"I'm so sorry that I shouted" - Qinwen Zheng apologizes to fans following on-court meltdown against Elena Rybakina in Riyadh

It was a bittersweet victory for Qinwen Zheng during her match against Elena Rybakina at the 2024 WTA Finals, as the Chinese superstar lost her cool during the encounter.

The 2024 Australian Open runner-up is competing at the year-ending event for the first time, and announced her arrival with a three set victory over the fifth-seeded Kazakh star. However, the clash was interrupted by a tense moment, when Zheng took out her frustrations on nearby fans.

After taking the first set, Zheng lost some rhythm and was broken by Rybakina. As her frustrations began to build, the Chinese star was seen yelling at some fans during a pause in play. Although it is unclear what transpired, Zheng's emotions threatened to boil over as she took it out on nearby fans. However, she regained her composure in the final set, and powered past Rybakina to secure her first win in the group stage.

During her post-match interview, Zheng was quick to apologize to the fans before beginning her interview.

"I say I apologise, in one moment my emotions weren't there because I wasn't totally under control," said the 22-year old. "I'm so sorry that I shouted. I want to say thank you [to the fans] for continuing to support me.
“I’m really happy to win this match. I [have] never beat her [Rybakina] before. She’s one of the greatest players on the tour right now. She has a huge serve and great groundstrokes. I’m just happy today I gave my best."

Zheng was then informed by the interviewer that she was 'forgiven' by the fans, who cheered her as she walked off court and she responded by waving in their direction. By virtue of this victory, she became only the second Chinese player after Li Na to win a WTA Finals match since the event began in 1972. Zheng will now face Italian Jasmine Paolini in her final group stage match, with the hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage on the line.