Qinwen Zheng failed to dent Aryna Sabalenka her third consecutive Wuhan Open title in Sunday’s final.
An overwhelmingly positive Asian swing for Qinwen Zheng has seen her reach back-to-back WTA 1000 semi-finals.
In Wuhan, the Olympic champion gave herself a shot for the title as she came up against top seed Aryna Sabalenka for the third time this year.
Having met in the Australian Open final in January, where Zheng was comprehensively beaten, a US Open quarter-final saw the Chinese star pick up just three games.
Having made a far better go of things on Sunday, Zheng clinched the second set 7-5 after losing the first 6-3, to send it to a decider – an attitude change Zheng anticipated she’d make.
Sabalenka however held her nerve and managed to close out proceedings to win her third consecutive title in Wuhan, despite the event being off the WTA calendar for five years.
Qinwen Zheng issues concerning health update after Wuhan Open final defeat
The 22-year-old said ahead of the final that she had been struggling with illness throughout the week.
Despite this, Zheng battled incredibly hard and achieved by far her best result against the Belarusian, managing to push her to a final set – Sabalenka even admitted she found Zheng frustrating throughout.
With WTA Finals qualification on her mind, Zheng is scheduled to play at the Ningbo Open – with Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro pulling out, she is now the highest ranked player in the draw.
She said, as reported by Sportskeeda: “I have to talk to my team. Up till now, I am not physically 100%. Within two weeks I have had a fever two times, so I’m feeling a little bit weak in my health. I will need to be really cautious talking to my team.
“Competing in Ningbo is important, but my health is also important. I need to find the balance between the two,” Zheng explained, with her currently battling for the last WTA finals spot.
“I took some pills to reduce my fever before this match,” she revealed. “I was feeling worse yesterday. Now I’m feeling better compared to yesterday.”
Qinwen Zheng is the second most in-form player on the WTA right now
Zheng has very quickly emerged as one of the sharpest players on the WTA Tour, currently second only to Sabalenka in form.
Her powerful baseline game and athleticism have propelled her to deep runs in consecutive tournaments on multiple different surfaces.
Zheng’s recent performances showcase her ability to compete with the very best, consistently delivering impressive victories over top-ranked players.
With such a growth in both confidence and consistency, she could soon become a regular contender for Grand Slam titles.
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