Tennis fans, we've got some exciting news from Roland-Garros! 🎾 Eighth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China delivered an impressive performance by defeating qualifier Victoria Mboko of Canada 6-3, 6-4 in straight sets during the third round. With her swift break in the fourth game and a powerful ace to round off the first set, Zheng matched her career-best milestone by reaching the last 16 without dropping a set.
The match was a battle of grit and skill. Both players traded crucial breaks in a nail-biting second set, with Zheng seizing another break in the fifth game to establish her lead. Even when Mboko had two game point opportunities in the 10th game, Zheng held her nerve to clinch the victory.
After the match, Zheng shared, "I was born in China in a really hot place, which is called Wuhan, so I handled the hot weather quite well. Last year, when I played the Olympic Games, it was hotter than this. So actually I like this condition, but I want to say thanks to all the crowd, who suffered here under the sun today with me." Her words not only showcase her focused mindset on the court but also her appreciation for the cheering crowd. 😊
Respecting her opponent's efforts, Zheng added, "I want to say congrats to my opponent, because I feel she played really well, and I think we pushed each other to play our best tennis. And sometimes we had really good points. It was not an easy match." Up next, she will face 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in the next round.
The French Open has been full of action! In other highlights, three-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus cruised past Serbia's Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-3 to secure her spot in the round of 16. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek of Poland continued her title defense with a win over Romania's Jaqueline Cristian, extending her French Open winning streak to 23 matches. Swiatek is set to take on 12th-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan next.
On the doubles side, the women’s event saw China's Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai lose an early lead and exit in the second round after a thrilling comeback by opponents from Norway and Japan. Similarly, the Asian duo of Tang Qianhui and Makoto Ninomiya fell short against the resilient French pair, Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry.
In the mixed doubles draw, China's Jiang Xinyu paired with the USA's Robert Galloway to dispatch the duo of Wu Fang-hsien of Chinese Taipei and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands 7-6, 6-2, advancing to the second round. Stay tuned as the French Open continues to serve up high-energy tennis action!
Reference(s):
Zheng Qinwen advances to French Open round of 16, matching career best
cgtn.com
