Zheng back on track with impressive Italian job

Zheng Qinwen is on the up again after claiming her first career title in a country where she has made a habit of success.

Desperate to bounce back from a grass-court slump, the world No 24 turned things around by collecting her maiden WTA singles title on Sunday at the Palermo Ladies Open on the Italian island of Sicily.

Up against local favorite Jasmine Paolini, Zheng overcame a second-set setback to beat the 47th-ranked Italian 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 on clay in two hours and 14 minutes, winning her first WTA trophy at her second attempt, following her runner-up finish in Tokyo last September to Liudmila Samsonova.

Despite serving at just 46 percent, Zheng, a powerful hitter boasting a strong forehand, hit 26 winners and broke Paolini four times, while saving five of eight break points, to become the 12th Chinese mainland woman to win a WTA singles title.

She joins 38th-ranked compatriot Zhu Lin, winner of February's WTA Thailand Open, as this season's second Chinese singles champion on the tour.

Zheng made her WTA Tour main-draw debut in Palermo two years ago after fighting through the qualifiers, so was delighted to celebrate another career milestone in the Sicilian city.

"I won my first WTA match here and today also my first WTA title," Zheng said in her victory speech.

"But you probably don't know that I won my first ITF championship also in Italy (Cordenons, August 2020). This is really special for me ... I will remember this," said the 20-year-old native of Hubei province.

Clay has been by far the most fruitful surface of Zheng's young career.

Four of her eight career ITF titles came on clay courts. On the WTA Tour, she reached the fourth round of Roland Garros last year, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek, and also reached the quarterfinals at a WTA 1000 tournament in Rome in May.

Currently coached by Belgian Wim Fissette, Zheng snapped a four-match losing skid, including three in a row on grass, with her run in Palermo.

Five wins in a row marked the first time that she won back-to-back matches since that aforementioned streak in Rome.

With her confidence back, Zheng is hopeful that Sunday's triumph will be the first of many titles.

"I am really happy about my fighting spirit today that helped me stay on a very high level in the third set after losing the second," said Zheng, who won the Newcomer of the Year Award last season following a rapid rise up the WTA rankings.

"For me, this is only the beginning. This will only motivate me to work harder and win more titles in the future.

"I will remember how I fought back today and stick to the mental resilience facing whoever across the net on whatever surfaces to fight for more breakthroughs."

Zheng captured the world's attention last season with a strong upswing on the women's circuit, becoming the first Chinese teenager to break into the top 25 last October. However, she appeared to hit something of a "rookie wall", as they say in the NBA, in the first half of her second full year on the WTA Tour.

She's been suffering from health issues, a lack of chemistry with her previous coach, Pere Riba, and inconsistent performances since the Australian Open. First- and second-round exits at tournaments were becoming worryingly frequent for Zheng this year, even though she was still going for her shots with the same aggression that had marked her out as a talent to watch on the circuit.

She put her lack of consistency down to a disjointed schedule.

"The three consecutive losses on grass were mainly because of my poor training and preparation at that time," said Zheng, who lost to Czech world No 36 Katerina Siniakova in straight sets in her Wimbledon opener on July 4.

The defeat snapped Zheng's impressive run on the major stage, which had seen her reach at least the round of 64 at her previous six Grand Slam events. The early Wimbledon exit followed losses at warm-up tournaments at Eastbourne and Berlin.

Now back to winning ways, Zheng has vowed to work harder both on and off the court to achieve her ambition of joining the world's elite at the top of the rankings.

"I won't stop here. I have a lot more room to improve technically, physically and mentally," she said. "I am still confident about my goal."