China’s Zheng Qinwen has made a powerful statement at the French Open, advancing to the women’s singles round of 16 without dropping a set. The eighth seed defeated Canada’s Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4 in a commanding performance on Friday at Roland-Garros.
Zheng broke Mboko early in the first set, taking control of the match. While the 18-year-old Canadian fought back to level the score, Zheng’s experience shone through as she secured another crucial break and sealed the set with an ace.
The second set saw both players exchange intense rallies and early breaks of serve. Zheng gained the upper hand with a decisive break in the fifth game. Despite Mboko’s resilience, Zheng held firm, saving two game points in the final game to clinch the match in straight sets.
“I was born in a really hot place in China, Wuhan, so I handled the hot weather quite well,” Zheng said after the match. “Last year, when I played the Olympic Games, it was hotter than this. So actually I like this condition, but I want to say thanks to all the crowd who suffered here under the sun today with me.”
She also praised her opponent: “I want to say congrats to Victoria because I feel she played really well, and I think we pushed each other to play our best tennis. It was not an easy match.”
Next up, the 22-year-old Zheng will face 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in what promises to be an exhilarating encounter.
In other action, three-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus continued her dominance, defeating Serbia’s Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-3 to book her spot in the round of 16. “The ball flies much faster,” Sabalenka remarked about the conditions. She will play the USA’s 16th seed Amanda Anisimova next.
Fifth-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland extended her winning streak at Roland-Garros to 23 matches, overcoming Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 7-5. “She used her chances and just went for it,” Swiatek said of her opponent. She is set to face 12th-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the last 16.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles, China’s Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai were edged out in the second round after a spirited comeback from Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Japan’s Eri Hozumi, who won 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3. Tang Qianhui of China, partnering with Japan’s Makoto Ninomiya, also faced defeat, falling to France’s Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry in three sets.
In mixed doubles, China’s Jiang Xinyu and the USA’s Robert Galloway advanced to the second round, defeating the pairing of Wu Fang-hsien of Chinese Taipei and Sem Verbeek of the Netherlands 7-6, 6-2.
