"This is my first time defeating her!" Zheng Qinwen defeated Sabalenka and entered the semi-finals of Rome for the first time.

Jimu News reporter Hu Dikai

In the early morning of May 15, in the quarter-finals of the WTA1000 Rome Station, Zheng Qinwen defeated the world's number one Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3. This is Zheng Qinwen's first victory in seven encounters between the two sides, and it is also the first time she has reached the semi-finals of the station in her career and the first time this season to reach the semi-finals of the Tour.

Zheng Qinwen is the No. 8 seed in this tournament, and Sabalenka is the No. 1 seed. Both of them won the previous six encounters. Sabalenka once joked that he was "a mountain standing in front of Zheng Qinwen", and Zheng Qinwen went all out and fearlessly in every showdown with her. This time the second fight was the first time the two met on a clay court.

Judging from the two's status this season, Zheng Qinwen, who came to Rome, has recovered from the injury problems that had previously troubled her. In the first round, Zheng Qinwen won in two straight sets in the next three games. In the 16-to-8 game, he swept the former US Open champion Andreescu 2-0, and entered the quarterfinals in this event for three consecutive years.

Sabalenka, currently ranked first in the women's singles world, is also in a hot state this season. She crossed hard ground and clay and reached the finals in four consecutive events, winning the WTA1000 Miami Championship and WTA1000 Madrid Championship. In Rome, Sabalenka defeated Koschiuk and advanced to the quarterfinals, achieving 9 consecutive victories in the Tour and 15 consecutive victories in the WTA 1000.

After the start of this game, Zheng Qinwen did a good job in serving and completed the service first. In the fifth game, Zheng Qinwen broke Sabalenka first and took the lead 3-2. Zheng Qinwen seized this opportunity and made a full-scale attack, steadily output in the confrontation, and once took a 5-3 lead. In the end, Zheng Qinwen won the first set 6-4.

The second set duel, Zheng Qinwen broke the serve at the beginning and then successfully retained the serve, taking a 2-0 lead, which caused a considerable shock to Sabalenka. Zheng Qinwen, who was hot, kept calm and did not lose a single serve. After scoring one after another, he got the break-off victory point, and finally won another game 6-3, with a total score of 2-0.

Zheng Qinwen took decisive and calm in this game. After winning the victory, he set several records: defeating Sabalenka for the first time in his career, entering the semi-finals of Rome for the first time in his career, and entering the semi-finals of the Tour for the first time this season. At the same time, Zheng Qinwen received 390 points and 240,380 euros in the real-time world ranking eighth. In the interview after the game, Zheng Qinwen said: "It is obviously a surprise game. I entered the quarterfinals in Rome for the third time. I don't know why I played very well in Italy. Thanks to the fans for cheering me on the spot and my team, because this is my first time to reach the semi-finals in the Clay 1000 match, which is a very good experience."

Talking about the feeling of defeating Sabalenka for the first time, for this refreshing and historical victory, Zheng Qinwen said frankly: "I enjoy the game here very much. This is my first time defeating her, and it is also the first time we are fighting on the clay court."

In the next round of semi-finals, Zheng Qinwen will play against the "strong enemy" Gao Fu. Zheng Qinwen lost both of them in the previous two fights. One was at the Rome station in 2024, and Zheng Qinwen stopped at the quarterfinals 0-2; the other was the final of the WTA year-end final last year, and Zheng Qinwen lost 1-2 and won the runner-up. The semi-finals of the two! The competition will be held at 2:30 am on May 16.