Playing in just her second Grand Slam main draw, the 19-year-old Chinese is making her mark on the Paris clay
© Corinne Dubreuil/FFTAnyone who watched China’s Zheng Qinwen, the world No.74, power past 2018 Roland-Garros champion Simona Halep on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Thursday can tell that the 19-year-old possesses a rare, disruptive power game.
But what else is there to know about the rising talent who will face Alize Cornet in the third round on Saturday?
Read on and find out…
Zheng's 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Halep earned her a first trip to the third round at a major, and the first top-20 win of her young career.
Her previous best win was against 36th-ranked Sloane Stephens in Charleston this spring.
"I believe that there's always a chance to beat opponent," Zheng said after rallying from a set down to vanquish the former world No.1.
"It doesn't [matter] who is in front of me, that she has much more experience than me, and she's a very good player, like you say, two-time Grand Slam champion. That's wonderful."
Zheng’s earliest memory from Roland-Garros was watching Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play in the final, but she later became inspired by her compatriot Li Na, who became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam title in 2011 at Roland-Garros.
Zheng was eight years old at the time.
“In that moment I was still a child and then she gave me a dream that, ‘Oh, the Asian player, the Chinese player, also can win the Grand Slam’, and in that moment that I have the dream in my heart that I want to do it like her. She's my idol and I always think about that," declared Zheng.
Zheng, who will turn 20 on October 8, has been racing up the WTA rankings table since the start of 2021.
She has jumped over 200 points in less than 18 months, and won 60 of 79 matches across all levels. During that time Zheng has reached five ITF finals and won them all without dropping a set.
Zheng made her top-100 debut in February and is projected to make a career-high inside the top-70 after Roland-Garros.
She is currently China's No.2 player behind 41st-ranked Zhang Shuai.
© Corinne Dubreuil/FFTZheng trained in her formative years in China, under Carlos Rodriguez, the former coach of Justine Henin and Li Na, at his academy in Beijing.
She later made the decision to move to Spain to work with former ATP player, Pere Riba and trains in Barcelona, a former world No.65.
The decision to train extensively on clay fits perfectly with her desire to become a more complete, patient player.
"I've been training in Spain two years ago," Zheng says. "And since I've [been] here, all the Spanish players, they are working really hard, and in that moment, I was still junior and I think that's what I need and in these two years I've been improving a lot."
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTZheng's power is her calling card, but the rising star is dead set on becoming a more complete player. To do this she uses all the tools at her disposal.
"I've been watching a lot the tennis videos, so I try to learn from the best player what they have and I try to put together as my game and I think that's working [for] me," she told the press after Thursday's win over Halep.
"I have a very powerful game and I think for me it's important the patience I have and then to be aggressive in the same time and I'm still learning and I hope I can do it better."
The Chinese also loves to roll tape of the Big Three - Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.
“I'm watching a lot, Djokovic, and then of course Roger Federer, Nadal, all the best players," she said.
Fast surfaces suit the hard-hitting teen best, but she's warming up to the clay, little by little.
“The people say that I'm better on clay, my game is more clay court player," she says. "I am trying to put really heavy spin today during the match also, and I like clay a lot,” she says, before adding with a smile: “But I prefer hard court.”
Her results say that her bruising, penetrating game is a natural fit for the surface.
Zheng has played only seven matches on clay at tour-level (4-3), but has won 17 of her last 22 matches across all levels. She owns a 4-2 record against the top-100 on clay.
A rare - but raw - talent, Zheng is focused on becoming a well-rounded tactician. She jokes about her nascent game.
"I remember Li Na's husband talked to my agent, and said I had a very good game and nice technique," Zheng told wtatennis.com. "The only problem I have is that I need to learn how to play tennis!"
Jokes aside, Zheng has belief in her game, and plans to keep rising up the rankings, in January she told WTA Insider that she wants to reach the top-30 by the end of the season.
"I know it's quite difficult but I believe that my level is there," she said. "At the moment I have to get through match by match, point by point. I think I have the level to be there.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
