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SCMP Sport

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen secured an upset over No 6 seed Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain in straight sets at the Athens Open on Monday.
Currently ranked No 135 in the world, a free fall of 131 places from her career-high world No 4 spot last June, Zheng dispatched the 23-year-old in the first round, but it was not smooth sailing.
In her first hard court appearance of the season, Paris Olympic champion Zheng almost lost a 3-0 lead in the opening set, allowing the world No 62 Bouzas Maneiro to level the match at 5-5.
From there, Zheng won seven games on the bounce, taking the first set and building a healthy lead in the second.
Bouzas Maneiro held serve for the first time in the second set before pushing Zheng hard in the seventh game.
The Spaniard managed four break points but Zheng fended them all off, and then sealed the match with her fourth match point, winning 7-5, 6-1 in one hour and 49 minutes.

“It’s my first trip to Greece, and Athens. This is an incredible city, with a lot of history,” she said after the match. “The Olympic Games here was awesome, although when Athens hosted its first Olympics, I wasn’t born yet.
“I’m delighted to be in this historic city. I want to thank all the fans who came to watch the game; I really enjoyed playing here.”
Next up for the unseeded Zheng is a second-round tie against Australian youngster Elena Micic.
The 22-year-old is ranked No 302 in the world and taking part in the main draw for the first time on the women’s professional tour. She has never won a World Tennis, formerly known as ITF, title.
The 23-year-old Hubei native is the favourite, but there remains a long way to go for Zheng, who needs to win the tournament in Greece if she wants to reach the main draw of the coming US Open.
Zheng is a former Australian Open finalist.
Chinese social media users approved of her latest win in her 11th tournament this season.
“She showed her resilience in the second set, fending off so many break points. She also held on and won those break points, that’s the way to go,” one commenter said.
“Steady yourself, rise gradually and don’t stop here,” read a comment.
While most fans left positive and encouraging comments, there were some who disagreed with her choice of tournaments during the season.
“She’s still competitive on hard courts and clay courts,” another commenter said. “But if she hadn’t been so fixated on only taking part in WTA 1000 tournaments and had instead participated in some 500 and 250 events, she wouldn’t be in such a position now.”
With the win, Zheng’s live ranking on the tour moved up to No 127.
The final of the Athens Open will be held on Sunday, with the US Open main draw cut-off date set for Monday.


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WTA (Women's Tennis Association)

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen pulls off first-round upset at Athens Open

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Sport

China

Tennis

The 23-year-old Hubei native needs to win the tournament in Greece to keep alive her hopes of making the main draw of the US Open


The 23-year-old Hubei native needs to win the tournament in Greece to keep alive her hopes of making the main draw of the US Open.


Zheng Qinwen

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen pulls off first-round upset at Athens Open

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The 23-year-old Hubei native needs to win the tournament in Greece to keep alive her hopes of making the main draw of the US Open

The 23-year-old Hubei native needs to win the tournament in Greece to keep alive her hopes of making the main draw of the US Open