Zheng Qinwen of China showcased her resilience at the U.S. Open on Monday, mounting a thrilling comeback to defeat the United States’ Amanda Anisimova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round of the women’s singles competition.
The match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center started unfavorably for the seventh seed Zheng, who found herself trailing 1-5 in the first set. Despite a spirited effort to close the gap to 4-5, Anisimova held her nerve to secure the set, putting Zheng on the back foot.
Undeterred, Zheng recalibrated her game in the second set. She displayed improved form and confidence, firing four aces in the fourth game to level the score at 2-2. Capitalizing on this momentum, she broke Anisimova’s serve and took the set 6-4, leveling the match.
The decisive third set saw Zheng dominate early, racing to a 3-0 lead. Although Anisimova attempted a comeback by breaking Zheng’s serve and saving a break point while trailing 2-4, Zheng’s relentless play proved too strong. She closed out the set 6-2, sealing her victory.
“She was hitting the ball really well today; everything was going to the sides and in at the beginning. I couldn’t do anything,” Zheng reflected after the match. “As the match progressed, I started to find my rhythm on the hard court. In the second set, I really believed in my shots. I became more consistent and improved my serve percentage. Little by little, I got into it. I want to say a really good job from Amanda.”
Zheng will face Russia’s Erika Andreeva in the second round. Andreeva advanced by defeating Zheng’s compatriot Yuan Yue 6-3, 7-6(7).
In other matches, China’s Wang Yafan advanced to the second round following the retirement of Greece’s ninth seed Maria Sakkari. Wang took the first set 6-2 before Sakkari called for a medical timeout. The Greek player, who had skipped the Cincinnati Open due to a shoulder injury, eventually retired from the match.
Wang Yafan is set to play France’s Diane Parry in the next round, after Parry eliminated China’s Wang Xiyu 7-6(2), 7-6(5).
Reference(s):
Zheng Qinwen begins U.S. Open journey with comeback win over Anisimova
cgtn.com
