The hashtag "Zheng Qinwen fought back racism" has become the most popular on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, following reports that the Chinese tennis player said "I'll beat you" in response to the racist insult "yellow banana" hurled at her during the US Open.…
Racist chants allegedly directed at Zheng Qinwen during US Open Match
WTATuesday, 03 September 2024 at 19:30
Zheng
Qinwen apparently received racist chants from a fan at the US Open. The 21-year-old player was reportedly a victim of racist abuse in her
victory over Donna Vekic in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
The Chinese player has 16 wins in her last 17 matches,
including the Olympic Games, where she won the gold medal. The match was marked
by its late finish at 2:15 am, the latest finish for a women's match in US Open
history.
Racist incident at US Open?
The world No. 7 continues her great form in Flushing Meadows
and has reached the quarterfinals of the tournament for the second consecutive
year. Zheng has been one of the most consistent players recently and is
preparing to face world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on the night of Tuesday,
September 3rd.
Before that, she had to overcome a tough challenge against
Vekic, whom she had already beaten in the Olympic final, winning again this
time 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2.
However, Zheng found herself embroiled in controversy after
a racial slur was picked up by the court microphones, and the subsequent
footage accumulated over 1.65 million views on the Chinese social network Weibo
before being deleted.
The hashtag “Zheng Qinwen fought back racism” also became
one of the most popular trends among users. Supposedly, the racist chant was
heard when Zheng was trailing 2-0 in the second set, and she looked towards the
stands mouthing “I will beat you.”
The footage appeared to show someone chanting “yellow
banana, yellow” while Zheng was preparing to serve. Additionally, the cameras
captured the reaction of her Spanish coach, Pere Riba.
Nevertheless, the Chinese player did not mention the racist
chants after the match. She will seek to continue advancing in the tournament
tonight against Sabalenka, aiming for her second Grand Slam semifinal and
looking for revenge against the Belarusian, who defeated her in the Australian
Open final earlier this year.
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