China’s Zheng Qinwen kicked off her grass-court season on a winning note, rallying from a set down to defeat Greece’s Maria Sakkari 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 in the opening round of the Nottingham Open.
The hard-fought victory marked Zheng’s first win on grass this season and provided a timely boost after her disappointing first-round exit at the French Open earlier this month. The former world No. 4 showed resilience and composure to overturn a deficit against the tournament’s sixth seed in a contest that lasted nearly three hours.
After dropping the opening set, Zheng responded strongly in the second, dominating the tie-break to level the match. The decisive third set remained tightly contested before the Chinese star secured the crucial break late on and served out the victory to advance to the next round. She struck 10 aces and delivered some of her best serving under pressure during the deciding set.
Speaking after the match, Zheng described it as a difficult battle, praising Sakkari’s level of play while expressing satisfaction at winning the key points that had eluded her in recent tournaments. The 23-year-old has been working her way back from injury setbacks and surgery, which kept her out of action for several months last year.
Confidence Boost Ahead of Wimbledon
Currently rebuilding her ranking after a lengthy absence from the tour, Zheng said she is approaching the grass-court season with a more relaxed mindset and plans to focus on one match at a time. She acknowledged that grass remains one of the more challenging surfaces for her game but emphasized her desire to enjoy competing and rediscover her best tennis.
The victory gives Zheng valuable momentum ahead of Wimbledon and reinforces her reputation as a dangerous opponent capable of producing high-level performances against top players. She will next face the winner of the match between Australia’s Talia Gibson and Britain’s Francesca Jones in the second round.
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