Zheng Qinwen grass field off to a good start or Kessler continues his dark horse journey?

Tonight, the WTA 500 Queen's Cup will see a head-to-head showdown as top seed Zheng Qinwen meets rising American star Kessler for the first time in the quarter-finals. This is Zheng's first match of the 2025 grass court season, and it is also a key opportunity for her to prove her grass court strength; For Kessler, who has just won his first career grass-court match, challenging the world's top 10 is undoubtedly a good opportunity to make a breakthrough.

The 25-year-old Kessler is currently ranked 42nd in the world, the highest ranking of her career. The American has already won the WTA 250 Hobart and the runner-up at the WTA 250 Austin this season, and has a stunning 18-14 record in Dubai, WTA1000 Dubai. However, grass was her worst pitch – she had a career record of just 0-2 before beating wildcard Jones in the first round of the Queen's Cup for her first win on the tour.

Despite her mediocre grass court performances, Kessler's attacking style of play is still a threat: she has a strong serve, an ace in the upper middle of the WTA this season, and a solid baseline attack, but her movement and defensive consistency are shortcomings. If she can quickly adapt to the rhythm of the grass, she may cause problems for Zheng Qinwen.

As the top seed in the tournament, Zheng Qinwen has been very average on grass before, with a career grass court record of 3 wins and 8 losses. However, the first Chinese sister is looking forward to the grass court season this year, she said frankly before the game: "The grass court results in the past two years have not been satisfactory, but this year I am very healthy, I have come to adapt to the venue in advance, I believe it will be different." "In 2023, she lacks run-in due to the team's just adjustment; In 2024, Wimbledon suffered another injury. Now, heading into the Queen's Cup with a full squad, a healthy body and plenty of preparation, Zheng Qinwen's goal is clearly to prove that he can "play lawn tennis well".

On a technical level, Zheng's forehand power and service advantage are more lethal on grass, but he needs to reduce unforced errors. In the face of Kessler's serve, the quality of the return and the consistency of the baseline will be the key to victory. As a higher-ranked player, she needs to get into the rhythm of grass court as quickly as possible, mobilizing Kessler with variable drops and spins to put pressure on his moving shortcomings. whereasIf Kessler can continue his first-round serve and maintain aggressiveness in the matchup, the match could be deadlocked. In short, if Zheng Qinwen plays normally, he is expected to win in two sets; But if Kessler breaks out at a super level, the match may be dragged into the deciding set, and the American girl is very calm about this: "Zheng Qinwen is a great opponent, she is a top 10 in the world, and I have nothing to lose against her." I just hope that I can play my own strength and level and fight for her. ”

Can Zheng Qinwen get off to a good start on grass this season? Will Kessler continue his dark horse journey? The answer will be given tonight.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Mei)