Zheng Qinwen unlocked his first victory against Sabalenka and is expected to win his first WTA1000 singles title

In the early morning of May 15, Beijing time, Zheng Qinwen, the world's No. 8 Chinese sister, defeated the world No. 1 Sabalenka 2-0 (6-4, 6-3) in a key match in the women's singles quarterfinals of the WTA1000-level 2025 Italian Open (Rome), ending a six-game losing streak against her opponent. At the same time, Zheng Qinwen reached the semifinals of the WTA1000 tournament for the third time in his career and the semifinals of the tournament for the first time this season.

Zheng Qinwen who was happy after defeating Sabalenka

Zheng Qinwen, who won the gold medal in the women's tennis singles competition at the Paris Olympics last year, had previously lost all six matches against Sabalenka and won for the first time on the day. The victory was not only Zheng's first career victory over Sabalenka, but also the second time in her career that she defeated the world No. 1 (the last time was in the semi-finals of Paris 2024). She also became the first player in Chinese tennis history to win two world No. 1 matches on clay.

Ranked 3rd in the worldAmerican NovaCoco GauffIn a previous quarter-final, she defeated the Russian genius Andreeva, ranked No. 3 in the world, 2-0, and her form was also hot. Gauff and AndreevaThe head-to-head record is 4 wins.

The 2025 Italian Open (Rome) Women's Singles semi-finals will be Zheng Qinwen vs. Gauff, and Italy's Paulini, ranked No. 5 in the world, vs. Stearns of the United States, ranked No. 42. The official website of the Olympic Games believes that with Gauff'sThe semi-finals will be a battle of speed and power, and if Zheng can continue his current performances, he could keep his hopes of challenging for his first singles title at WTA1000 level.