Qinwen Zheng aims for home glory at Zhengzhou Open despite previously not knowing opponent Barbora Krejcikova

Qinwen Zheng will compete for the title at the Zhengzhou Open against Barbora Krejcikova, after two years in which the Chinese admitted to not knowing the defending champion of the 2021 French Open.

The world No. 24 has been one of the young tennis players who recently emerged on the Tour and has shown that she is capable of great achievements. In 2022, she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year, and even though the first part of this year didn't go as expected, the Chinese player managed to stay within the top 30.

The 21-year-old tennis player, Qinwen Zheng, will play in the third final of her career against the Czech player Barbora Krejcikova (18th) after an excellent week in Zhengzhou as the local hope.

In 2021, Zheng reached the final of the ITF W60 Macha Lake Open, and when asked if she knew the last champion of the tournament, Krejcikova, who had won Roland Garros just three weeks earlier, the Chinese player admitted she didn't know Krejcikova:

Interviewer: "Do you know who is the winner of the last .... the former champion here at Macha Lake Open, 2020?"

Zheng: "2020? no..."

Interviewer: "Or 2019?"

Zheng: "I saw the picture but I don't know the (name)."

Interviewer: "Barbora Krejcikova, you know her?"

Zheng: "Umm... tell me."

Interviewer: "She won the French Open this year."

Zheng: "Wow so good (laughing)."

Finally, China's number one became the new champion a day later. Up to this point, Krejcikova and Zheng have not faced each other on the court, but Krejcikova boasts an impressive record with 6 titles, including a Grand Slam and a WTA 1000 event.

At just 21 years old, Zheng has earned a respected reputation on the Tour. She has secured five victories over top-10 players in the past year, won a WTA 250 title at the Palermo Open, reached the final of the WTA 500 Tokyo Open, and made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open, where she was defeated by Sabalenka.