China's Zheng beats Sabalenka for the first time to reach Italian Open semifinals

In this match, Zheng's first-serve points won percentage reached a remarkable 82 percent, which became a decisive factor in her victory. "Today, one thing I did really well was that my first serve was there in the crucial moments, and I also controlled my unforced errors very well," she said.

"When I played against her before, maybe because she had the title of world number one and a Grand Slam champion, and also because when I was a teenager, I used to watch her play, so I couldn't properly read the situation," Zheng said. "In the first three matches against her, I felt really frustrated, because I only showed about 30 or 40 percent of my ability. When I stripped away the aura around her, I was able to see the match situation clearly and focus on attacking her weaknesses instead of trying to go head-to-head with her strengths."

In the semifinals, Zheng will face fourth seed Coco Gauff.