Zheng Qinwen isn't hiding that she is very happy with her game and results but admits that the Aryna Sabalenka challenge is the thing that motivates her to work harder because she feels that's what she needs to figure out next if she wants to win a Grand Slam.
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This season, the Chinese tennis star made her first Slam and WTA 1000 finals at the Australian Open and Wuhan - but she remains without titles in those categories because of the Belarusian.
Since Wimbledon, the 22-year-old has been on fire and she even captured the gold medal in her Olympic debut in Paris. When it comes to Tour-level events, Zheng has won 24 matches during this period and that's the most for a player in the second part of 2024.
But one thing remains a major issue for the Paris Olympics gold medalist - Sabalenka. In three of her five losses suffered since Wimbledon, the Chinese fell short to the new world No. 1.
After suffering a three-set defeat in the Wuhan final, Zheng continued her fine form at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo and triumphed there. But in her WTA Finals opener, she didn't have an answer for the Belarusian.
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Still, the world No. 7 managed to make it past the group stage in Riyadh and she could potentially have her sixth meeting versus Sabalenka in the final if she beats Barbora Krejcikova and the Belarusian wins against Coco Gauff.
She won two slams. This is really big achievement for her. And I remember last year, she won her first Grand Slam in the Australian Open. And then she kept going, kept working. But you know, both slams that she won this year, I lost against her on the way. Which means if I want to win a slam, I have to be able to beat her. And Im quite excited for that day," Zheng told Arab News.
In-form Zheng achieves a notable feat
After her WTA Finals debut started with a two-set defeat, this year's Australian Open finalist bounced back with wins over Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini. And by successfully overcoming the Round Robin stage, the 22-year-old became the first Chinese player since Li Na in 2013 to reach the semifinal at the prestigious season-ending tournament. Growing up, she used to idolize the former two-time Grand Slam champion
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That was 11 years ago; Im really proud I could make it. I didnt know what to expect coming to these WTA Finals for the first time. I was in a very difficult group. Its one of the best performances Ive had during this year. Really good percentage of first serves. I felt really good on my groundstrokes and I made a couple of good volleys. I really enjoyed it," Zheng said.
Against Paolini, the Chinese needed to win to make the semifinal. And she delivered big time, firing 12 aces en route to clinching a dominant 6-1 6-1 win.
I finally feel that my serve has started to be a bit more consistent," she said.
Will Zheng be able to answer the call if she meets Sabalenka again in Riyadh?
If both the Chinese and the Belarusian win their respective semifinal matches, they will meet for the sixth time but also have a rematch at the WTA Finals.
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So far, the world No. 7 managed to win only one set in those five clashes. But after finally getting one set in the Wuhan final, Zheng claimed that she was seeing improvements against Sabalenka.
"I can say that I see things more clearly compared to Australia. Obviously I performed better. In general I feel that my level is getting better compared to Australia. Still there are a lot of things I have to improve. I see some details today I wasn't doing good. When I arrived in the third set, my first-serve percentage wasn't there. I know I struggle a lot in there. She makes me see the things I have to improve, which makes me really excited. I then can go back and work harder and fight back for next time," the 22-year-old said after the Wuhan final.
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After the world No. 1 earned a 6-3 5-7 6-3 victory in the Wuhan final, Zheng admitted that she felt tight in certain moments and that being "conservative" was a mistake.
"I think watching the match, it became more clear today. I feel that I could only give myself 5 or 6 points. At critical points in this match, I need to increase my speed. I was a little bit conservative. The shaking of my racquet when I became conservative made more unforced errors. She forced me to see some of the weaknesses in my tactics," she said.
If Zheng and Sabalenka meet again, there is no doubt who would be the favorite but the Belarusian certainly wouldn't take the in-form Chinese lightly.
