Caption: Zhang Zhizhen
Caption: Zheng Qinwen
Caption: Shang Juncheng
Xu Yunfeng, a special correspondent of this newspaper
Editor's note: On the 10th anniversary of Li Na's second Grand Slam women's singles title at the 2014 Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen followed in her idol's footsteps and became the second Chinese tennis player in history to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Zheng Qinwen has rewritten a number of personal and Chinese tennis records, including breaking her career best Grand Slam record (her previous best Grand Slam record was reaching the quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open), and becoming the first Chinese "post-00" player to reach the Australian Open and Grand Slam singles finals. In addition, Zheng Qinwen's WTA instant world ranking rose to seventh in the world, setting a new career high. The women's singles final of this year's Australian Open will be played on the 27th, and Zheng Qinwen will face the defending champion Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed from Belarus.
Maintain a smooth upward trajectory
Since officially starting his professional tennis career in 2020, the 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen has maintained a steady upward trajectory. As the international tennis world emerged from the shutdown caused by the pandemic, Zheng Qinwen participated in ITF (International Tennis Federation) tours across Europe, participated in several major WTA Tour tournaments in 2022, and made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open that year, soaring from 143rd to 25th in the world rankings throughout the season.
In 2023, Zheng Qinwen won her first two WTA Tour titles in Palermo and Zhengzhou, breaking into the top 20 in the world, and she was named the most improved WTA player of the year last December. Currently ranked 13th, she is set to break into the top 10 for the first time in the new WTA rankings to be released next week. Zheng also became the fourth player born in 2002 or later to reach a Grand Slam final, after 2021 US Open women's singles champion Raducanu, 2021 US Open women's singles runner-up Fernandes, and 2023 US Open women's singles champion and 2022 French Open women's singles runner-up Gauff. According to the official website of the Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen left her name in the history of tennis, becoming only the second women's singles player in the Open era to defeat six unseeded players to reach the Australian Open final after Vicario in 1995.
"Queen's Moon" against Sabalenka
Zheng Qinwen's opponent in the final was Sabalenka, who swept the No. 4 seed and American "talented girl" Gauff 2-0 in the other women's singles semi-final, continuing the 13-game winning streak in the Australian Open, reaching the third Grand Slam women's singles final, and becoming the first player to reach the Australian Open women's singles final for two consecutive years since the legendary American diva Serena Williams in 2016 and 2017. Sabalenka is also aiming to become the first woman to win two consecutive titles at Melbourne Park since her compatriot Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.
This will be the fifth time in Zheng's career that she has competed in a women's singles final above tour level, with a 2-2 record in her first four finals. The final against Sabalenka will be the second time the pair have faced each other across the net, with their only previous meeting coming in last year's US Open women's singles quarter-finals, when Sabalenka won 6-1, 6-4. AFP wrote on the 25th with the title of "China's 'Queen Wen' vs. Sabalenka in the Australian Open Final", saying that Zheng Qinwen is the first Chinese player to enter the final venue of Melbourne Park after the idol Li Na who won the championship in 2014.
Zheng Qinwen is listed as the No. 12 seed at this Australian Open, and she is in the top half of the women's singles, and the seeded players have been dismounted one after another - top seed Swiatek, No. 3 seed Rybakina, and No. 5 seed Pegula have been eliminated one after another, Zheng Qinwen has won six consecutive matches to reach the Grand Slam final for the first time, during which she has not faced any seeded opponents, and she will face the biggest test of the tournament in the women's singles final. Looking ahead to the upcoming Women's Singles final matchup, the official website of the Australian Open says that Sabalenka is favored by pundits as she holds a 1-0 advantage in her previous matches, and she did not encounter a break point in her last matchup with Zheng Qinwen.
Sabalenka revealed that she regularly practices with Zheng Qinwen and has practiced together at Melbourne Park before the start of the 2024 Australian Open. Sabalenka said: "Anyway, if you reach a Grand Slam final for the first time, it will be very psychological. Zheng Qinwen is an excellent player, especially her forehand, which is her powerful scoring weapon. She added: "It may not be easy to defend the title, but if it doesn't work this year, there will be a chance next year."
Zheng Qinwen believes that the 25-year-old Sabalenka is one of the strongest players on the tour, saying: "Sabalenka is a strong serve, forehand and backhand on the tour at the moment. No matter who the opponent is, it's a big challenge for me, and whoever can overcome the burden and play their own tennis will decide the outcome of the match. According to the official website of the Australian Open, in the six matches won so far at Melbourne Park, Li Na's short advice has been very helpful to Zheng Qinwen: "Don't think too much, go for it." ”
Not alone
In this year's Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen is not the only Chinese player fighting, there are other players who have reached new heights in their careers. Wang Yafan advanced to the top 32 of the Australian Open women's singles, creating the best Grand Slam record in her career. Guo Hanyu/Jiang Xinyu reached the round of 16 in their first Grand Slam women's doubles event, and Zhu Lin and Chinese Taipei's Wu Fangxian advanced to the third round of women's doubles.
On the men's side, "First Brother" Zhang Zhizhen defeated Argentina's Coria in straight sets in the first round to win his first Australian Open main draw, which was also his third different Grand Slam victory after last year's French Open and US Open. In the men's doubles, Zhang Zhizhen made a breakthrough, partnering Czech Republic's Makhac to reach the semi-finals, creating the best record of the Chinese men's tennis team in a Grand Slam. In addition, Zhang Zhizhen's ATP instant ranking entered the top 50 in the world for the first time, refreshing the new history of Chinese men's tennis. For his next goal, Zhang Zhizhen also made no secret of his ambition - to be in the top 30. If that dream becomes a reality, it means that for the first time in a Grand Slam men's singles tournament, there will be a seeded player from China.
In addition to Zhang Zhizhen, 18-year-old Chinese men's tennis player Shang Juncheng also ushered in a breakthrough, the latter not only won the Australian Open for two consecutive years, but also broke into the last 32 of a Grand Slam for the first time, tying the record held by Wu Yixuan and Zhang Zhizhen. After the Australian Open, Shang Juncheng will also rewrite his personal top ranking, rising to No. 139. According to the ATP website, Melbourne is a magical city for China's rising star Shang Juncheng. Last year, at the age of 17, he qualified for the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time and advanced to the second round of the men's singles. This year he reached the third round of the Australian Open men's singles, which is a step further than last year. It is worth mentioning that Shang Juncheng also reached the men's singles semifinals at the 2024 ATP 250 in Hong Kong, China, which he participated in before the Australian Open, setting a new record for the best record in the history of the tour. ▲