Zheng reaches quarterfinals with breakthrough record

(MENAFN) Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen has advanced to the French Open quarterfinals, marking her deepest run yet at Roland Garros. She triumphed over Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in a tightly contested three-set match, finishing 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-3 on Sunday, just months after making history on the Paris clay during the Olympics.

Despite entering the match trailing Samsonova 2-3 in past encounters, Zheng had previously claimed a clay-court win over the Russian in Palermo in 2021. This time, however, the match was anything but straightforward, requiring nearly three hours of intense playing.

The opening set had an even match; with both players holding serve through six games. They then traded breaks before the set reached a tiebreak. At 5-5 in the breaker, Zheng showed composure under pressure, delivering a precise inside-in forehand winner and taking advantage of Samsonova’s error to take the set, which lasted 76 minutes.

Momentum shifted in the second set as Samsonova dominated. She broke Zheng’s serve twice and fended off seven break points to claim the set. Zheng appeared troubled by Samsonova’s sharp cross-court angles and couldn't convert critical opportunities.

However, the Chinese player regained her rhythm in the decider. A long backhand from Samsonova handed Zheng a crucial break in the sixth game. Serving at 5-3, Zheng quickly fell behind 0-30 but rallied with four straight points to clinch the match, ending it with a Samsonova forehand mistake.

Zheng will next meet either Belarusian top seed Aryna Sabalenka or American Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinal round.

At 22, Zheng continues to impress ever since her Roland Garros debut in 2022, when she pushed eventual champion Iga Swiatek to three sets in the fourth round.

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