China's aces hoping for a long run on the lawns of London
With the country's top-two aces both enjoying quite a positive warm-up on grass, tennis fans in China are eager to tune in and, perhaps, witness the nation's best Wimbledon campaign in years.
A semifinal run by world No 5 Zheng Qinwen, followed by a career-first final appearance of 33rd-ranked Wang Xinyu, both at recent grass-court WTA 500 events, have sent an encouraging signal leading up to the season's third major — China's current best have finally found their feet on the tricky surface and are ready to try to match their predecessors' heroics at the prestigious All England Club.
Despite being outranked by reigning Olympic champion Zheng, the 23-year-old Wang has emerged as a red-hot contender at this year's Wimbledon, which swings off main draw action on Monday, after she stunned four top-20 opponents in a row, including world No 2 and Roland Garros winner Coco Gauff, en route to the final at last week's Berlin Open — setting down a clear marker about her new-found confidence on grass.
Although not seeded in the 128-player draw, Wang believes her breakout week in the German capital could help unleash more of her power on the lawns of London at her fourth Wimbledon appearance.
