Qinwen Zheng will still be celebrating making historical past at the China Open, having become the first home champion in Beijing.
Zheng defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the ultimate of the WTA 1000 event, which she had entered as a wildcard. Both gamers have since determined to withdraw from the Wuhan Open following their prolonged runs at the China Open.
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While Andreeva will now be pondering what she could have achieved higher, Zheng has been busy parading her new piece of silverware around Beijing. And she has also been closely concerned in media duties, during which she has made a claim about WTA legend Serena Williams.
China Open champion Qinwen Zheng desires to copy the influence of Serena Williams
Speaking to the WTA web site, Zheng was requested what it is like being so well-known in her nation. The 2024 Olympic gold medallist replied: “It’s not easy to be a national icon. Since two, three years ago I felt high responsibility on my shoulders because I want to behave well in front of [my] people. I want those young kids when they look at me, I am a good inspiration for them.
“I need to be a good instance for them because I know how much the instance can make a big influence for the child. I bear in mind when I was a child I used to watch Serena, this iconic participant, how much influence they can [have on] me. I want I could make always constructive stuff with them.”
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Williams continues to have an extraordinary impact on the sport, for her efforts both on and off the court. Concerning the former, she boasts 23 Grand Slam titles and once climbed as high as world number one, among countless other superb achievements. The American has never played against Zheng, but a match is certainly possible given that she has decided to return to tennis.
Qinwen Zheng calls China Open the ‘fifth Grand Slam’ after claiming the title
Zheng is enjoying a remarkable rise of her own right now, having just climbed 31 places to 23rd. Meanwhile, Andreeva has made her top three debut, but the China Open was undoubtedly all about Zheng’s stunning run in front of her home fans.
Discussing the atmosphere in Sunday’s final, she said: “China Open for me is like the fifth Grand Slam, and in this event, it’s one of them I need to actually give everything. I actually appreciated immediately there is no empty seat, because I felt all the people that need to come to watch me play. I felt further power to struggle there on court.
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“I always say that if I can reach [further rounds], people will know more about tennis. I know Chinese people, they like to see Chinese players compete because we have a big honour for our country, and I would really love more kids to know tennis, this sport. But no empty seats, that’s quite amazing.”
It was a fairytale ending for Zheng, who is now a six-time WTA champion. She will now have grand plans to obtain further success, which should contain climbing the rankings further, having once reached world quantity 4. The China Open champion has, however, made the comprehensible and smart determination to withdraw from Wuhan after such a demanding run.
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