Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen, ranked number 8 in the world, commented on her first victory over Aryna Sabalenka after six previous defeats. Their match took place in the quarterfinals of the Rome tournament and ended 6/4, 6/3 in Zheng`s favor.
Zheng began by expressing her joy:
“Of course, I`m very happy because I`ve been trying to beat her all this time. Sometimes I came very close, but I couldn`t do it.
We met on clay for the first time. I think I feel more comfortable on clay due to my good experience playing on this surface.
Today I played a successful match because I was more patient than her. I noticed this when I made her play longer… I`m just happy with my performance and glad that I took the next step by defeating the world number one.”
What was key to your victory today?
“I think, first of all, I told myself not to give her easy points. I know I have more advantages in long rallies, four to five shots. Statistics always show that on clay I exert myself physically more – this gives me more advantages.
I remember in the past I always gave away the first games so easily – 0/3, 0/2, 0/4. Today I came out on court and told myself I must stay in the game and hold my serve so as not to lose the match so quickly. It seems the tactic worked. When I concentrate very strongly on the match, I feel I start to understand extremely clearly where to hit.”
How much confidence does such a victory add? The French Open is in two weeks – how much did this evening add confidence in your game, in yourself?
“Generally, I`m always confident in myself as a player – even if sometimes I have bad results. I know that if I truly focus and want it, I will achieve it. It`s just that before, when I saw her play at 14-15 years old… Perhaps in our first matches, I respected her too much. I didn`t see her as just a regular tennis player.
I remember going to watch her at a `thousand` event in Beijing in 2017. I was there as a junior and watched her in the final.
(Note: According to statistics, Sabalenka did not participate in the main draw of the Beijing tournament in 2017, although she won titles in Wuhan in 2018 and 2019.)
My dad said: `Oh, that`s Sabalenka – you need to learn her forehand and backhand.`
I think it took time for me to stop respecting her so much and start perceiving her as just a regular player. So I`m just happy that today I stayed calm, treated her as a standard opponent, and did what I needed to. I`m very happy with the win.”
Do you feel that the clay in Rome suits you – like, for example, at the Olympics?
“It seems to me that this year in Madrid I was generally too hasty and couldn`t stay calm on court in difficult circumstances. After that tournament, I thought a lot about needing to become more stable on clay, calmer off court, to work better on myself not only on it but also outside of it. I think this helped me control myself better under pressure, unlike before.
If I`m too unstable in practice, I think that at an important moment, nothing will work out for me either. But today it worked out – although in the second set she was very close to getting back into the game.
I`m very happy that I stood firm under pressure and won. It was very difficult,” Zheng noted at the press conference.
