"She wants to do everything it takes to achieve the best": Qinwen Zheng receives high praise from coach Wim Fissette for mindset in US Open run

China’s young tennis star Qinwen Zheng has received high praise from her coach Wim Fissette.

The 20-year-old is one of the breakout stars of the US Open 2023 as she booked her place in the quarterfinal of the competition after beating the three-time Grand Slam runner-up Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the round of 16 with a score of 6-2, 6-4 on Monday.

Zheng’s coach Fissette, who already worked with the likes of Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep, and Naomi Osaka in the past, was full of praise for the world number 23 and believes that she is a ‘super athlete’.

“First of all, she’s definitely a super athlete,” said Fissette. “She’s strong and super fast. It’s really impressive how fast she is on the court. Second, her work ethic is unbelievable. It’s really nice: two hours of tennis per day, and also two gym sessions – it’s a normal day for her. It’s really impressive.

“She does everything with a big smile because it is really her desire, and her ambition – she wants to do everything it takes to achieve the best. First of all, she desires to be the best, she’s willing to do everything it takes. Athleticism is a very important one.

“She’s a very explosive player with a big serve and a really big forehand. Also, the backhand is really strong. I think from her strokes and athleticism there’s a lot there, but obviously she needs to grow as a player, make better choices, I’d say on the hard court, and improve tactically. Her game needs to get cleaned up a little bit. We need to get rid of some errors and make it just a little bit clearer.”

Zheng will now face the newly-crowned world number one Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the last-eight clash of the fourth and final Grand Slam on Wednesday.