Zheng hungry to break her routine against familiar foe

The same restaurant, same risotto and same aggressive game — China's superstar tennis ace Zheng Qinwen has regained her winning form in Rome by sticking to her routine in the Italian capital.

And she sure hopes the momentum helps her pull off a different result at her seventh attempt at scaling a brick wall that, to date, has consistently proved a course too high.

Three-time major winner and world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka awaits Zheng in an intriguing quarterfinal clash at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The reigning Olympic champion is chasing a first win in her seventh encounter with the mighty Belarusian, while trying to reach the final four for the first time at the WTA 1000 tournament, following two straight quarterfinal exits.

Although having lost to Sabalenka six times in a row, all on hard courts, Zheng is motivated to buck that trend in their first battle on clay, counting on her newfound confidence on the tricky surface.

"She's an overwhelmingly attacking player. You need to hang in there, absorbing her first flurry of hits, until she makes some mistakes and allows you a chance," Zheng explained her tactics for facing Sabalenka after beating Canada's Bianca Andreescu in straight sets in the round of 16 on Monday.

"Nobody hits every shot in with force. It's quite hard, especially on clay. I need to play solid and defend well consistently, and attack when the opportunity comes.

"She's in a great form, and is the most consistent player, so far, on the tour this year. I am looking forward to playing her on clay, though.

"Each surface requires a different style, and I'd really like to gauge my game on clay against her. Maybe I need to push harder in my first serve, trying wider, and, perhaps riskier, angles to dictate the play."

Known as an aggressive attacker in her own right, Zheng's firepower has, multiple times, proved not powerful enough when facing Sabalenka hitting on all cylinders, a pattern underlined by the fact that the top-seed has broken Zheng 26 times, while conceding just six of her own service games, in their six previous encounters.

Zheng's last deep run at the WTA 1000 level was stopped by Sabalenka in quarterfinals at the Miami Open, where she dispatched the Chinese world No 8 in straight sets and went on to win the second of her three titles so far this year.

A tough battle is guaranteed, for sure, and Zheng knows the only way to survive is to stay mentally strong, tactically sharp and physically poised.

The balance between hitting hard and staying patient will be the key, she added.

"I have to manage myself (mentally), not get too excited or be too aggressive," said Zheng, who hasn't advanced further than the quarterfinal stage at any event so far this year, with three last-eight appearances in Charleston, Miami and Indian Wells.

"I need to find the right balance on clay, because from my experience in Madrid, I played a little bit too rushed. So, I told myself, whatever happens I have to stay solid, always be ready, and when I have the chance, go for it."

Hampered by a nagging right elbow injury that has affected her game since the Australian Open, Zheng has experienced an up and down season so far, with her second-round defeat to Russia's unseeded Anastasia Potapova in Madrid last month casting a shadow on her prospects for Roland Garros, where she became a household name in China by winning Asia's first Olympic tennis singles gold medal at Paris 2024.

The sense of familiarity and warm reception she received in Rome seem like a timely respite, as Zheng regrouped, delivering three convincing wins, highlighted by the 7-5, 6-1 submission of Andreescu, the resurgent 2019 US Open champion.

Zheng saved two set points in the 10th game of the opening set, having trailed 5-4 with Andreescu serving after letting a 3-1 lead slip away. But, Zheng quickly pulled herself together to finish the match by winning nine of the last 10 games.

It also marked Zheng's 20th career victory over major winners on the WTA Tour.

"I still kind of lost my focus and made unnecessary mistakes midway through the first set, but, what I did best today was not panic. I stayed composed there, and fought back one point at a time," said the 22-year-old Hubei province native.

"Gradually, I felt much better, and the cheers from the crowd helped me close it out."

Apart from chants of "bravo Zheng" shouted her way, she also attributed, at least part of her feel-good campaign in Rome, to the delights of a local restaurant she visits every night.

"I keep a strict diet, but at the same time I enjoy Rome," Zheng told Channel Tennis after her second-round win against Serbia's Olga Danilovic on Friday.

"I go to the same restaurant every night. They have very good seafood, like the lemon fish and risotto. I think I can maintain my diet, but enjoy at the same time."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn