Zheng Qinwen couldn’t find a way to get past Aryna Sabalenka in Sunday’s Wuhan final, but the rising Chinese finally took a set off of her rival, and feels good about the improvements she made after losing to the Belarusian in straight sets in their first three meetings.
“I thought the match today was better than last time,” she said, referring to her loss to Sabalenka in this year’s US Open quarterfinal (won by Sabalenka, 6-1, 6-2). “I see there are places I need to improve.”
In the end Zheng, her own best critic, gave herself a “five or six out of ten” for Sunday’s performance.
Though she said she has been feeling under the weather for the last two weeks, Zheng still showed tremendous fight as she pushed Sabalenka to a decider on Sunday. She believes that she is making inroads against the three-time major champion.
“I think watching the match, it became more clear today,” the World No.7 said. “At critical points in this match, I need to increase my speed. I was a little bit conservative. The shaking of my racquet when I became conservative made more unforced errors. She forced me to see some of the weaknesses in my tactics. I really look forward to training. I look forward to the next match against her.”
Sabalenka has taken notes of the strides that Zheng is making as well.
“She definitely improved,” she told reporters, referring to Zheng’s form in 2023. “There is more consistency in her game. Probably playing a little bit more aggressive. I think she improved her backhand a little bit. There are definitely improvements. She’s moving well, serving well. I see the improvements.
“I’m really glad that still with these improvements I’m able to get these wins against her.”
22-year-old Zheng, coached by Pere Riba, says she is looking forward to closing the gap in the months and years to come.
“After this loss, I’m feeling excited because I am doing better each time,” she said. “There’s more room for improvement. I hope that I can close the gap and also can overcome this challenge.”