LONDON: China’s Zheng Jie had expected to hog the spotlight by winning a doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in August.
Instead, the 24-year-old began the celebrations six weeks early when she knocked out top seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round of Wimbledon yesterday.
Ranked 133rd in the world after missing most of the 2007 season with an ankle injury, Zheng had been expected to make up the numbers in the 128-strong women’s singles draw.
But she tore up the script yesterday to cause the biggest upset at this year’s championships.
“I’m so happy. I’m excited because last year I missed Wimbledon after injuring my ankle. Now I’ve just come back... and that I can play like this and I’m very surprised,” said Zheng after beating a top 10 player for the first time in her career.
In 2004, at the French Open she became the first Chinese woman to reach the fourth round of a grand slam and two years later she cracked the top 30. But thanks to her injury woes, her ranking soon nosedived.
However, a return to Wimbledon, where she enjoyed her greatest triumph two years ago when she lifted the doubles title with Yan Zi, appears to have galvanised her.
“I believed (I could win), but I didn’t believe I could win in two sets,” said the player who hails from Cheng Du.
“I thought maybe I could win in three tough sets but I believed I could win the match for sure.
“Every time I play on a grass court I feel it’s a perfect one. I hope I can go far, win one more match,” said Zheng, who next faces Hungarian 15th Agnes Szavay.
Should she win that match, she will match the best effort at the grasscourt major by a Chinese player. In 2006 Li Na first put China on the Wimbledon map when she reached the quarter-finals.
She also hoped her run here would pave the way for her to enjoy a successful run at the Olympics.
“I felt today the match gave me more belief to play well at the Olympics,” said Zheng, who will be contesting for a medal in singles and doubles in Beijing.
“This maybe is my last tournament before the Olympics. After this I need to go back to the Beijing for be ready for play the Olympics because we want to try our best in the Olympics.” (Reuters) |
