"I thought, 'Okay, today I won’t be as aggressive as usual. First, find a way to win—then we can build from there" - Zheng Qinwen discusses tactics behind fightback win against Kenin

Zheng Qinwen had got out of the blocks against Sofia Kenin dreadfully in their second round match at the Madrid Open. She explained to the Tennis Channel the changes she made in her game to aid her fightback as she booked her spot in the third round after a huge scare.

After holding in the first game, Zheng lost six consecutive games to go a set behind. She responded well, levelling up affairs before a coming back from a break deficit in the third to win six of the remaining seven games to squeeze into the third round in Madrid for just the second time.

"At the beginning, I struggled a lot," she began. "I haven’t competed for a long time, so it was tough to find my match rhythm. But I’m happy I found a way to win, because I was really struggling and trying to find my tennis. I found it a bit, then lost focus, then found it again—going back and forth. In the end, the most important thing is to win the match, because like this I get another chance in the next round."

It is a return to tennis for Zheng who was forced to delay the start of her clay swing due to more injury issues again becoming a burden. She pulled out of the Stuttgart Open with Madrid and Rome the priority heading to Roland Garros, the venue where she won the 2024 Olympic gold medal.

"At the beginning, practice was quite good. But then I struggled a bit with some pain," she detailed. "My team helped me through that, and I was able to step on court and fight for every point. It hasn’t been easy for me or my team—we all know what we’ve been through. So we just keep fighting. That’s all I can say at this stage."

In the first set, Zheng was attacking the backhand more. She then switched to the Americans forehand much more, resulting in the start of the comeback. Turns out it was a conscious adjustment.

"I have good topspin on my forehand, and I think that can really hurt my opponent," she said. "My backhand is flatter, and for a player like Sofia, she likes that kind of ball. So when I was playing too flat, it suited her. That’s why I changed in the second set. I said to myself, 'Come on, I can’t stay like this and lose 6–1 again. I have to change something or I go home—and I don’t want to go home.' I’m really glad I found my forehand again, played with more shape, and found my rhythm.

Her RPM (Rotations Per Minute) had significantly dropped in the first set and proved to be costly as she fell to a disastrous first set result. "I was aware. I could see how I was missing balls and why I lost the first set 1–6. That usually doesn’t happen to me," she admitted. "I saw that she was playing better than me when we were both hitting flat—and that’s not my game. On clay, I need to play with shape and find my rhythm."

Zheng eventually go to the bottom of the problem, solving her issues on court and coming through to win. "In the first set, I was just hitting and hitting, and that’s why I lost. It’s not great to say, but I could see everything that was happening. My team helps me, but I’m the one on court. I found a way to win, and I’m really happy. I learned a lot today, especially about how clay is different from hard courts."

Another tactical altercation was when she adapted the position of where she returned for Kenin's second serve, moving further back. "That was on purpose. In the first set, I was stepping in and trying to attack her second serve, but it wasn’t working well."

She then decided to shelve her aggressive nature on court and just try and get this win over the line. "So I decided to step back, put more balls in play, and just fight. When I started doing that, the game began to work. I thought, 'Okay, today I won’t be as aggressive as usual. First, find a way to win—then we can build from there in the next match.'"

The Madrid Open is played at altitude, making it a different tournament to play in from others. Players have to adapt quick to the conditions or they will be left behind.

The former Australian Open finalist was adapting all the time, trying to find that perfect combination. "I changed the racket because of the new balls," she stated. "When I hit the first forehand, the ball was flying a lot, so I knew I had to switch. But even after changing, the ball was still flying, so I adjusted again at the changeover. After a few more shots, I found the right feeling and felt more secure. With the altitude, if the string tension isn’t right, the ball really flies, so you have to manage that carefully."

It does not get much harder than a third round matchup against Elena Rybakina. The number two seed survived a scare in her opening match and would have hoped that she has now adapted to the conditions after winning the title in Stuttgart prior to this event. Zheng has only defeated her once, back in 2024 at the WTA Finals, and will hope for a similar result again as she looks to get back to her best level.