Top seed Zheng Qinwen beat home favorite Emma Raducanu 6-2, 6-4 to move into the semi-finals at the Queen’s Club Championships on Friday, while 37-year-old Tatjana Maria upset 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach the last four.
In an entertaining battle at the Andy Murray Arena, Zheng showed she could be a worthy contender heading into Wimbledon as she marched into her first semi-final on grass when she converted her fourth match point.
Zheng has won singles titles on clay and hardcourts, but she is still adapting to grass, with the 22-year-old showing a marked improvement in her match with Raducanu after she changed her shoes midway through a game when the Briton was serving.
Photo: AP
“I want to apologize for my shoes. I didn’t want to fall two times, but I just don’t know how to run on grass,” Zheng said sheepishly. “I still don’t know when I have to change the grass shoes. I think right now is the time, so it’s the new shoes. I feel much better to run.”
“It was a really difficult match for me, especially [because] she has got more experience than me on the grasscourt. I’m just really happy to get into the semi-final for the first time on grass,” she said.
Zheng and Raducanu were neck-and-neck in the opening set until the Chinese world number five finally broke serve to go 4-2 up.
The home crowd largely favored Raducanu, but Zheng did not waver and the Paris Olympic champion claimed the opening set despite a fall on set point.
Raducanu took a medical timeout for a back issue before the second set and that swung the momentum the Briton’s way as she secured a double break to go 3-0 up.
Zheng quickly recovered and leveled the set, before going 5-4 up with an overhead smash that kissed the line, with the crowd gasping as one when they watched a replay of the point.
Serving to stay in the match, Raducanu produced a double fault to give Zheng three match points, which she saved before the top seed prevailed.
Elsewhere, Germany’s Maria, who came through the qualifiers and also knocked out sixth seed Karolina Muchova in the last-16, stunned Rybakina 6-4 7-6(4) to move into a WTA semi-final for the first time in two years.
A mother of two, whose eldest daughter is 11 and travels with her on tour, Maria is ranked number 86 in the world.
“Oh my God, it means so much to me. It’s a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going, doesn’t matter what, because I’m still here and I’m living this dream,” said Maria, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022. “I have my family with me, an amazing team. So much support and so much love, and we are really enjoying the ride together.”
“I’m super, super proud to be in the semi-final and I hope in a few years you will see my daughter in the same stage here!” she said.
Maria was last night after press time to face second seed Madison Keys, who battled back from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 2-6 6-3 6-4.
“Diana played so well and she’s always a tricky opponent,” Keys said. “I had to raise my level after the first set, and I’m happy that I managed to figure it out.”
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