Zheng Qinwen had an amazing night at the Australian Open on Wednesday. In addition to reaching her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal, she determined that on Monday she would be ranked in the top 10 on the Hologic WTA Tour for the first time.
Zheng defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1 in the Australian Open quarterfinals to become the first Chinese player to reach a major semifinal since Li Na.
Zheng became speechless when she was told the Rod Laver crowd was watching her match from the seats when she spoke on the court following the match. Then Jelena Dokic told Zheng that she was going to debut in the Top 10. It turns out Zheng, who is 21 years old, had no idea at all.
She expressed her excitement and said: “Thanks for letting me know that. Nobody tells me anything. That’s good news for me. Another motivation, and especially because I said last year at the Australian Open I want to be in the top 10, and one year later I am here.”
Zheng d. Anna Kalinskaya 6-7 6-3 6-1
Qinwen is the 1st Chinese woman to reach AO SF since Li Na won it in 2014
China has waited for 10 years
On the 10 year anniversary of Li Na’s victory, their wait could come to an end
✅1st Slam SF
Queenwen is ready for her crown 👑
🇨🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/raWW3iWhfD
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 24, 2024
Zheng at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently ranked no.15, Qinwen has achieved a composed 7-1 match record in 2024. The Chinese is now playing at the Australian Open where she overcame the world no.76 Ashlyn Krueger 3-6 6-2 6-3, the world no.54 Katie Boulter 6-3 6-3, the world no.94 Yafan Wang 6-4 2-6 7-68, the world no.95 Oceane Dodin 6-0 6-3 and the world no.75 Anna Kalinskaya 6-74 6-3 6-1.
Qinwen Zheng will square off with the world no.93 Dayana Yastremska in the semifinal on Thursday at 9:30 pm on Rod Laver Arena. In the past, they have never played each other up to now in top competitions.
