World No.24 Zheng Qinwen defeated Barbora Krejcikova 2-6 6-2 6-4 in the final of the Bank of Communications Zhengzhou Open, making this the first year in Tour history that Chinese players have won four titles.
Even before Zheng’s Zhengzhou Open title, the 2023 season had become the first to have three WTA title winners from China, while now women’s tennis players from the Asian country have won four WTA titles in a single year for the first time ever – Zhu Lin (Hua Hin), Wang Xiyu (Guangzhou), and Zheng Qinwen (Palermo, Zhengzhou).
Hitting all the right notes this week ????
Qinwen Zheng | #ZhengzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/3Mx0mhbgV9
— wta (@WTA) October 15, 2023
Facing Krejcikova for the first time, Zheng broke the Czech’s serve in the opening game of all three sets. In the first set, the seventh-seeded Krejcikova staged a successful comeback, while Zheng dominated the second without facing a break point. The players exchanged breaks twice in the deciding set, leveling the score at 4-4. Last season’s WTA Newcomer of the Year then went a break up for the third time in the final set and sealed the victory with a love hold.
This summer, the 21-year-old Zheng hit two significant milestones in her young career — a maiden title in Palermo and a first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. Now she’s become the third Chinese woman to win a singles title at the WTA 500 level or higher, along with Li Na and Zheng Saisai.
