Zheng Qinwen was born in the same province in China as Li Na and grew up idolizing Roger Federer.
Li retired several years ago, and Federer will pull down the curtain after the Laver Cup this weekend. Zheng, meanwhile, is hoping to follow in their footsteps and already has some fans thinking she could become the next big thing in the sport.
The 19-year-old Zheng burnished her already growing reputation by blowing past No. 4 Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open at Ariake Coliseum on Wednesday night. She routed Misaki Doi a night earlier, winning 19 straight points at one juncture during a 6-2, 6-4 win.
"I always know I have the level to be here," Zheng said. "It's just that I have to show up on court and in tournaments. But I think that there are a lot of things I have to improve on."
Zheng has an aggressive game that can heap pressure on her opponents, and her powerful shots were too much for Badosa, the top seed. Once the Chinese star got rolling, after falling behind 3-1 in the first set, Badosa did not — or could not — provide much resistance.
The win was Zheng’s first completed victory over a Top-10 player — her previous triumph came when then-No. 5 Ons Jabeur retired during their match at the Canadian Open last month.
Zheng is having a breakthrough season on the WTA Tour. She entered the Pan Pacific Open with a career-high ranking of 36th after ending 2021 at No. 143, and her popularity is rising as fast as her ranking.
She competed in the main draw at a Grand Slam event for the first time this year and reached at least the third round in three of the four.
She made it to the round of 16 at the French Open and won the first set against No. 1 and eventual champion Iga Swiatek before dropping the next two..
"I hope I can continue like this, always working hard, being humble and hoping everything will come," she said.
Zheng was born in Shiyan, in China's Hubei Province. Her parents encouraged her to play multiple sports growing up, and she eventually settled on tennis. At age 11, according to AFP, she signed with management agency IMG, whose clients include tennis greats Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori. The agency represented Naomi Osaka until the Japanese star left to form her own company in May.
Zheng was 11 when Li won the French Open in 2011 — the first of her two Grand Slam victories. Federer, however, is who really caught her eye and is the player the rising star most idolizes. Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam winner in the men’s game, will retire after the Laver Cup in London.
"I was really sad when he retired because everybody knows he is my idol since I was a little kid," Zheng said. "His game is very classic ... I've tried to copy him since I was little, how he flows on court. He makes tennis a really beautiful and classic sport.
"I just hope Roger can continue to enjoy his life."
Zheng is part of an up-and-coming class of Chinese players inspired by Li’s success.
The new Chinese wave may already be swelling, as Zheng, Wang Xiyu, Yuan Yue and Zhang Shuai all reached the third round of the U.S. Open. It marked the first time four Chinese women went that far at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.
Zhang is also competing in Tokyo and upset 10th-ranked Caroline Garcia on Wednesday.
"The atmosphere was helping everybody in China raise their level higher," Zheng said. "I always believe that with competition you always have to push yourself, because nobody wants to lose.
"It doesn't matter if they play good or bad, I will always do my best on court. I'm happy for them that they (had) such a good result in the U.S. Open and I said congratulations to all of them. As a Chinese, I am very proud of this."
Zheng returns to action in the quarterfinals against American Claire Liu on Friday.
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