Zheng Qinwen makes Italian Open quarterfinals for third straight time

Zheng Qinwen of China advanced to the women's singles quarterfinals at the Italian Open for the third consecutive year after defeating former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada in straight sets 7-5, 6-1 on Monday.

The pair had previously faced off at the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event in Toronto in 2022, where Zheng edged out a three-set victory.

Eighth seed Zheng made a strong start, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Andreescu managed to hold serve, and the two then exchanged breaks in the fifth and sixth games. Zheng double-faulted in the seventh game to hand Andreescu a break.

The Canadian took full advantage, holding and breaking again to move ahead 5-4. Zheng regrouped at a critical moment, breaking back in the tenth game and then surging through three straight games to take the set 7-5.

Despite hitting six double faults in the first set, Zheng stayed composed.

"After going up 3-0, I might have relaxed a bit and lost some focus, playing less aggressively and letting the match slip into her rhythm," Zheng reflected afterward. "But what I'm proudest of today is that even when I made mistakes, I didn't let it affect my mindset. I kept calm and fought for every point."

Carrying that momentum into the second set, Zheng stormed to a 4-0 lead. Although she was broken in the fifth game, she immediately broke back before closing out the set 6-1.

A highlight of the match came when Zheng pulled off a stunning tweener, a between-the-legs shot in the second set.

"In the four years since I joined the tour, this is the second time I've successfully hit a tweener in a match. At that moment, I felt amazing, because when I hit a really great point, I actually enjoyed tennis even more. I don't like making mistakes on court because I'm being timid," Zheng said.

In the quarterfinals, Zheng will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in what will be their first-ever meeting on clay. Zheng referred to Sabalenka an aggressive player, and said she will need to defend well when Sabalenka goes on the attack.

"On clay, I still want to maintain a certain level of consistency while looking for some opportunities to be aggressive," she said.