In a thrilling turn of events at the Miami Open, 9th-seeded Zheng Qinwen has successfully stormed into the quarterfinals. The Chinese tennis sensation delivered a resounding victory over America’s rising star, Ashlyn Krueger, with an impressive scoreline of 6-2, 7-6 (3).
Zheng’s journey to this stage of the tournament has been nothing short of extraordinary. The world’s 40th-ranked player made waves as she defeated Elena Rybakina and Leylah Fernandez with an air of nonchalant ease. Aware of the challenging fixture against Krueger, Zheng’s spectacular run at the Indian Wells and her straight-set victories in her first three Miami matches bolstered her confidence.
The 22-year-old Zheng kicked off the match with a dominant seven-game streak, leading her to a 6-2, 3-0 advantage over Krueger. The unseeded American, however, demonstrated a commendable fighting spirit, battling back into the second set and pushing it into a tie-break. Despite the mounting pressure, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist held her nerve to clinch three successive points from a 3-3 deadlock in the tie-break, sealing a triumphant finish.
Zheng’s serving prowess was on full display as she blasted five aces and registered a phenomenal 81 percent win-rate on her first serve, further solidifying her place among the global tennis elites.
As the Miami Open heads into its critical stages, Zheng is now set to face her arch-nemesis, Aryna Sabalenka. The top-seeded player from Belarus, who recently triumphed over Danielle Collins with a score of 6-4, 6-4, holds a daunting 5-0 advantage in their head-to-head encounters, with four of those victories clinched in just two sets.
In their most notable clash, Sabalenka reigned supreme over Zheng in the 2024 Australian Open final. Zheng has since been vocal about her desire to overcome this ‘nightmare rival’, expressing her eagerness to decipher a winning strategy against the current world number one.
With the stage set for a high-voltage encounter, all eyes are now on the Miami Open. Will this be the tournament where Zheng finally breaks her losing streak against Sabalenka? Only time will tell. As the tennis world holds its breath, one thing is certain: Zheng Qinwen is a force to be reckoned with.