Rising star sets up all-Chinese semifinal with defeat of French Open champion. 

Zhuhai; Friday, October 27, 2023

A superb performance from Qinwen Zheng in the 2023 Huafa Technology WTA Elite Trophy tournament in Zhuhai on Friday has created a historic breakthrough for Chinese tennis.

For the first time in the history of a prestigious event featuring several of the world’s leading women, two Chinese players have progressed from the round-robin stages to the semifinals.

Zheng, 21, capped an intriguing day at the Hengqin International Tennis Center when defeating former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4 1-6 6-2 in a stirring display.

The No.7 seed had previously defeated Donna Vekic on the second night of the US$2.6 million tournament and progressed unbeaten from the Orchid Group in Zhuhai.

Joining Zheng and fellow semifinalists Daria Kasatkina and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final four is Chinese wildcard Lin Zhu, who endured an anxious wait on Friday.

Haddad Maia and Kasatkina will clash in the first semifinal, while Zheng and Zhu will feature in an all-Chinese semifinal on Saturday night.

They are seeking to join past champions including world No.1s Venus Williams, Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka on the honor roll.

Zhu can thank the fighting spirit shown by Veronika Kudermetova, who finished her singles season in style with a fine triumph over Samsonova earlier in the day in Zhuhai, for her spot. 

Her hopes of progressing to the semifinals from the Rose Group looked forlorn when Samsonova held two match points while serving at 5-2 in the deciding set on Friday.

But Kudermetova, who had previously surrendered a strong position when leading 6-4 3-0, staged a remarkable rally to win 6-4 3-6 7-5.

The 26-year-old, who will partner Haddad Maia in Sunday’s doubles final, won 19 of the last 23 points in a match of wildly swinging momentum.

While each player in the Rose group clinched a singles victory, Zhu progressed by virtue of defeating Kudermetova in straight sets while also claiming a set against Samsonova.

Should either Zheng, the Chinese No.1, or Zhu manage to clinch the Huafa Technology WTA Elite Trophy championship this weekend, it will be a landmark moment for their nation.

Qiang Wang, who was beaten by Barty in the 2018 final, and 2019 semifinalist Saisai Zheng are the only previous Chinese players to progress from the round-robin phase. 

Haddad Maia, meanwhile, is in for a busy weekend at the Hengqin International Tennis Center with her hopes of success still alive in both the singles and doubles events.

The Brazilian started brilliantly in her round-robin match against Caroline Garcia, the 2022 WTA Finals champion, winning the first 14 points and the opening five games of the match.

The second set of the Azalea Group clash was far tighter but Haddad Maia, a Roland Garros semifinalist in June, performed well in the tiebreaker to post a stylish 6-1 7-6 (4) triumph.

The top seeded pairing Haddad Maia and Kudermetova swept the Lily Group in the doubles event to qualify for Sunday’s final.

They will play the winner of Saturday’s clash between Chinese combination Wang Xiyu and Yifan Zu and the pairing of Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi, who are seeded second.

Haddad Maia said the busy schedule was working for her, with her singles form benefiting from her outings in doubles throughout what has been an outstanding season.

“I am excited. The doubles is always helping me for singles, for sure,” she said.

“It has been very special to play doubles during the season and I feel very grateful to share the court with Veronika. She is a very nice girl and her team is also working very hard.

“I still need to rest and take care of my body … but for sure, I will try to keep the intensity that I am bringing from my past matches.”