Gauff ranked the Rome marathon battle against Zheng Qinwen as her second-best match of the season!

The grueling 3-hour 32-minute match, where Gauff lost a 5-3 lead in the deciding set, against China’s leading player Zheng Qinwen in the Rome semifinal, is ranked by the American star as the second most valuable memory of her career.

Currently ranked third in the world, American tennis sensation Gauff recently reflected on her top five most memorable wins of the 2025 season. Naturally, her French Open title tops the list, followed closely by the Rome semifinal victory over China’s top player Zheng Qinwen after a 3-hour 32-minute battle. Additionally, her double bagel win over former Australian Open champion Kenin at Miami, a comeback against Keys in the French Open quarterfinals, and a win over Swiatek at the United Cup also made her season’s top five matches.

Gauff’s 2025 season French Open singles title owes much to her Rome semifinal win over China’s top player Zheng Qinwen. Gauff admitted that this match not only set a career record for duration—both players battled for 3 hours and 32 minutes—but also made her feel her physical limits and confidence for the first time. It gave her immense determination and self-belief heading into Paris, ultimately achieving her second Grand Slam title in her career.

In that match, Gauff narrowly triumphed 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4), but the contest was full of twists. Zheng Qinwen led 5-3 in the final set and had a chance to serve for the match, yet Gauff fought back fiercely to force a tiebreak and eventually win. Across the entire match, both players combined for 156 unforced errors. Gauff hit 27 winners but also committed 82 unforced errors and 16 double faults.

Following that match, Gauff extended her remarkable winning streak against Chinese players to 11 consecutive victories. Since her loss to Wang Qiang at the 2022 Australian Open, the American had not lost to any Chinese player until her defeat by Wang Xinyu at the Berlin tournament, which ended this streak.

Tennis experts highly praised this match. Former British player Mark Page even compared Gauff to Michael Jordan: “Every sport’s golden era features an iconic figure, and now you have Gauff!”

Technical analysis shows that Gauff primarily plays a defensive counterpunching style. Her return points won and break point conversion rates rank among the best in women’s tennis, which is one reason she has been able to come back and win many matches.

Regarding Zheng Qinwen, experts believe she already has the strength to compete with top players but still needs to improve her performance on crucial points and serve consistency. If she can enhance these aspects, she may rewrite her current losing record against Gauff in the future.

As for other matches, Gauff considered her straight-sets victory over world No. 1 Swiatek in the January United Cup final particularly meaningful, with a score of 6-4, 6-4. She said, “This win was very significant. I didn’t want to let my team down, and in terms of performance, this might be one of my best matches of the season.”

Additionally, at the Miami tournament against Kenin, Gauff swept her opponent with a double bagel in just 47 minutes. This was the first time in her career she achieved a “double bagel” scoreline. Throughout the match, her first serve win rate reached 84%, and she dominated the total points 49-18.

In the French Open quarterfinals against Keys, Gauff demonstrated strong mental resilience by coming back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-1. She admitted, “In the past, I might have let my opponent control the match, but this time I didn’t.”

There are no permanent losers on the tennis court. For China’s top player, pushing a top-level player like Gauff to her limits proves her strength. If she can maintain this form, winning a Grand Slam remains a real possibility.

As fans say: “A near miss today will fuel the next big breakthrough.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)