On July 16th, local time, Chinese players returned to the clay courts following Wimbledon. The defending champion and top seed, Zheng Qinwen, secured a 6-3/6-2 victory over Italian veteran and former French Open finalist Sara Errani in the first round of the WTA 250 Palermo Open. This marks her second consecutive year defeating the opponent at this event, starting her title defense on a winning note. Zheng Saisai, who qualified based on protected ranking, made her first singles main draw appearance at a tour-level event in over two years at this Palermo Open. She fell to French player Clara Burel in the opening round with a scoreline of 3-6/3-6.
File photo of Zheng Qinwen
Zheng Qinwen claimed her maiden tour-level title last year in Palermo, expressing in pre-tournament interviews that she hoped to regain her winning form in her “lucky venue.” Despite an early exit at Wimbledon’s first round, Zheng Qinwen demonstrated commendable competitive form upon returning to the clay courts. Her second-round opponent will be Croatia’s Donna Vekic, with whom she has never previously crossed paths on court.
(Text, editing/Wang Fei, photo/Li Jianyi)
Match Report_WTA Palermo: Zheng Qinwen Defends Her Title with a First-Round Victory, Zheng Saisai Exits in the Opening Round. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/tennis-hotline/match-report_wta-palermo-zheng-qinwen-defends-her-title-with-a-first-round-victory-zheng-saisai-exits-in-the-opening-round.html
