Wuhan Open: Zheng Qinwen to face Wang Xinyu in clash of China’s Olympic medallists
Coco Gauff, who won last week’s China Open, will meet Aryna Sabalenka in the other semi
Zheng Qinwen set up an all-Chinese semi-final with Wang Xinyu at the Wuhan Open after overcoming Jasmine Paolini of Italy on Friday.
Fifth seed Zheng, winner of Olympic singles gold in Paris this year, overcame third seed Paolini 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in their quarter-final, after Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist Wang saw off Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 7-5, 7-6.
US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will face world No 4 Coco Gauff in the other semi-final after both players earned straight-set wins in the last eight on Friday.
Wang, playing in the first WTA 1000 quarter-final of her career, fought back from 3-5 down to Alexandrova in their deciding set and saved two match points before punching her ticket to the final four.
“I’m super-happy that I made it to my first semi-final in China,” the 23-year-old said. “It’s extra-special feeling for me. Playing in front of the home crowd here, I really enjoyed it.
“It was a really tough, tough match. Both of us, we left everything out there. It all came down to I think a few points, especially in the tiebreak.”
