"I couldn’t sleep after I finished the match": Zheng Qinwen blames US Open schedule for quarterfinal exit

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.