Zheng Qinwen Advances in Rome, Sets Up Match with Bianca Andreescu

Rome, Italy – China’s Zheng Qinwen defeated Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday at the WTA Italian Open, advancing to the round of 16 for the third consecutive year.

Zheng’s commanding performance in the round of 32 marked their first meeting on clay, with both players having split their previous matches. Zheng started strong, taking a 5-0 lead in the first set before Frech responded by breaking Zheng’s serve. However, Zheng quickly regained her composure, serving out the set 6-3.

After winning the first set, Zheng expressed her relief and excitement. “I’ve lost to quite a few players on clay who just keep lobbing high balls at me. It gets on my nerves when they do that, so when I hit a winner, I just need to let it out to pump myself up,” she said.

In the second set, Zheng broke serve early, taking a 2-0 lead. Although Frech managed to tie it up at 2-2, Zheng continued to apply pressure, breaking Frech again in the fifth game and closing the match with four straight games, winning the second set 6-2.

Zheng was particularly effective with her drop shots, which she used to disrupt Frech’s rhythm. “I noticed my opponent kept moving back, so I wanted to mix up the depth of my shots to disrupt her rhythm. I also saw her footwork wasn’t that quick. On clay, drop shots can be a really effective weapon,” Zheng explained.

Zheng will next face Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, who secured her own place in the round of 16 by defeating No. 11 seed Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-4 earlier in the day. This victory was particularly significant for Andreescu, who had lost three previous matches against Rybakina.

The match between Zheng and Andreescu will mark a return to form for both players as they look to advance further in the tournament.