Japanese Naomi Osaka, back on track this year after a sixteen-month break during which she became a mother, was dominated by Chinese Quinwen Zheng (6-2, 6-4) in the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament. Rome, this Monday.
Osaka, former world No. 1 and now 173rd in the WTA rankings, was betrayed by her serve conceded four times. Her week in Rome, however, gives us hope in view of Roland-Garros (26 May-9 June), the highlight of the season, on clay which is not her favorite surface.
Until the loss to Zheng, he had three consecutive wins on dirt, only the third time in his career after Stuttgart in 2017 and 2019. “I’m happy with my tournament, it’s been a long time since I played so well on clay. In fact, I have never played well on clay, so I can be satisfied with this tournament.”explained Osaka who, after her victory in the second round, had compared her progress on earth “to the first steps of a baby giraffe”.
Zheng in the quarterfinals in Rome for the second consecutive year
“It’s been a long time since I played against a player in the top 10 in the world (…) I will learn a lot from this match, in particular that the level is not that different”she added.
For his part, Zheng reached the quarterfinals at the Foro Italico for the second consecutive year. The seventh in the world, finalist of the 2024 Australian Open, will face the Spanish Paola Badosa (126th) or the American Coco Gauff (3rd) in the next round.