Qinwen Zheng to play Barbora Krejcikova in Zhengzhou Open final 2 years after Chinese admitted to not knowing the former French Open champion
Qinwen Zheng will play her first WTA Tour final on home soil when she faces off against Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open.
The Chinese No. 1 has sailed on her way to the title contest on Sunday, October 15, knocking all her opponents out of the tournament in straight sets.
As an unseeded player, she has so far defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 6-4, 6-3, No. 3 seed Maria Sakkari 7-6(2), 6-3, Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-2, and Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3.
Meanwhile, Krejcikova, as the No. 7 seed, has not dropped a set either. She received a first-round bye and bettered Petra Martic 7-5, 6-1, Lesia Tsurenko 6-3, ret., and No. 8 Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6-0, to enter the final.
While the 2021 French Open champion is now one of the most recognizable names on the WTA Tour, this wasn't always the case, even after she won the title in Paris.
In 2021, when Qinwen Zheng was grinding it out on the ITF circuit and qualified for the final of the ITF W60 Macha Lake Open, she was asked about Krejcikova, the defending champion of the tournament.
In 2019, the Czech defeated Denisa Allertova in the final of the home tournament. Macha Lake Open was not played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After her semifinal match in 2021, Zheng admitted to not recalling who won the final of the last edition of the Macha Lake Open in 2019. More stunningly, she had no clue despite seeing a poster bearing Krejcikova's face, who had won the Roland Garros by then.
Interviewer: "Do you know who is the winner of the last .... the former champion here at Macha Lake Open, 2020?"
Zheng: "2020? no..."
Interviewer: "Or 2019?"
Zheng: "I saw the picture but I don't know the (name)."
Interviewer: "Barbora Krejcikova, you know her?"
Zheng: "Umm... tell me."
Interviewer: "She won the French Open this year."
Zheng: "Wow so good (laughing)."
The Chinese star won the 2021 Macha Lake Open, defeating Alexandra Krunic in the final. She has made her presence known on the WTA Tour since then and briefly broke into the top 20 WTA rankings.
Qinwen Zheng won her first WTA Tour title at Palermo Open 2023
Qinwen Zheng has hit several career milestones in 2023, including winning her first tour-level title at the Palermo Ladies Open in July.
The 21-year-old was the No. 2 seed at the WTA 250 tournament and showed real grit to get through some tough three-setters. She began her campaign with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over veteran Sara Errani.
Zheng was made to work hard in the second round against Diane Parry but got through the contest 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. She swept aside Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 and bettered Mayar Sherif in a laborious semifinal 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
She then defeated the home favorite, Jasmine Paolini, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in the final to win her first-ever WTA Tour title.
Qinwen Zheng entered the WTA top 20 Rankings in 2023 when she briefly held the World No. 19 spot in May. Currently ranked World No. 24, Zheng qualified for her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. She also won the gold medal at the Asian Games in September, securing her place at the 2024 Paris Olympics.