What a pity! WTA Doha: Zheng Qinwen lost 1-2 to Lebakina in a comeback, missing out on the quarterfinals, her opponent was too strong.

On February 12th Beijing time, the WTA1000 Doha women's singles round of 16 just ended a fierce contest. China's promising talent Zheng Qinwen began well but struggled, ultimately losing 1-2 in a hard-fought three-set match to the newly crowned Australian Open champion Lebakina. She was decisively reversed by a very strong adversary, missing the opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals. This outcome indicates that Zheng Qinwen's current level is not yet enough, and her recent comeback from a break also contributed!

Zheng Qinwen has previously been a Grand Slam finalist and is currently ranked 26th. She recently paused her career due to injury but has now returned fully recovered and urgently needs to gain points to improve her world ranking. The Doha tournament is her first event since coming back, and she is eager to perform well to test her form. In the round of 16, she faced the new Australian Open women's singles champion Lebakina, Asia's top player ranked third in the world. Her opponent is currently in scorching form, nearly unstoppable, and feared by all players who prefer to avoid facing her. Therefore, Zheng Qinwen faced a major challenge and winning was difficult; she had to give her all to try to win!

Once the match began, Zheng Qinwen stayed highly focused, using steady serves to consistently pressure Lebakina. In a fierce battle, she took the first set 6-4. However, from the second set on, Lebakina regained her form, breaking through Zheng’s defense repeatedly with powerful serves. Zheng was broken multiple times and quickly lost the set 2-6. In the deciding set, Zheng was stunned early, dropping the first three games to fall behind 0-3, then soon 2-5, facing elimination. Yet she showed fierce fighting spirit, clawing back to 5-5. Still, Lebakina secured a match point at 6-5. In the 12th game, Zheng served with a 40-0 lead but surprisingly lost five straight points, losing the set 5-7 and the match 1-2 after being reversed by Lebakina!

From this match, Zheng Qinwen still showed old problems—her serve remains inconsistent, fluctuating between good and bad. Her later serves were off, and she must improve her ability to win critical points. However, this loss is understandable given her opponent is the hot new Australian Open champion Lebakina. She will continue to work hard in the future. Keep it up!

Written by / Sports Novel