Zheng Qinwen, the No. 3 seed from China, had an impressive second-round victory at the Credit One Charleston Open on Wednesday night. She defeated Maria Sakkari of Greece with scores of 6-4, 6-1, advancing to the Round of 16.
Competing in Charleston for the first time since 2022, Zheng, the current Olympic gold medalist, needed 1 hour and 32 minutes to overcome Sakkari, a former World No. 3 who reached the Charleston semifinals last year.
Here are key points from the match:
Zheng Extends Clay-Court Win Streak: Sakkari had previously won 2 out of 3 matches against Zheng, but all were played on hard courts.
Clay is a different surface. Before this week, Zheng`s last clay court event was her gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics, held at Roland Garros.
Zheng brought that confidence on clay to this match, and now has a 12-match winning streak on this surface. Before the Olympics, she also won a title in Palermo.
In contrast, Sakkari`s ranking has dropped from No. 7 to No. 64 in the past year, and her record for this year is 6 wins and 11 losses. Sakkari was hoping for her first win against a Top 10 player in over a year, but her losing streak against Top 10 opponents continues, now at 0-8 since defeating Coco Gauff at Indian Wells in 2024.
Powerful Shots Help Zheng Win: Zheng`s strong forehand is very effective on clay courts. She used this shot to win a long game at 3-3 in the first set and get the only break of the set.
Zheng, who had the most aces on the WTA Tour last year, continues to use her strong first serve to her advantage, even on clay. A powerful serve helped her save a break point and increase her lead to 5-3, eventually winning the first set.
The first serve was also important in the second set, which Zheng controlled. It made a big difference when she got her first serve in play – Zheng won 87.5 percent of her first-serve points. However, her second serve was weaker, winning only about one-third of those points.
Despite this, Zheng served well enough to win without losing her serve, saving both break points she faced. Fittingly, she finished the match with a strong crosscourt forehand.
First Time Opponent Next: Zheng will next play in the Round of 16 against either No. 13 seed Elise Mertens from Belgium or Varvara Gracheva from France. They are scheduled to play the final match on Credit One Stadium on Wednesday.
Zheng is guaranteed to face a new opponent, as she has never played against either Mertens, a former Top 15 player, or Gracheva.
More updates to follow…
