WATCH: Controversial scenes at Wuhan Open as Zheng Qinwen lashes out at linesman for interference during final vs Aryna Sabalenka
Zheng Qinwen found herself in controversy as she was angry at a linesman during the Wuhan Open against Aryna Sabalenka. The 22-year-old put up a tough fight in the match before losing to the World No. 2 in three sets.
Zheng reached her maiden WTA 1000 final after winning over Jaqueline Cristian, Leylah Fernandez, third seed Jasmine Paolini, and compatriot Wang Xinyu. Here, the 22-year-old faced Aryna Sabalenka, and the latter started strongly by winning the first set 6-3. The Olympic gold medalist bounced by taking the second set 7-5 to force the match into a decider.
Sabalenka was a break up in the final set, and soon after, Zheng Qinwen found herself in controversy. The 22-year-old was serving at 15-30 while trailing 2-4 and lost the point to find herself defending two break points. Just moments after losing the point, Zheng lashed out at the linesman for interference, as the latter was standing not too far from her when she tried to return a backhand from Sabalenka.
She even had a short word with the chair umpire but to no avail, and the Belarusian eventually registered a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win to clinch her third title at the Wuhan Open.
Watch the video below:
Just days ago, Zheng had another moment of drama in Wuhan during her match against Leylah Fernandez, as the former called out the latter's father for constant cheering. The two players also had an argument regarding this.
Zheng Qinwen is yet to register a victory over Aryna Sabalenka
Qinwen's defeat in the Wuhan Open final means that she is yet to register a win over Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian currently leads 4-0 in the head-to-head between the two.
Their first fixture came in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open, with Sabalenka winning 6-1, 6-4. The next match between the two came in the final of the 2024 Australian Open and the Belarusian won 6-3, 6-2, before registering a 6-1, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
After the Wuhan Open final, Zheng Qinwen was asked whether she found the key to beating Sabalenka in the future. The Chinese responded by saying:
"After this loss, I'm feeling excited because I am doing better each time. There's more room for improvement. I hope that I can close the gap and also can overcome this challenge."
The 22-year-old has won 37 out of 53 matches so far in 2024. She is next scheduled to compete at the Ningbo Open.