Qinwen Zheng receives surprise from former Australian Open champion and compatriot Li Na after reaching Last 16

Qinwen Zheng, the 12th seed at the 2024 Australian Open is into the Last 16 for the first time in her career as her exceptional rise continues and she had a fellow Chinese trailblazer suddenly come to visit her after seeing off Yafan Wang.

It wasn't easy at all for the player known to fans as 'Queenwen' as she sealed it 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(2) in two hours and 40 minutes to reach the fourth round and she admitted post match that her focused dropped at points which allowed her compatriot who had previously defeated Emma Raducanu back in.

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“Actually, I start the match quite well. I playing the structure of my game. I step inside when I have to. I had more patience at beginning,” Zheng said in her press conference.
“Start in the second set actually I was feeling my focus was dropping a bit. Also, those quality of balls is not the same like in the first set. She had really, like, stable baseline game. I think that makes me feel like really difficult.
“I think the baseline stroke of her is one of the best. I really can say that. I just lost the second set. You know, it was so fast like that, so I have to change my mindset in the third set.
“The third set everybody is there fighting, so just point by point. We had a really difficult super tiebreak. That was amazing to won the match like that.”

But while conducting media duties, former Australian Open champion Li Na ran in to congratulate her compatriot who said afterwards that it was a big surprise as they don't speak ordinarily so she had no clue it was happening.

“Well, you guys prepare really well because that was totally surprise for me,” Zheng admitted.
"Very first time. We don’t have each other’s WeChat, no phone calls. We met once before when I was a junior, but not single-to-single, face-to-face. I didn’t have the chance to talk with her, but today is the real first time we talk with each other.

“She said to me don’t think too much, just keep simple. I think that’s right now what I need to do as well.”

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