Zheng Qinwen made quite a confession to Chinese reporters in Beijing, telling them she “did not take some tournaments seriously” following her Australian Open success and also shared that she criticized her team for not providing her with the information on her WTA Finals qualification scenarios.
At the start of the season, the 21-year-old made her maiden Grand Slam final at Melbourne Park before Aryna Sabalenka ousted her in two sets to repeat as champion in Australia for a second consecutive year. In the months that followed, the Chinese tennis star didn’t do particularly well as she saw several of her campaigns at the WTA 1000 level finish very early.
However, she has since lifted her form, winning a WTA 250 tournament in Palermo – becoming an Olympic champion in Paris – and also reaching the US Open quarterfinal.
Currently, Zheng is ninth on the Race to the WTA Finals list with 3,070 points collected this year. And since Danielle Collins – who is eighth with 3,178 points but injured and skipping Beijing – the Paris Olympic gold medalist is still well-positioned to make the season-ending tournament in Riyadh.
“It’s really funny I made the final of the Australian Open but after that I didn’t take some tournaments seriously and didn’t get enough points….
