Zheng: "If I play well against Sabalenka, I have a 50% chance of winning"

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Qinwen Zheng is the rising star athlete in China. She won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris, reached the Grand Slam final in 2024, made her debut in the WTA Top 10, and this weekend, she has the opportunity to win her first WTA 1000 in Wuhan, her hometown. Zheng is thrilled, and her strength has enabled her to surpass the world's top tennis players; now, her opponent is Aryna Sabalenka.

Her head-to-head record with the Belarusian is far from positive. Qinwen Zheng has faced Sabalenka three times and has never managed to win a set. Their most recent encounter was at the 2024 US Open, where Zheng seemed overwhelmed by nerves and unable to counter Sabalenka's powerful shots. At the WTA Wuhan 2024, the Chinese player hopes to change that narrative and shared her thoughts in a press conference following her semifinal victory over compatriot Xinyu Wang.

- Pressure of playing at home

Playing in front of her home crowd in Wuhan adds another layer of motivation for Zheng: "I had high expectations for this tournament. Wuhan is my hometown, so I am very excited to play here."

"This is a different kind of pressure. During the Olympics, the pressure was much greater, especially in the days leading up to the tournament. I remember trembling hands during the quarterfinals and semifinals matches. Since then, I haven't felt that way again. The pressure here is much less, and I have it under control."

However, Zheng mentioned that she is not in her best physical condition: "I have had a slight fever, but similar to what happened in the first match of the China WTA, it was unfortunate. Mentally, I am fine, but physically I am not at 100%."

- Sabalenka, an unbeaten opponent

Facing Aryna Sabalenka will be a tough challenge, but Zheng believes she has found the key to compete against her: "I need to relax mentally because in the last two encounters, I overthought things and couldn't play my best tennis. I hope to perform well and then focus on strategy. I just wish that tomorrow I can perform better than last time because my attitude has changed. I need to maintain balance; she is very aggressive, but so am I."

- Chinese Finalist

Since Li Na, no Chinese player has reached the final of a tournament of this caliber, making Zheng a pioneer in Chinese tennis: "Being a finalist in a WTA 1000 at 22 years old and in Wuhan is a great surprise for me. I am very happy to achieve this. If I play well tomorrow, I believe I have a 50% chance of winning, but it depends on my mentality. She is more confident, having beaten me three times already, so I have to figure out how to outplay her on the court. I am eagerly looking forward to tomorrow's final."

Qinwen Zheng will face Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan tomorrow, October 13, starting at 11:00 (Spanish Peninsula time). The match in Wuhan will be at 17:00.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zheng: "Si juego bien contra Sabalenka, tengo el 50% de posibilidades de ganar"