Agency :
The fairytale of China’s teen Zheng Qinwen at this year’s French Open came to an end on Monday, as the 19-year-old was knocked out by top seed Iga Swiatek of Poland 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2 in the fourth round.
Swiatek will next play Jessica Pegula, who made it to the French Open quarterfinals for the first time by beating Irina-Camelia Begu 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
The top seed, who celebrates her 21st birthday on Tuesday, won eight games in a row after losing the 82-minute first set, which ended with a breathtaking tiebreak.
Zheng, playing her first clay major, saved five set points in the first set and came from 5-2 down to claw back and earn the chance in the tiebreak.
“I was surprised with some of her shots, her topspin was amazing,” said Swiatek, who extended her winning streak to 32 matches. It was the Pole’s first losing set since April 23, when she played Liudmila Samsonova in the Stuttgart semifinal.
But 74th-ranked Zheng lost her magic after the first set, even requiring a medical timeout at 3-0 down and returning to court with bandages on her leg.
“The first day is always so tough,” Zheng said at the press conference. “In the first set I was able to really get there and to say ‘come on’, but later, the match went on, I just felt too much pain. I couldn’t show my tennis in the second and third.”
Zheng, who had defeated former world No 1 Simona Halep on her way to the fourth round, committed 46 unforced errors during the match, but the Chinese said she was happy to have remained in the tournament until its second week on her debut at the clay Grand Slam.
“I am happy with my performance this week. I have shown my tennis, tried different tactics, and added some new elements to my game. Even the match today with Iga, I think I can really learn something from her,” said Zheng.
On the men’s side, it was not a good day for high-ranked seeded players, as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas were both knocked out in the last eight.
World No 2 Medvedev was thrashed 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 by 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the night session on the central court, while fourth-seeded Tsitsipas, who was last year’s finalist, was shocked by Denmark’s sensational teenager Holger Rune 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Rune takes on Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, while 33-year-old Cilic takes on another Russian player, seventh seed Andrey Rublev.
