"WTA players so salty";"Any warm handshake when Zheng Qinwen involved?"- Fans react to Chinese's post-match exchange with Mirra Andreeva at China Open
Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva delighted the crowd at Beijing's National Tennis Center on October 5. The Chinese star came out on top of the enthralling contest and her post-match exchange with the Russian prodigy caught the attention of fans online.
A see-saw of momentum in the first set saw Andreeva race to 4-0, only for Zheng to take back the lead with five games on the trot. The Russian recouped well to win the next three games and muster the one-set advantage. The Chinese No. 1 came back into the match by bageling Andreeva in the second set in just 33 minutes.
The final set again witnessed multiple shifts in momentum as Andreeva held a 4-2 advantage, but Zheng fed off of the home crowd's energy. With massive groundstrokes on high-risk points, Zheng broke Andreeva twice to turn the tide and win the contest 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes. After the match point, the duo approached the net and engaged in the customary handshake, which many fans found "cold" and unpleasant.
The image of Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva's post-match handshake quickly went viral on social media. A few fans wondered why WTA players are not able to get along after their matches like their male counterparts and be graceful in defeats. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Why are WTA players so salty when they lose every damn handshake is cold."
"The handshakes in the WTA are so cold isn't there anyone who's a gracious loser in this league?" a fan wrote.
"WTA: *cold handshakes and drama* ATP: *immediately become best friends for no reason*" a fan commented.
Some thought the cold handshakes only came out when Zheng Qinwen was involved and asked if there was any cordial post-match handshake involving the World No. 7.
"Istg no one on tour likes her," a fan tweeted.
"Is there any warm handshake when Zheng involved?" a fan said.
However, not everyone had the same thought when they saw the picture of Zheng and Andreeva's handshake. Many thought it was expected that the young Russian would not be pleased after seeing a certain win slip away. Others defended Zheng, saying she was not at fault for the cold reactions from her opponents.
"Andreeva is not friendly when she loses. And it's completely understandable," a fan stated.
"Def an unpopular take, but ppl are so over the top when calling out cold handshakes. Like if I just lost, or lost to someone who I also dont like, let me be a petty a*ss b***h in peace pls . Justice for all WTA cold hand shakers," another fan wrote on X.
"Why is the handshake police always out for Zheng Qinwen these days, even somehow implying she's guilty when she's on the receiving end?" a fan said.
Zheng Qinwen becomes first Chinese woman to reach China Open SF in six years
Zheng Qinwen has kept her hopes of becoming the first Chinese woman to win the China Open alive. She has now become the first player from her country to reach the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in six years after Wang Qiang in 2018. Zheng is set to face off against Karolina Muchova in the semifinal in Beijing on October 5.
Zheng, seeded fifth, has so far defeated Kamilla Rakhimova, Nadia Podoroska, Amanda Anisimova, and Mirra Andreeva en route to her maiden WTA 1000 semifinals. Meanwhile, Karolina Muchova has defeated Anna Blinkova, Yue Yuan, Jaqueline Cristian, Cristina Bucsa, and Aryna Sabalenka.
In head-to-head contests, Zheng and Muchova are tied at 1-1, with the former winning the last contest at the 2024 Palermo Ladies Open. The recently crowned Paris Olympics gold medalist is in search of her fourth WTA Tour title in Beijing.