World number seven Qinwen Zheng has blamed the poor scheduling
for her defeat in the quarterfinal of the
US Open. The fourth and the final Grand
Slam of the year is moving towards the business end where the remaining players
are giving their all to secure the ultimate prize.
Zheng’s journey in the mega-event came to an end on Tuesday when she lost in the last eight to world number two Belarus’
Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2. After the match, the Shiyan-born star,
while talking to the Chinese media, blamed the poor scheduling for her defeat. She
stated that she could not sleep properly after her previous match as it
finished as late as 2:30 in the morning and she could not even train the next day.
“I couldn’t sleep after I finished the match at 2.30 in the
morning,” she said. “I’m not able to practise yesterday because I was feeling
terrible. I couldn’t wake up. Sometimes the schedule is like this. If I hit
some balls yesterday, maybe it would help for the match today, but it’s fine.”
The defeat ended Zheng’s hopes of registering a spot in the semifinal
of the US Open for the first time. The result also ended a rather successful
Grand Slam season for the 21-year-old where she played in her maiden and till
now the only Grand Slam final. She finished as the runner-up in the Australian
Open where she lost to Sabalenka in the final in straight sets with a score of
6-3, 6-2.
On the other hand, Sabalenka is now hoping to go all
the way and lift her third Grand Slam title and US Open for the first time. She
is now set to face off America’s Emma Navarro in the last-four clash, who cemented
her spot in the semifinal after beating Spain’s Paula Badosa in the quarterfinal
in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-5.
