China's Zheng Qinwen carved her name into tennis history on Friday, securing her first career grass-court semifinal berth at the WTA 500 Queen's Club Championships. The 22-year-old Olympic champion defeated Britain's Emma Raducanu 6-2, 6-4 in a match marked by strategic timeouts and relentless precision.
Zheng, the tournament's top seed, overcame early second-set challenges after her grueling three-set victory over American McCartney Kessler on Thursday. A pivotal shoe change during the first set's sixth game shifted momentum, allowing her to break Raducanu's serve decisively.
The rising star now faces Amanda Anisimova in Saturday's semifinal, while Australian Open champion Madison Keys meets German qualifier Tatjana Maria in the other bracket.
In doubles action, China's Zhang Shuai and Australian partner Ellen Perez suffered a heartbreaking exit despite forcing a ten-point tiebreaker against Anna Danilina and Diana Shnaider. The third seeds led 5-2 in the decider before falling 11-9, ending their quest for the final.
Zheng's breakthrough performance signals growing Chinese dominance in global tennis, while Zhang's narrow loss highlights the competitive intensity of professional doubles play.
