Olympic hope Zheng through to quarters
 
July 01, 2008 09:15 Beijing Time
Font Size:        Print Print   Email Email to Friends   Comment Comment (0)
 


Click for more photos

Zheng Jie of China returns the ball to Agnes Szavay of Hungary during their
match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 30, 2008.

China's Zheng Jie, who knocked out top seed Ana Ivanovic last week, upset the form book again on Monday, defeating 15th seed Agnes Szavay 6-3 6-4 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Zheng has had Chinese newspapers in a frenzy with headlines declaring her form had reignited hopes of tennis gold at the Beijing Olympics and the 24-year-old played down her chances of success at the August Games.

"Of course the Olympics in China is very important," Zheng told a news conference. "But everyone wants to win a gold medal. I think maybe the doubles is a better chance for gold."

The former Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champion faces the 18th-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova in the Wimbledon quarters and having not yet dropped a set, has a realistic shot of becoming the first Chinese player to reach a grand slam semi-final.

"I feel in the quarter-final is fine. I don't want to think too much of the semi-final," Zheng said after joining Li Na as the only players from China to reach the last eight at Wimbledon.

Wildcard Zheng, ranked 133rd in the world before the tournament after missing most of last season with an ankle injury, broke Szavay midway through the first set to take the early initiative.

The 19-year-old Hungarian wrestled it back to race to a 4-1 second set lead but the busy Zheng rattled off five games in a row in a performance she rated superior to Friday's victory over world number one Ivanovic.

"I feel today is best tennis for me. Of the two matches, I think this match is best," she said.

Zheng's Wimbledon success boosts China's Olympic hopes

 Zheng Jie's victory over world number one Ana Ivanovic at Wimbledon has reignited China's hopes of tennis gold at the Beijing Olympics after a largely dismal 18 months for the country's leading women players.

The 24-year-old became the first Chinese to beat a reigning world number one with a 6-1 6-4 thrashing of Serb Ivanovic in the third round on Friday, a victory all the more remarkable because she was playing as a wild card ranked 133rd in the world.

Zheng, who missed most of last year with an ankle injury, is a former Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champion as well as an Asian Games doubles and singles champion.

"All she's missing is an Olympic gold," read a headline in Titan Sport newspaper. "China's golden flower expected to bloom at the Olympics," added Beijing Youth Daily.

1 2
Previous: Olympic Flame Shines in Wuzhong
  • Related News
  • Most Popular Stories