NEW YORK — Qinwen Zheng beat Donna Vekic in a rematch of their Olympic final, advancing to the US Open quarterfinals with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 victory early Monday morning in the latest finish of a women’s match in tournament history.
It was 2:15 a.m. when the No. 7-seeded Zheng finished off the match that lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes, a far tougher and longer test than she got from Vekic last month in Paris.
Zheng won China’s first singles gold in tennis with a 6-2, 6-3 victory that day. She wasn’t quite as dominant on the US Open’s hard courts, where Vekic feels much more comfortable than the clay at Roland Garros.
But Zheng is still plenty tough to beat on hard courts, having reached her first Grand Slam final this year at the Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
“I feel really proud of myself because it’s not easy changing surfaces from clay to hard, especially because I went back to China, so I don’t have the same practice like all the other players,” Zheng said. “So, basically, I’m just trying to hold myself, find a way to get the match, even if I’m not feeling at my best.”
She will play again against Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed who also beat Zheng last year in the quarters at Flushing Meadows on her way to the final, on Tuesday.
Zheng said…
