By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, August 24, 2024
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
NEW YORK—Zheng Qinwen made inspired history on Paris’ red clay.
The Olympic gold-medal champion aims to avoid ignominious history on New York’s hard courts.
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A smiling Zheng soared into history sweeping Croatian Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier to become the first Chinese player to capture an Olympic tennis gold medal earlier this month.
The seventh-seeded Zheng faces a tough US Open first-round test against former French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova in a battle of big hitters set for Monday at 11 a.m. in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“The thought of US Open is just trying to perform as the best as I can every match,” Zheng told the media. “There is not many things I have to say, because when I realize if I just focus match by match, that’s the best I can do. Yeah, I can’t think too far.”
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Australian Open finalist Zheng showed her skill for the down-the-line kill shot and competitive calm roaring through seven of the last eight games shocking Polish world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in the Paris Olympics semifinals.
Playing with poise and power, Zheng made history reaching the gold-medal match in her Olympic debut. The 21-year-old Zheng snapped Swiatek’s 25-match Roland Garros winning streak to do it.
Zheng can play with heavier topspin than some of her Top 10 rivals and is willing to wage long baseline rallies. The challenge for Zheng is adapting her expansive backswings to the US Open quicker hard courts.
Zheng said her Olympic gold medal is a mental safety net: She is focused on sustaining the lofty level she showed in Paris next week in New York.
“I had a lot of ups and downs after Australia, because I say I lost some motivations, I’m different in the practice,” Zheng said. “And after I won Olympic gold medals, the first thing I told to myself is I want to keep the motivation on. I don’t want to let myself slip again.
“I really want to improve one more time in my mental side. It’s mean how to maintain the level when you are become a champion and just to keep winning, winning, winning, instead of getting relaxed and let yourself lose easy match.
“If I’m able to do that, I think I will really break through some wall that I have for myself. I’m just trying to work really hard on my mental side. I wish this time I can perform as well.”
Should Zheng defeat the dangerous Anisimova in her opener, she would be on pace to face Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, whom Zheng defeated 6-4, 6-4 in the Australian Open semifinals, in a US Open third-round clash followed by a possible fourth-round match vs. Vekic in what would be a rematch of the Olympic gold-medal final.