"I couldn't sleep...I was feeling terrible" - Zheng Qinwen bemoans US Open late night scheduling after crushing QF loss to Aryna Sabalenka
Zheng Qinwen rued the ongoing 2024 US Open's late-night scheduling after being utterly dismantled by Aryna Sabalenka in the pair's quarterfinal clash on Monday, September 2. After the match, the women's singles gold winner at the 2024 Paris Olympics laid bare how her underwhelming display against the Belarusian stemmed from a lack of adequate rest following her late-night fourth-round finish.
It was a physically and emotionally draining outing for Zheng in the fourth round against Donna Vekic, who the Chinese had defeated to win Olympic gold. The World No. 7's 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2 hard-fought victory over the Croat at the Arthur Ashe Stadium cemented her quarterfinal berth, but it also came at a cost; the match broke the record for late-night finishes in US Open women's tennis history, finishing at 2:30 AM local time.
A chaotic post-match rest and recovery process ensued for Zheng Qinwen, and understandably, the Chinese was far from her best against World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. Zheng's state of body of mind was particularly evident in her first serves, which were erratic throughout the contest, but are widely rated among her most potent weapons on the court.
After the match, Zheng confessed that her fourth-round exploits had taken a toll on her. The Chinese laid bare that she was barely able to sleep after beating Vekic, which directly affected her practice the next day.
"Of course it affects a lot. Especially I couldn't sleep after I finish the match at 2.30 in morning. This affected because I was not able to practice yesterday.. yesterday I was feeling terrible. I couldn't wake up. I wanted to play tennis, but I didn’t feel I could do it," Zheng Qinwen told reporters at a press conference.
However, the World No. 7 went on to say that she "can't complain about anything" because such complicated situations have become commonplace for her colleagues on the WTA Tour as well.
"But, yeah, I mean, there are other players who finish, like, really late. I can’t complain about anything, because sometimes the schedules are like this. Yeah. I mean, if I hit some balls yesterday maybe it would help for the match, but it's fine," Zheng added.
The history-making Olympic gold medalist also revealed that in the aftermath of her win over Vekic, she finally managed to fall asleep at almost five in the morning.
"(I got to sleep) I think around 4.30, close to 5.00 a.m. probably, yeah," Zheng concluded.
US Open QF loss marks the end of Zheng Qinwen's mixed fortunes at Grand Slams in 2024
2024 has already seen Zheng Qinwen outdo the achievements of her 2022 (Grand Slam debut) and 2023 seasons at the Majors. At this year's Australian Open, she reached the final before losing in straight sets to Sabalenka.
However, her form dipped at the French Open and then at the Wimbledon Championships. At Roland Garros, Zheng was the seventh seed but was sent packing by the unseeded Elina Avanesyan in the third round. The Chinese's Wimbledon hopes were then dashed by qualifier Lulu Sun in the first round, in what has been one of the upsets of the season so far.
After her quarterfinal exit from the US Open, Zheng finds herself seventh in the WTA live rankings and is in contention to seal her spot at the prestigious year-end WTA Finals.