- Although the result appears otherwise, the match was not one-sided at all. Qinwen Zheng played well, but Iga Świątek rose to the cosmic level
- Maintaining the high quality of the site was crucial. In the second group, the Chinese faced major problems in this, unlike the preferred group
- The ranking leader saved three break points and did not lose her serve throughout the match. Now he can focus on Friday's semifinal
- Svetek's opponent will be determined by the US-Russian clash. The next match will be held on Friday at 4 p.m
- More information can be found at Przegląd Sportowy Onet
Fans in Dubai were eagerly awaiting four very exciting quarter-final matches. Their hopes were dashed by the decision of Yelena Rybakina, who unexpectedly withdrew from the competition at the quarter-final level. This means that Iga Świątek has lost perhaps the most dangerous competitor to fight for the title in the entire tournament. But she couldn't think about it until she got the promotion herself.
Especially since theoretically the best tennis player in her neighborhood stood in her way. Although Qinwen Zheng does not play amazingly, she has a great ability to win even those matches that do not go her way in theory. Last February, the Chinese achieved the greatest success of her career when she reached the final of the Australian Open. Thanks to this, she entered the tournament in seventh place in the standings, the highest in her career.
Continued article below the video
Fatalna Basa Chinwen Cheng
However, the Pole can confidently approach the quarter-final match. She was the one who recently triumphed in Doha and still looks energized by that success. Fatigue did not seem to play a significant role, which was a huge advantage for the Pole.
Perhaps Cheng was also afraid of the flashbacks. The ladies have played each other five times now and… five times Ega Svetek has come out on top. The women's last encounter was during January's United Cup, where the leaders defeated the Chinese team 6:2, 6:3. It is no surprise that the world's number one racket is considered the clear favorite in the pre-match predictions.
Already at the beginning of the match, we could see that Iga Świątek prepared perfectly for the match against this particular opponent. It's no secret that service is sometimes a problem for Qinwen Zheng. Problems arise when you fail to hit the ball the first time. Although she was already leading 40-0 on her serve, the very low speeds were a stumbling block for the Pole.
Unexpected breakthrough
The Pole won, losing the first three points, and then… won five points in a row, each after Zheng's second serve. This led to the first penetration, which could have been extremely painful for the Chinese woman. She can only really blame herself.
This did not portend an easy match. Just a moment later, the Pole had to defend her first break point, but a dramatic angular forehand allowed her to eliminate the threat. After minor problems, the leaders were already 3:0 ahead. The pressure was back on the opponent. It became clear once again how important service is. This time, Zheng did not make any error on her first serve (although one of the shots was not called, as the replay showed), thanks to which she won the “dry” match.
The game finally calmed down a bit and the women kept their passes. Świątek was a little closer to increasing her advantage, finally scoring a point after her opponent's first serve (only in the sixth game of the match!). However, the well-equipped Zeng was able to meet the Polish player's movements, something Elina Svitolina had problems with.
Since we have already mentioned the match with the Ukrainian, we should also mention another important aspect, which is the game at the net. Svitolina had big problems with him, and in Cheng's case it didn't look any better. Svetek was very lucky because her opponents sometimes gave her very easy points. However, in the end, the leader of the rankings held her order very confidently.
The Chinese woman made a mistake with her own eyes
The Xi'an-born tennis player had no interest in challenges while playing. Twice she had interrupted them this way and… twice it had turned out that her decision had been wrong. This way, she had to worry about holding serve, but she won the next two balls to make it 30-30 and put pressure on her opponent. Iga Świątek served after 40 minutes of play and would have served to win the first set.
Zheng tried to save herself by challenging again and made a mistake again – this time with an ace from Świątek on the second serve. The world's seventh-ranked tennis player did not save herself from the inevitable. One break at the beginning of the set turned out to be decisive, and Iga Świątek led 6:3. Thus, the leader of the standings is only one step away from qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament in Dubai.
At the beginning of the second match, the Chinese woman tried to use a move that brought a lot of benefits to your recovery. She attacked her second serve more boldly, thanks to which she won two easy points and brought her back to balance. However, it did not break through, because the world's number one racket scored two more points without any major problems. However, this gem showed that Zheng could not be written off at all yet.
There was no doubt that the Australian Open finalist raised her level significantly at the start of the second set. Thanks to this, Świątek was forced to exert much greater effort and sometimes it was tense, as when the score was 1:2 and the Polish woman served, when she had to make up for the loss from 0-30. A moment later there was a break point, but the Roland Garros champion was once again able to save herself.
The basic importance of the site
It seems that the victory in the second set will be decided by which of the tennis players will be able to maintain a very good level of serve longer. This actually started to decline over time for both players. Pole had a quick chance at 2:2, when she got two balls to break Zheng and was fortunately able to use the second ball.
The seventh-ranked tennis player went full attack, having nothing to lose. For a moment, this strategy worked for her, as she again took a 15-30 lead on Światek's serve, but the force of calm prevailed in the end. Once again, Zheng had to hold serve to keep the lead to just one break. However, she looked off balance, making the score 40-0 and three double break points in favor of the favourite.
Zheng failed to save herself, and decided another game in favor of Iga Świątek after… her first double serve error in the entire match. The Pole only had to keep his own pass card to celebrate qualification to the semi-finals. There was no dramatic transformation.
Thus the dominant women's tennis player entered the semi-finals of the event in Dubai. She can now sit back and watch the match she will choose as her opponent. Coco Gauff and Anna Kalinska will play against each other in the final quarterfinal. Regardless of the winner, Svetek will be the favorite. She will want to fight for a second final in a second consecutive Rank 1000 tournament.
Iga Svetek – Kenwen Zheng 6:3, 6:2
source:Onet Sports Review
Date of creation: 22 February 2024 at 17:36
Journalist for the newspaper Przeglad Sportuy One
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