Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images
Zheng Qinwen wants to follow in the footsteps of her favorite tennis player, Li Na.
CNN
—
China’s Zheng Qinwen will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot and idol Li Na, who won the Australian Open 10 years ago, when she faces Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final.
Chung, the 12th seed, is well on his way to the final, where he has yet to face a player in the world’s top 50.
Nevertheless, the young Chinese star played quality tennis throughout the tournament in Melbourne, and in the semi-finals she defeated the dangerous Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska, who had already caused three major upsets in this tournament. He left the field with confidence.
Zheng, who is breaking into the world top 10 for the first time, becomes the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final since Li lifted the trophy 10 years ago, and the two-time Grand Slam champion gave him advice before the semi-finals. revealed.
“she says [told] Me: “Don’t think too much. Just do it.” I think that’s enough,” Chung laughed.
Li’s Australian Open victory was an inspiration to Chinese children of his generation, the 21-year-old Zheng told reporters, adding that Li “meant a lot” to his generation and “brought a lot of hope.” “I’m giving,” he added.
Questions about Mr. Li dominated the press conference, with one journalist apologizing for the assembled media’s “slight obsession” with Chinese symbols before asking another question.
“No worries,” Chung replied with a big smile. “We love her.
“Of course it’s special, it’s my first real time. Li Na won here too. So there’s nothing more special than here at the Australian Open.
“There are a lot of Chinese spectators cheering me on at the stadium. It feels like I’m playing in China. It’s amazing.”
But standing in her way is defending champion Sabalenka, who often looks invincible in the form she showed in Melbourne.
Sabalenka, one of the most ferocious hitters in the sport, won the draw without dropping a set.
Eloisa Lopez/Reuters
Sabalenka looked unstoppable at times in Melbourne.
The Belarusian has put in her best performances so far at the Australian Open, especially with a dominant double bagel over Lesia Tsurenko in the third round and a hard-fought victory over Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
Defeating Gauff was an important victory for Sabalenka, who lost to the American from a set-up in the US Open final at the end of 2023.
“Of course I’m very happy to be in another Grand Slam final. I hope I can do a little bit better than last time,” she joked.
Sabalenka acknowledged that she was “a little bit passive” in the US Open final, which she lost to Gauff, and said she has worked on being more aggressive during the offseason.
Whether she’s joking in training or laughing out loud on the court, Sabalenka doesn’t seem to be feeling the weight of expectations that come with being the defending champion.
She said she was not “ignoring the pressure” and had changed her perspective in trying to retain the title.
“I think I’m pretty calm on the inside as I am on the outside,” she said. “Like I said before, yes, I’m the defending champion, but worst case scenario…I lose this tournament and I have fewer points to defend next year. That’s it.
“It kind of helps you just stay focused and just do your best in each game without thinking about defending anything.”