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SCMP Sport

Zheng Qinwen could face a tough draw at the French Open this weekend, after crashing out of the top 50 for the first time in almost four years.
A drop of 21 spots in the latest rankings, which were released on Monday, has sent Zheng to 53rd in the world, meaning she will be unseeded for the year’s second grand slam.
The Olympic gold medallist, who won at Roland Garros during the 2024 Games in Paris, could now face the likes of 2025 runner-up Aryna Sabalenka or four-time winner Iga Swiatek in the first or second round.
Still not fully recovered from an elbow injury sustained last year, Zheng was sent into her rankings free fall by her loss to former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the third round of the Italian Open last week.
The Hubei native, who reached the semi-finals in Rome last year and pocketed 390 ranking points, lost 325 of those with the early exit and slipped from her pre-tournament position of No 32, which would have kept her just inside the seeded bracket.

A quarter-finalist in Paris last year, Zheng has reportedly avoided playing in any tournaments in the week leading up to the French Open and was training behind closed doors in Paris instead.
Zheng could fall even further if she does not have a good grand slam, but even with only seven wins in 12 outings this year, most of her fans on social media remain right behind her.
“Just enjoy tennis and do your best. Zheng holds herself to even higher standards than the fans do, so what right do we have to criticise her?” said one commentator.
“It depends on luck; it’s hard to say whether she’ll draw a top seed in the first round,” read another comment.
One Weibo commentator urged Zheng to give it a push in Paris, or else she might “fall outside the top 100”, to which another replied: “So what if she does? It takes only one or two tournaments to come back; that’s how she fought her way up before.”
Zheng’s loss, however, was compatriot Wang Xinyu’s gain, with the 24-year-old from Guangdong allocated the last seeded place after she climbed into the top 32.
Wang, who partnered Zheng Zhizhen to claim silver in the mixed doubles at the Paris Games, is now the highest-ranked Chinese player on the WTA Tour. The draw for the French Open main draw will be made on Thursday.
Separately, Hong Kong star Coleman Wong Chak-lam made hard work of getting into the second round of qualifiers at the French Open when he beat Billy Harris of Great Britain 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 in a hard-fought encounter.
Qualifier No 4 seed Wong was in control on Court 5 when he took the first set 6-2, only for Harris to level up 6-4 in the second set.
Wong was again in the driving seat in the deciding set, holding a 4-2 advantage, but world No 149 Harris, who is ranked 36 places below, won four of the next six games to push the match into a 10-point tiebreak.
With five match points in hand, the 21-year-old Wong squandered the first three before finally getting past the 31-year-old from Nottingham 10-7.
Coleman will next face Zdeněk Kolář of the Czechia.


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WTA (Women's Tennis Association)

China’s Zheng Qinwen faces tough French Open draw; Coleman Wong into next qualifying round

Zheng Qinwen’s third round defeat in Rome dropped her outside the world top 50. Photo: Xinhua

Hsieh Su-wei (left) shares a joke with doubles partner Wang Xinyu during the Italian Open. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

China

Tennis

Zheng unseeded after dropping out of top 50 and could get Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek early; Wang Xinyu now China’s top-ranked player


Zheng unseeded after dropping out of top 50 and could get Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek early; Wang Xinyu now China’s top-ranked player.


China’s Zheng Qinwen faces tough French Open draw; Coleman Wong into next qualifying round

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Zheng unseeded after dropping out of top 50 and could get Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek early; Wang Xinyu now China’s top-ranked player

Zheng unseeded after dropping out of top 50 and could get Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek early; Wang Xinyu now China’s top-ranked player