Paris, May 27 (Xinhua) -- "When the mood arrives, everything is right" - it is difficult to imagine that this is a 19-year-old girl with only two Grand Slam experiences who understand the game, but in Zheng Qinwen's body, it seems very appropriate. Especially after watching her second round of the French Open women's singles match with former world number one and Romanian star Halep, you will find that this young Hubei girl has a calm that is beyond her age.
China's Zheng Qinwen serves during a match on May 26. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
In this match on the 26th, the two sides drew in the first two sets, and the decisive set Zheng Qinwen led, and Halep requested a medical timeout due to physical discomfort. Returning to his rest area, Zheng Qinwen remained calm from beginning to end— drinking water, wiping sweat, closing his eyes slightly, silently waiting for the referee's instructions, without even glancing at his opponent.
After the game resumed, Zheng Qinwen continued to attack efficiently, whether it was the bottom line holding the ball or putting a small ball in front of the net, which overwhelmed the opponent, and finally she completed the break twice to win the decider 6:1.
"I've had some situations before where I was going to lead but ended up losing the game, so when I encounter that again I say to myself, don't think too much about winning. Don't always think about the opponent's situation, calmly play every ball yourself, it is possible to win," Zheng Qinwen said.
On May 26, China's Zheng Qinwen celebrated his victory after the match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
This is not the first time That's the first time Mr. Cheng has played against Halep, who met in the semi-finals at the WTA 250 class in Melbourne earlier this year, when Halep won 6–3, 6–2. That defeat made Zheng Qin write a lot.
"That game taught me a lot, Halep was a very stable player and I lacked patience on the pitch. This time I tried to play more patiently on the court and find a way to win in multiple rounds. It was an experience I learned and what helped me win today. Zheng Qinwen said.
This season is Zheng Qinwen's first season after fully transferring to WTA competitions, and her progress in the past six months is obvious to all. At the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, she emerged from the three rounds of qualifying for the first time to reach the second round of the regular round; in Charleston, USA, in April, she defeated the 2017 US Open champion Stephens in the first round to beat the world's top 50 players for the first time.
Despite some subsequent injuries, after coming to clay grand slams this time, Zheng Qinwen's performance was better than ever, not only reaching the third round of the Grand Slam for the first time, but also defeating the top 20 players in the world for the first time. "Step by step" - is Zheng Qinwen's summary of his performance in the past half season.
In the interview, Zheng Qinwen revealed that he would often watch videos of other top players at home, not only female players, but also many male players, including his idol Federer, now the world's number one Djokovic and the "king of clay" Nadal.
On May 26, Zheng Qinwen was interviewed after the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
"At the beginning of the year, they lost to Halep and then to Sakkari, and they were all very good players. I learned a lot from them, mainly in terms of mood. In the face of good players, you have to be able to let go and believe that you have the strength to beat them, which is the most important thing."
"I'm a very offensive player myself, but before that I played with a lack of patience. So since then I have been adjusting, while maintaining the sharpness of the attack, let myself calm down, one point at a time to deal with, at present I feel that I am still doing a good job. Zheng Qinwen said.
As a Chinese player, especially a Hubei girl, Zheng Qinwen will inevitably be compared with her predecessor Li Na. When talking about the former French Open champion, Zheng Qinwen admitted that it was the success of his predecessors that planted the seeds of his dream of "winning a Grand Slam championship".
"I remember that day, it seemed that the whole country was paying attention to this matter, when I was young, Li Na's victory planted a dream for me, and one day I would win a Grand Slam."
Two years ago, Zheng Qinwen began training in Barcelona, and her mother's company made her less lonely in her overseas training matches and daily life. Being in a big city like Barcelona, authentic Chinese restaurants can be found everywhere, which also makes her more comfortable with life abroad.
"The weather in Barcelona is very good, and there are a lot of Chinese restaurants here, which feels like sometimes it's like being in the country," Cheng said, "I also like Spanish food, I especially like to eat a snack called tortilla de patata (a kind of potato cake with filling), but I don't know what to say Chinese." ”
In a previous interview, Zheng Qinwen had said that she hoped to win a Grand Slam title in five years, and in the eyes of many people, the clay field she was best at was the most likely place to achieve this goal.
"Everybody says my style is very suitable for clay and I'm a clay player. I also agree with this statement, I am indeed good at clay, but in fact, my favorite is still hard ground. Zheng Qinwen's frankness in the face of this problem has attracted a smile from the people around him.
In the third round of the French Open, Zheng Qinwen will face the French famous Coone.
Editors: Haoyu Wang, Sihui Yu, Jiantong Zhao, Yuxuan Chen (Intern)