China News Service, Beijing, January 25th. On the evening of January 25th, Beijing time, the 2024 Australian Open ended in the women's singles semifinals in Melbourne. The 21-year-old Chinese player Zheng Qinwen continued his breakthrough journey, defeating the biggest "dark horse" in this Australian Open women's singles competition, Ukrainian player Yastremska, with two 6:4 wins, and broke through for the first time in his career. Entered the Grand Slam women's singles final.
In the first set, Zheng Qinwen was the first to suffer a break and fell behind 0:2. In the third game, Zheng Qinwen seized the opportunity of his opponent's four double faults to break back, and broke again in the seventh game to win 6:4.
In the second set, Zheng Qinwen pursued the victory and performed well on both offense and defense. He won the next set 6:4, and his immediate ranking rose to seventh in the world.
Zheng Qinwen will face the previous champion, Belarusian star Sabalenka in the final. The two met once before in the quarter-finals of the US Open in 2023. At that time, Zheng Qinwen lost to Sabalenka and stopped in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
In a previous interview, Zheng Qinwen said that he had watched Chinese tennis star Li Na win the Australian Open more than ten times. "She (Li Na) is amazing. She is the first Asian to win a Grand Slam championship. How could I not remember that?"
Today coincides with the 10th anniversary of Li Na’s Australian Open victory. Ten years ago today, Zheng Qinwen, who was only 11 years old, witnessed the moment when Li Na won the Daphne Cup in front of the TV. Ten years later at Rod Laver Arena, Zheng Qinwen became the second Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final after Li Na, continuing the legend of China's "Golden Flower".
In the men's doubles semi-finals held on the same day, Zhang Zhizhen and his partner Czech player Makhach missed the chance to reverse the tournament's No. 2 seeds Bopanna/Eboden with 3:6, 6:3, 6:7(7), and unfortunately stopped in the men's doubles semi-finals. . However, Zhang Zhizhen has already made history for Chinese men's tennis in Melbourne. After reaching the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam men's doubles for the first time in his career, he became the first mainland Chinese player to advance to the semifinals of the Grand Slam men's doubles. (over)