Zheng Qinwen has reached her first Grand Slam remaining. Actually, she is the primary particular person from China to take action in 10 years.
Zheng grew up watching the final Chinese language Grand Slam winner, Li Na, and has mentioned she has watched the 2014 Australian Open remaining ‘no less than 10 instances.’ In case you have been on tennis social media, little question you should have come throughout the picture of Zheng watching Li win 10 years in the past, transfixed by her achievement. Tennis in China was anticipated to increase in consequence.
This was Qinwen Zheng watching Li Na profitable the 2014 Australian Open title.
Ten years later, Zheng is into the 2024 Australian Open Girls’s Closing, turning into the primary Chinese language singles finalist at a Main since Li Na, herself.
— Olly
(@Olly_Tennis_) January 25, 2024
It has taken till now for that to begin to come to fruition.
One viral video this week noticed Li sneak up on Zheng mid-interview and greet her such as you would your finest pal — with a smack on the bum. Zheng says that they had barely met earlier than this match. It’s not on daily basis you get to not solely meet your idol however grow to be buddies with them, too.
Li Na stunning Qinwen after she particularly introduced her up in her post-win interview right this moment
@AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/BozJdXRJvD
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 20, 2024
However earlier than you go any additional, cease and skim this piece by Matt Futterman. It’s the heart-wrenching story of Zheng Qinwen’s childhood when, as a seven-year-old, she was taken by her father to Wuhan to show her expertise to a higher-level coach.
The main element her father saved from her? She can be staying there.
He wouldn’t.
What else do it’s essential to learn about her?
Australian Open journey
The top of Zheng’s 2023 season was kiboshed by the return of Naomi Osaka. Wim Fissette had been her coach and the important thing to her climbing the rankings in 2023, reaching the quarterfinal of the U.S. Open earlier than being stopped in her tracks by one Aryna Sabalenka, her opponent for Saturday’s remaining.
Osaka’s return to the game after the start of her first baby, Shai, meant a reunion with Fissette. Zheng was devastated. “There may be nothing I wish to say about Wim Fissette,” she advised reporters earlier this week.
That led Zheng to do the identical and reunite with coach Pere Riba, who was alongside Coco Gauff throughout her success on the U.S. Open in 2023.
Zheng’s path to the ultimate has been with none nice hurdles. Not as soon as has she performed somebody throughout the high 50. Her highest-ranked opponent was Nice Britain’s Katie Boulter (54). That mentioned, she has spent greater than 11 hours on courtroom.
This creates a small problem when analysing Zheng’s sport as a result of she has not been examined by anybody remotely near her rating at this Grand Slam.
Type of play
Sliding and stretching across the courtroom, Zheng makes use of all of her 5ft 10in (178cm) body to succeed in the ball and poo again a forehand, typically slicing it on the lengthy diagonal. Because of this, she has hit 165 winners over the previous two weeks. This can be a talent famous by Sabalenka, who mentioned following her semifinal victory: “I believe her (Zheng’s) forehand is her finest shot. It’s fairly heavy.
The brand new top-10-ranked participant actually assessments the size of the courtroom, too, hitting the traces, leaving little margin for error.
Along with that highly effective forehand, her serve is one to look at. She has 48 aces and counting for the match, one of the best within the ladies’s draw. In contrast, Sabalenka ranks third and has half that whole.
Zheng Qinwen celebrates victory towards Dayana Yastremska within the semifinal (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
The principle battle she faces is pondering an excessive amount of. “I believe in the beginning of the primary set I’m simply pondering an excessive amount of… After all, that’s one in all my issues,” she mentioned after her quarterfinal. “So once I misplaced the primary set straight, I attempted to inform myself: ‘Keep centered. Don’t suppose an excessive amount of. Simply focus proper now.’”
Zheng says Li provided her an identical remark: “It’s actually easy recommendation: don’t suppose an excessive amount of.”
Count on the Rod Laver Enviornment to be stuffed on Saturday with shouts of “jiayou”, which suggests “vamos” in Mandarin, as Zheng appears to be like to emulate her idol and win at Melbourne Park.
Zheng is happy to succeed in the ultimate. Somebody simply remind her to not give it some thought.
(Prime picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Photos)
