Qinwen Zheng's dream was interrupted at the Australian Open final against Aryna Sabalenka. The 2023 defending champion won with a score of 6-3 6-2 without giving up serve during the match.
"I think the difference was the beginning, I couldn't hold serve. Then later, when I had the chance to break ahead 40-0 I couldn't do it. You know, that little moment makes the match so different You know, if I play against Sabalenka at this level, if you don't take the opportunity the match ends very quickly. She's a really aggressive player. If you let go of a chance, it will happen like today.
There's nothing else I can say about the match. Yes, because basically I think I could have done much better than this. There's a chance I didn't catch. If you're talking about nervous, it was fine. I think the difference is Aryna, she takes off the pace compared to other players. So yes, that's the difference," said the Chinese player in a press conference after the match.
"I would say first of all that to play against her I think it's very important to hold your serve, because she has a really good serve too. She is obviously aggressive, but I have to be more in control and at the same time be as aggressive as her. Today, I didn't give my best. It's really a shame for me, because I want to play better than this.
I have to work more on my tennis, work more on my mental side, work more on myself to get through this moment. Because if you lose, there has to be a reason behind it and we have to try to understand why and then come back stronger and better next time. I would say there are a lot of difficult matches for me coming up. I think I can learn more from today's defeat, and then I just hope that next time I can come back as a better tennis player and come back stronger," added Zheng.
The amazing outfit dressed by Qinwen
The very strong and beautiful Qinwen was photographed in a $2,850 wool-blend tweed dress designed by Italian brand Miu Miu, as she posed with the runner-up trophy of the Australian Open. The Chinese girl is enchanting in her very luxurious outfit, of which you can see the photo below in the X post shared by @nontennisfits:
Qinwen Zheng photographed with AO finalist trophy, Jan 2024
— off-court outfit intrigue (@nontennisfits) January 30, 2024
Miu Miu @MIUMIUofficial tweed wool-blend mini dress with gold-tone buttons ($2850)
📷: Robert Prange pic.twitter.com/FFXtT2uP3O