Zheng Qinwen declined to attribute her loss in the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open to Aryna Sabalenka’s power or her vocal grunts. This encounter marked the eighth meeting between the two players on the WTA Tour, with Sabalenka claiming her seventh victory over the Chinese.
Zheng Qinwen Owns QF Loss at the 2025 Roland Garros
Seeded eighth at the clay-court tournament, Zheng began her campaign by defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round, winning 6-4, 6-3. She followed this up with a dominant win against Emiliana Arango, triumphing 6-2, 6-3 in the second round.
The former World No. 5 then overcame qualifier Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4, and 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively to secure her place in the quarterfinals. Here, her run came to an end as she fell to top seed Sabalenka, losing 6-7(3), 3-6.
In her post-match press conference, Zheng stated that Sabalenka’s power and grunting were not factors in her defeat. Instead, she cited fatigue as a contributor to her performance, expressing that it hindered her ability to play at her best.
“I think I’m just getting tired because it’s a French Open quarterfinal,” Zheng said. “I think it doesn’t matter who I faced today. I will be really tired because I have so much hungry in the French Open, I think this can’t make me performance even not the best tennis maybe not I would say today I didn’t even perform at the 60 to 70 percent.”
Zheng also noted that she regularly spars with men, which has helped her acclimate to powerful opponents like Sabalenka.
“I mean when I hit with my sparring you know they are men so for sure they will hit harder than her,” she added. “So for me, it’s not a problem. I just wish that I could do better on the court and that’s it.”
Who Will Aryna Sabalenka Face at the 2025 French Open SF?
Following her win over Zheng in the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open, Sabalenka is set to face fifth-seed Iga Świątek in the semifinal of the tournament.
Świątek is the four-time defending champion at the clay-court Grand Slam, and she began her run by defeating Rebecca Šramková in the first round, winning 6-3, 6-3. She triumphed over Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 in the second round and then registered a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Jaqueline Cristian in the third round.
In the fourth round, the former World No. 1 overcame 12th seed Elena Rybakina in three sets, winning with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Świątek then advanced to the semifinals by defeating 13th seed Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
Sabalenka and Świątek have faced each other 12 times on the WTA Tour, with the Pole holding the lead between the two, having won eight of those encounters. Their most recent clash took place in the semifinals of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, where Sabalenka emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-3. She went on to defeat Jessica Pegula in the final to win the title, claiming her sixth WTA 1000 title and 15th career title on the WTA Tour.
The winner of the semifinal match between Sabalenka and Świątek at the 2025 French Open will advance to the final, where they will face either second-seed Coco Gauff, sixth-seed Mirra Andreeva, seventh-seed Madison Keys or wild card Loïs Boisson.
