Qinwen Zheng Makes a Statement After Bitter Loss to Coco Gauff at Italian Open
Qinwen Zheng may have walked off the court at the Italian Open with a bitter loss to Coco Gauff, but the rising Chinese star isn’t dwelling on disappointment. In what was a tightly contested semifinal in Rome, Zheng pushed Gauff to the edge in a physical, three-and-a-half-hour marathon- Coco Gauff’s longest match in her WTA career.
“I had winning chances throughout, but needed more killer instinct on big points,” Zheng admitted in her post-match press-conference. “These are the adjustments I’ll weaponize for the French Open.”
The Italian Open has always been a happy hunting ground for Zheng and she would be slightly disappointed that she could not make it to the finals. However, she takes plenty of positives from a midnight slugfest in Rome.
“This match taught me a lot, especially by revealing the technical areas I need to improve,” Zheng said. “It was a very good clay-court battle because it was a real test of physical endurance. I had chances throughout the entire match,” she continued. “Perhaps I need to be bolder and more aggressive when handling the key points,” she added in a critical tone.
Coco Gauff meanwhile, had high praise for the Chinese star and predicted many more duels to come in the near future.
“Yeah, she’s obviously tough to play. Very talented,” said Gauff. “Especially on this surface- she won the gold medal, she always does well.”
“Yeah, she’s a tough opponent. I’m sure we’re going to have many more battles in the future. Very happy to be able to pull this one out,” added Gauff.
As Gauff gears up to face home favorite Jasmine Paolini in the Italian Open finals, Zheng will look the regroup, recharge and prepare herself well for the French Open.
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