Huddled around a small television in a classroom in China, a group of schoolgirls cheered as Li Na won the 2014 Australian Open, becoming the first Chinese tennis player to win a grand slam title.
Among them was Zheng Qinwen, who, exactly 10 years after Li’s triumph in Melbourne, was set to take on Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in the Australian Open semi-finals on Thursday.
Regardless of the result, Zheng, one of only four Chinese women to make it to the last four of a grand slam, has already guaranteed herself a place inside the Hologic Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour Top 10 when the rankings are updated on Monday.
“Last year at the Australian Open, I said I wanted to be in the top 10, and one year later I’m here,” Zheng said after her quarter-final victory over Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
Known as Queen Wen among her fans, Zheng looked to be heading out early in that match. She lost the first set and was down 3-2 in the second. However, the 21-year-old came back and won 10 of the next 11 games to seal the win.
The victory confirmed her rise to the top 10 – the second woman from China to do so – but going into the match she had no idea it was a possibility.
Speaking on the court following the historic win, Zheng said: “No, nobody told me anything. It’s good news for me.”
Zheng previously said she watched Li’s Australian Open final victory “more than 10 times”, and she could not hide her delight when she met her idol in person for the first time during the current tournament.
Following her third-round victory over compatriot Wang Yafan, Zheng was engaged in media duties when Li sneaked up behind her and gave a playful slap on the leg.
Impressive performances in Melbourne aside, Zheng’s and Li’s professional careers share a number of other similarities.
Although Zheng now lives and trains in Barcelona, she left her hometown of Shiyan, Hubei at the age of eight to live in the province’s capital and Li’s hometown, Wuhan.
Zheng later moved to Beijing, where she was trained by Li’s former coach, Carlos Rodriguez.
“Don’t think too much. Just keep it simple,” was Li’s advice to Zheng following her third-round win.
An aggressive baseliner with a powerful serve, Zheng has been forced to play three sets on two occasions during this season’s Open.
Her semi-final opponent, Yastremska, has played only three sets once during the tournament, meaning she may have more in the tank when the two meet on Thursday.
However, Zheng has proven she can keep a cool head when the pressure is on.
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Last year, she beat the former world No 2, Estonian Anett Kontaveit, in the first round of the Adelaide International, saving match points to win in a final-set tiebreak.
In October, Zheng beat seventh-seeded Barbora Krejcikova to win the Zhengzhou Open, her second WTA title.
Away from the court, Zheng loves karaoke and has been known to sing in Chinese, English and Spanish.
However, should Zheng match the career highs of Li, it will be the rest of the world singing her praises.
