve to the attack, taking the lead in the first 7-4 lead in the grab, at this time, she shouted and prepared to shake hands with Sasnovic. Prompted by the referee and the team, Zheng Qinwen realized that the game was not over. According to the rules of the Australian Open decider, after 6-6, the ten will be grabbed, and the long-term decisive will no longer be carried out. In the end, Zheng Qinwen locked in the victory 10-5 and advanced to the second round of the main match.
Too many mistakes and stability need to be improved
From the Grand Slam qualifiers to the second round of the main tournament, the winning streak has lifted Zheng Qinwen's world rankings, along with her self-confidence. "I'm really happy to be able to win, it's a big inspiration for me and gives me more motivation and confidence. I will continue to work hard and try to play better in the next game. ”
In the second round, Zheng Qinwen's opponent was Greek star Sakari, who is ranked 8th in the world. "I don't have much pressure, I will fight the opponent, she is a very strong master, stronger than me, all I need to do is play my own technical tactics and try to get more points." She said.
After reaching the second round of the Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen's real-time world ranking came to 89th. In an interview last week, Mr. Cheng said: "I hope that by the end of this season, my world ranking will be in the top 30." Although this goal is a little far away from me, I believe that I can accomplish it, or even do it better. ”
Entering the 2022 season, Zheng Qinwen's offensive ability is impressive, but the turnover rate is also high. Against Sassnovic, she made 10 double errors and 37 unforced errors. Facing Japan's Makoto Honyu in the final round of the qualifying round, she blasted 8 ACEs and also had 10 double errors. Obviously, if you want to go further and complete the season goals, Zheng Qinwen still has a lot to improve, and the most important thing is undoubtedly to play more stable.
Text/Hubei Daily reporter Ma Mingyu
Photo: Xinhua News Agency