Chinese Zheng loses to Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the US Open (updated)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) — Chinese Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen lost to world number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the quarterfinals of the US Open on Tuesday.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka defeated Zheng 6-1, 6-2 in 73 minutes and will face Emma Navarro of the USA in the semifinals.

“I just think that next time I play against her, maybe I should hold a rally better and play a little more relaxed. Because today I was obviously very nervous going into the match,” said Zheng.

“It was important that I made the early break, that was an advantage because it is tough to compete against her,” said Sabalenka, who was runner-up at last year’s US Open.

Sabalenka also defeated Zheng at the same stage of the 2023 US Open before defeating the 21-year-old in the final of the 2024 Australian Open in January.

Zheng had previously set a record for a women’s match with a late finish in US Open history with a three-set win over Donna Vekic.

“I couldn’t sleep after the game ended at 2:30 a.m. I couldn’t train yesterday because I felt terrible. I couldn’t wake up,” Zheng said.

“Sometimes the schedule looks like that. If I had hit a few balls yesterday, maybe that would help me for today’s game, but that’s OK,” added the 21-year-old.