China's rising tennis star Zheng Qinwen faced a dramatic day at the Cincinnati Open, battling both opponents and the elements on Friday. After defeating Poland's Magdalena Frech 6-1, 7-5 in a rain-delayed match, she fell to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-1 later the same day. Talk about a whirlwind 24 hours! 💨
Fresh off her historic gold medal win at the #Paris2024 Olympics 🥇, Zheng entered the tournament fighting a fever that impacted her stamina. Her fierce baseline attacks dominated the first set against Frech, wrapped up in just 32 minutes. But the weather had other plans, suspending play mid-match before her evening showdown.
Fans on social media praised her grit: \"Respect for pushing through illness!\" one tweeted. Despite the loss, Zheng's performance highlights her growing momentum in the sport. Could this be a preview of her US Open potential? 🔜🇺🇸
