Chinese tennis prodigy Zheng Qinwen was knocked out of the Madrid Open on Friday, falling 6-4, 6-4 to Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the second round.
In a match that lasted just under two hours, the 20-year-old Zheng struggled to find her footing against Potapova, ranked 87th in the world, under the warm Spanish sun.
Seeded eighth in the tournament, Zheng was expected to advance further but faced challenges with her serve, winning only 40 percent of those points in the first set.
Despite breaking Potapova’s serve late in the first set, Zheng couldn’t maintain the momentum, dropping the frame 6-4 after Potapova broke back immediately.
The second set saw Zheng briefly take the lead after breaking Potapova in the third game. However, inconsistency returned as she was broken in the seventh and ninth games, sealing her exit from the tournament.
Zheng’s defeat means no Chinese players remain in either the men’s or women’s singles draws in Madrid, a surprising turn after her impressive performances earlier this season.
Despite the loss, Zheng, who has been steadily climbing the WTA rankings this year, remains one of the brightest young talents in tennis. Fans are eager to see how she will bounce back in upcoming tournaments.
Elsewhere in the tournament, top seed Aryna Sabalenka began her title defense with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over Anna Blinkova. Meanwhile, 17th seed Elina Svitolina cruised past Sonay Kartal 6-3, 6-1, and Elise Mertens defeated Camila Osorio 6-3, 6-3.
In other upsets, defending champion Ons Jabeur of Tunisia was stunned by Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Additionally, Peyton Stearns shocked 15th seed Amanda Anisimova with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory.
