Wimbledon: Zheng Qinwen says shock Siniakova defeat ‘just another match I lost on grass’
Fifth seed knocked out in first round for the third year running, but says she won’t let it ‘get in my head’
Zheng Qinwen said she would not be overacting to slumping out of Wimbledon in the first round for the third year running, calling her defeat at the hands of Katerina Siniakova “just another match I lost on grass”.
The fifth seed was beaten 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 by the world No 81, the second time in three years Siniakova has knocked her out in the opening round.
While Siniakova is ranked far lower in singles, the Czech Republic player is the world’s best women’s doubles player, and has won 10 grand slams, including three at Wimbledon, so is no pushover on grass.
Still, Zheng wasted a 5-3 lead in the first set and was brushed aside in the third.
“I believe if I get through the first match, I will start to play better and better [on grass],” said Zheng, who proved she could play on grass by reaching the semi-finals at Queen’s Club last month.
“The problem is the first match for me is complicated. But also for myself, I made the match complicated.”