Zheng reaches French Open last eight

Chinese star Zheng Qinwen reached her first French Open quarterfinal, outlasting Liudmila Samsonova in a hard-fought three-set battle.

PARIS, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Less than a year after her historic Olympic triumph on the Paris clay, Chinese sensation Zheng Qinwen recorded her best result at the French Open, reaching the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-3 victory over Russia's Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday.

Although Zheng trailed Samsonova 2-3 in their head-to-head record entering the match, one of her two wins came easily on clay in Palermo in 2021.

This time, the Australian Open finalist had to battle for nearly three hours to secure the win.

The first set stayed on serve through six games before the players exchanged breaks over the next four. Tied at 5-5 in the tiebreak, Zheng held her nerve, striking a patient inside-in forehand winner and then forcing Samsonova to net a shot to close out the grueling 76-minute set.

Samsonova responded strongly in the second, breaking Zheng twice and serving out the set. Zheng struggled with the Russian's wide angles and squandered seven break point opportunities.

Regrouping in the final set, Zheng broke Samsonova in the sixth game when the Russian sent a backhand down the line long.

Serving for the match at 5-3, Zheng fell behind 0-30 but reeled off four straight points, sealing victory after a forehand error from Samsonova.

Zheng will next face the winner of the match between top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Amanda Anisimova of the United States.

The 22-year-old made her Roland Garros debut in 2022, pushing eventual champion Iga Swiatek in a hard-fought fourth-round match that ended 6-7(5), 6-0, 6-2. ■