Experts from the well-known foreign tennis website Tennis Channel described Zheng Qinwen's loss to Sigmund in the second round of the Australian Open in four words: incomprehensible.

"This is a player who has won an Olympic gold medal and reached the final of the Australian Open last year." Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim said, "It's not like she's going to win the Australian Open, but losing to a player who's almost 37? ”

Sigmund is a seasoned veteran who is currently ranked 97th in the world, but with years of doubles success, she showed a maddeningly diverse style of play at Kane Stadium, beating fifth seed Zheng Qinwen 7-6(3) 6-3.

"If you look at the top 100 or 150 players in women's tennis, very few players use a chipper." Former world number one Davenport pointed out that "one of the reasons Barty has been so successful is that she is not only a good player, but also because in her time, very few players were used to handling chipping balls. ”

Davenport analyzed: "And Sigmund is a master of chipping balls. She plays small balls, chipping balls, and throws high balls. Her goal is to not give her opponent any sense of rhythm at all. For Zheng, she didn't play at her best and couldn't find a way to integrate herself into the game by establishing a rhythm. It's also a testament to Sigmund's ability to keep her opponent's whole game plan out of the way, and she's done that. ”

Zheng was originally one of the favourites to win the 2025 Australian Open, but was eventually defeated by Sigmund at Kane Stadium. With coach Pere Riba unable to travel with him due to hip surgery, Zheng may have found part of the reason for the defeat, admitting that she was not 100 per cent at the start of the season due to injury.

"I had some hiccups after the WTA Finals." Zheng Qinwen said at the post-match press conference, "This year, I didn't have the opportunity to play before the Australian Open because my physical problems have not been resolved. ”

Due to the late start of the season and lack of form, Zheng Qinwen ran into the most unsuitable opponent for him. "Zheng is also the type of hitter: she likes to play at her own pace." Prakash Amritraj commented. "We saw at the United Cup that Sigmund is very good at doubles, and she has no trouble volleying in front of the net and switching angles."

"When you can volley in front of the net, when you shorten the round, the ball comes back faster, and the opponent gets a little bit flustered. Sigmund was able to compress space on the pitch, and I think that was one of the factors that made Zheng struggle even more in in-form games. ”

Since Barty retired as world number one in 2022, the top positions in women's tennis have been dominated by power-batting players, and current world number one Sabalenka is still the best at hitting the ball with a strong swing despite trying to improve her all-round play.

"So the question is: if women are really not good at chipping balls, why not develop better cutting backhand techniques?" Navratilova, a multi-faceted master from the '80s, said, "It's just as puzzling to me. ”(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)