Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen reaches third round of US Open – RADII

On August 28, China’s rising tennis star Zheng Qinwen, affectionately known as “Queen Wen” by her fans, defeated world number 75 Erika Andreeva 2-1 in the second round of the US Open in New York. With this win, Zheng advanced to the third round, where she will face Germany’s Jule Niemeier later this week.

Five years ago, Zheng Qinwen was an unknown teenager. Today, she is a tennis star with a promising career and one of the most likely candidates to win this year’s US Open. Her road to fame began in 2020, when she quickly gained attention and popularity after scoring victories in major tournaments around the world. Zheng’s most notable achievement during this period was the three consecutive ITF (International Tennis Federation) titles she won in August and September of the same year.

By the end of 2021, she had risen to world number 126, a massive jump from her ranking of 630 a year earlier. She was then named WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2022. In 2023, she defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini, currently ranked fifth in the world, at the 2023 Palermo Ladies Open. Zheng rose to global fame this year after finishing second at the Australian Open in Melbourne and winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris last month.

Zheng’s recent successes have brought her major sponsorship deals and sparked enthusiasm in China for tennis, a sport that generally attracts fewer young people in the country than other racket sports such as table tennis and badminton. Zheng is currently ranked seventh in the world and the second Chinese player in the top ten after Li Na. She has won two Grand Slam singles titles – the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open. However, no Chinese national player has yet won the US Open.

With a bit of luck against a talented opponent, Zheng could advance to the final of this year’s US Open with the Olympic gold medal in his luggage.

Banner image via Xinhua.