1. In the early morning of September 5, 2023, in the fourth round of the women's singles of the US Open, the No. 23 seed Zheng Qinwen faced the world's No. 5 Ukrainian star Jabeur. Before the bout, few were optimistic that the 20-year-old rookie from China would be able to beat the seasoned veteran. But when Zheng Qinwen defeated his opponent in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 more than an hour later, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.
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"It's incredible!" Coach Li, who was watching the game from the sidelines, said excitedly, "Zheng Qinwen played the best game of his career so far!"
Indeed, the performance of this Chinese youngster is really impressive. Not only did she completely suppress her opponent with her excellent mental quality, but her on-the-spot performance at critical moments was even more impeccable. From the first service game, Zheng Qinwen firmly controlled the whole situation with his sharp baseline attack and stable one-serve serve.
What is even more surprising is that this young Chinese girl seems to be so calm in every detail of her movements on the court, like a seasoned "master" wielding his art. This could not help but be applauded and applauded by the audience and experts present.
At this time, Zheng Qinwen's family, who were nervously watching the whole game on the sidelines, also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. As a professional footballer, Zheng Qinwen has been highly anticipated since he was a child, but he is undoubtedly proud of his family to achieve such outstanding results at this age.
Two
Looking back on Zheng Qinwen's career, the rise of the rising Chinese tennis star can be described as magnificent.
In 2019, the 18-year-old reached her first WTA 100 series final, and although she couldn't lift the trophy, her stunning appearance earned her a lot of attention. In the following two years, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam at the French Open and the US Open, which is a remarkable feat for a rookie.
But just last year, Zheng Qinwen ushered in another peak moment of her life when she won her first WTA title in Tokyo and rose to No. 15 in the world rankings, becoming the highest-ranked player in Chinese women's tennis at the time.
At the same time, Zheng Qinwen also achieved a good performance in the 2023 season. At this year's Rome event, she went all the way to claim the second WTA title of her career. The wonderful performance of this teenager has also made tennis fans at home and abroad expect more from her.
And this outstanding performance at the US Open will undoubtedly bring more opportunities for Zheng Qinwen's future career. As the No. 23 seed, the fact that he was able to beat the No. 5 seed Jabeur in the US Open Women's Singles to create a career-best record proves that the Chinese teenager is no longer the young rookie of the past, but a true "master" player.
Three
To say that Zheng Qinwen can perform such a wonderful counterattack at the US Open, it is not completely unexpected.
Looking back on her upbringing, the Chinese girl showed extraordinary tennis talent from a young age. At the age of 13, she swept her peers in a domestic junior tennis tournament and won the championship in one fell swoop.
In the following years, Zheng Qinwen also achieved good results in international junior tennis tournaments, and won the top of the world junior ranking for many times. It can be said that she has been regarded as the future star of Chinese tennis since she was a child.
It's not all plain sailing, though. On the road to the professional arena, Zheng Qinwen has also experienced many setbacks. When she first entered the WTA Tour, she had a period of slump, stopping at the early rounds of minor tournaments.
"It was a really difficult time," Mr. Zheng later said in an interview, "and I doubted at one point whether I was ready to compete professionally." However, with the encouragement of my coach and family, I didn't give up and put more effort into training. "
It was with his indomitable tenacity and love for tennis that Zheng Qinwen finally realized his professional dream. After receiving professional training and honing, her technical level and psychological quality have been greatly improved, and she finally staged her "counterattack" in Tokyo last year.
"This young girl is really remarkable," said a veteran coach who watched the match at the US Open, "and she is not only technically skilled, but also has a great match IQ and on-court adaptability." These advantages are all practiced, which is comparable to some 'big names'. "
Four
When Zheng Qinwen finally defeated Jabeur and advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open women's singles, she must have been very excited at that moment.
As a rising star at just 20 years old, being able to show such outstanding quality at such a Grand Slam tournament is undoubtedly the best reward for her hard work over the years.
But in Zheng's view, this is just a small milestone in her career. She has always dreamed of a bigger one, which is to compete in the Grand Slam and eventually lift the trophy.
"I know I still have a long way to go," Zheng said in his post-race interview, "but it's a great feeling to get a good result." I will continue to work hard to achieve better results in future Grand Slam tournaments. "
In fact, since winning the championship in Tokyo last year, Zheng Qinwen's attention has become more and more high. Many experts believe that she is expected to become a new generation leader in Chinese women's tennis, and is even expected to become the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title in the near future.
#郑钦文: The rise of China's rising tennis stars