Zheng Qinwen triumphs on home soil to win Zhengzhou title

Zheng Qinwen delighted her home crowd at the Bank of Communications Zhengzhou Open on Sunday, securing a thrilling 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No.7 seed Barbora Krejcikova to claim the WTA 500 title. The Chinese No.1, ranked 24th in the world, took 2 hours and 26 minutes to complete her comeback win over the 18th-ranked Krejcikova, earning her second Hologic WTA Tour title of the season and of her career.

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In her post-game interview, Zheng said, “When I was on the court finishing the last point, I was feeling super happy,” Zheng said, after her win. “All the crowd yelling for me, they supported me in full, in that moment, the feeling was unexplainable.

“It’s a lot of pressure, you could see in the match. In the first set, I was leading 2-0, [then] I lost six games in a row. There were a lot of ups and downs, but in the end, the important [thing] is to win the match, whatever happens. Right now, I’m just feeling super happy and want to enjoy the time with my team.

“At the end, I’m really happy to win this match and to beat such a great opponent in the final.”

Zheng’s rise continues: Zheng, last season’s WTA Newcomer of the Year, claimed her first title this summer on the clay courts of Palermo. The 21-year-old also achieved another milestone at the 2023 US Open, reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. With her latest triumph in Zhengzhou, Zheng becomes the third Chinese woman to win a title at WTA 500-level or higher, joining Li Na and Zheng Saisai.

This year marks a historic moment in Hologic WTA Tour history as three Chinese women have won a singles title in the same season. Alongside Zheng’s two titles, Zhu Lin won the Hua Hin title, and Wang Xiyu hoisted the trophy on home soil in Guangzhou.

Key moments from the match: Krejcikova was broken in the opening game of all three sets on Sunday. After a successful rebound in the first set, Zheng dominated the second set without facing a break point, leveling the match at one set each. In the decisive third set, both players remained evenly matched. At 3-3, Krejcikova was broken again with a double fault on break point. However, Zheng lost her serve in the following game, bringing the score to 4-4. The top-ranked Chinese player secured two more break points in the next game with a powerful forehand winner, ultimately breaking Krejcikova for the third time in the set. Serving for the match at 5-4, Zheng delivered two aces and a forehand winner to claim triple championship point. Another strong serve from Zheng went unanswered by Krejcikova, securing the title for Zheng in front of her ecstatic fans.

Top seeds triumph in doubles: Earlier on Sunday, No.1 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe won the Zhengzhou doubles title, defeating No.3 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara 6-2, 6-4 in 71 minutes. This is the second team title for Dabrowski and Routliffe, who partnered together for the first time this summer. They won their first title as a duo at this year’s US Open and have emerged victorious in 12 of their last 15 matches. Currently ranked 10th in the Race to the WTA Finals, the pair has improved their chances of qualifying for the season-ending championships. Dabrowski, hailing from Canada, has secured 15 Hologic WTA Tour doubles titles in her career, while Routliffe from New Zealand has won five career doubles titles on the tour.