21-year-old Zheng Qinwen survived the "toughest-ever" match edging past former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber of Germany and will take on current number one Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the women's singles in tennis tournament of the Paris Olympics.
By sportswriters Yue Wenwan, Gao Meng and Zhang Baihui
PARIS, July 31 (Xinhua) -- It is rare to see China's tennis ace Zheng Qinwen shed tears, throw her racquet or lie on the ground after matches, but she did all of these after a showdown that lasted more than three hours in the muggy Paris afternoon.
"It's hard to recall how I won the match, because it's really too tough, and probably the toughest one I've ever played in my career," said Zheng in the mixed zone.
The 21-year-old Chinese played in the central court of Roland Garros in the Paris 2024 quarterfinals on Wednesday, facing former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber of Germany.
It was a key match for both players. Zheng felt herself shoulder the mission of the whole team as China's only singles player left on court, while Kerber, who had announced her intention to retire after Paris 2024, went all out to extend her glory in her last chance representing her nation in the Olympics.
In the opener, Zheng found it hard to respond Kerber's looping shots that went high in the sky and she failed to play with her own rhythm. The Australian Open runner-up leveled the first set from 1-3 to 3-3 to 5-5 and then 6-6, but finally lost the tie-break to Kerber 4-7.
Zheng seemed to find the solution against Kerber after the first hour, sending powerful shots and returning balls to far corners, which helped her to win back a set.
A torrential downpour forced the retractable roof over the Philippe-Chatrier court into action in the final set. The rain drummed loudly on the roof, while the roller-coaster match reached its climax.
While spectators stood up to applaud Kerber's 4-1 lead that might prolong her tennis career with one more match or two, sixth-seeded Zheng showed her tenacity to tie the scores at 4-4.
In the final tie-break, Zheng and Kerber alternated to win points, with the German coming from a 2-5 down to a 6-6 tie. The match was so intense that a Belgian journalist exclaimed "This is crazy, please end it quickly! Stop torturing me in this way," while revising her article.
Finally, Zheng nailed down the deciding set 7-6 (6).
"I was really out of energy by the end. There was a time when I could barely catch my breath, and my legs felt as heavy as lead," said Zheng, who played two matches lasting more than three hours over the past two days.
"This is also a breakthrough for my own limits. I am truly proud of myself. So, at the end of the match, I was incredibly happy and couldn't control my emotions," she added.
Last time China saw a semifinalist in Olympic tennis singles was in 2008, when Li Na, a two-time Grand Slam winner, finished fourth on her home turf.
"Mental strength carried me on through the match. I know my performance was not as good as usual. I came into the match with a lot of pressure, knowing what it meant to me and my country. If it were an ordinary match, I might have given it up, but because it's the Olympics, I did not give up any point, as tennis is a sport where there is always a chance to win," Zheng noted.
For Kerber, having Zheng, a world top 10 player, as her last opponent in the exhausted match in Olympics as her last one means a lot. "This is actually how I played during my career. I showed that I never give up, I tried everything until the end," said the 36-year-old German. ■
