MELBOURNE – Maybe it was a sign after all that Zheng Qinwen finally met her idol Li Na at this Australian Open.
On Jan 24, the Chinese player nicknamed “Queen Wen” by her fans shook off a sluggish start to outclass Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-1 and reach the Melbourne Park semi-finals for the first time.
The 12th seed – whose previous best performance in a Grand Slam was the quarter-finals at last season’s US Open – will next take on Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska for a place in the final on Jan 27.
Significantly, Zheng became the first Chinese to make it to the Australian Open semi-finals in a decade.
The last player who did it? It was Li, who went on to win the 2014 edition for her second Grand Slam title, following her 2011 French Open win.
The stars are probably aligned and it helped that Kalinskaya appeared nervous in her first Grand Slam quarter-final.
She gifted the opening break of the match with a double fault but Zheng returned the favour immediately and the duo were locked until the tiebreak after more shaky displays on serve.
The Chinese came under pressure when she hit a forehand wide to hand Kalinskaya two opportunities to take the opening set and the Russian calmly finished it with a backhand winner.
“She played really good today, especially good with baseline strokes,” said the 21-year-old Zheng.
“In the first set, we had a big good competition, the match was very tough for me. I just told myself, ‘stay focused, don’t think about the first set’.
“I’m so happy right now, really excited.”
She then broke her 25-year-old opponent for a 5-3 lead in the next set before levelling the contest at one set apiece, playing top-quality tennis. Zheng pounced again without losing a point in the third game of the decider.
Kalinskaya needed a medical timeout for a right leg problem after going a double break down but threatened a late fightback at deuce while down 4-1, but Zheng maintained focus to pull away further and secure the victory.
“It’s the first time (in the semi-finals) for me,” Zheng added. “I’m really happy to be in the semis, especially with such a good performance like this.”
Victory also meant the WTA’s most improved player of 2023 will break into the top 10 after the year’s first Grand Slam.
“That’s good news for me, another motivation for me,” she said. “Last year at the Australian Open I said I wanted to be top 10 and now I am.”
If she does make it all the way in Melbourne and win the trophy, she would probably have to thank her compatriot Li.
The 41-year-old is back in Melbourne and met Zheng after her third-round match last week – the first time they have spoken in person.
“Obviously, second time (in a Grand Slam last eight) I have more experience, I’m just trying to tell myself to focus on the moment,” Zheng said then, before her match against Kalinskaya.
“Li Na gave me advice to ‘just play, don’t think too much’.”
Next up for her will be a clash with Ukraine’s Yastremska, who said her mission was to show pride in her war-torn home after becoming just the second women’s qualifier in the Open Era – after Australia’s Christine Matison in 1978 – to reach the last four in Melbourne.
The world No. 93 broke three times to beat unseeded Czech Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-4 in 78 minutes.
The 23-year-old wrote a message of support for Ukrainian fighters involved in the war against Russia on a TV camera lens after her win.
“I’m very proud of them,” she said. “They really deserve huge respect. I always try to write something for Ukraine, about Ukraine.
“I think it’s my mission here. If I do well, I can get... (it’s) tough to express (in words). But I’m just trying to give the signal to Ukraine that I’m really proud of it.”
REUTERS, AFP
