Zheng Qinwen’s attempt against Rybakina ends in defeat, new plans revealed; fans say: The farewell of the Chinese stars at Doha is more of a tribute than a sorrowful goodbye.

Zheng Qinwen’s exit at the round of 16 to Rybakina also formally signifies that Chinese female players have entirely vanished from the Doha singles stage! Yet, spectators and online fans insist that this farewell is not sorrowful but full of heartfelt admiration!

Because Zhang Shuai was knocked out early in the first round of singles qualifying, only Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xinyu represented the Chinese women in this WTA 1000 singles tournament. When their tough draws were revealed, expectations were modest—fans hoped they wouldn’t both lose in the first round, and reaching the third round was considered a successful outcome.

In the end, Wang Xinyu was stopped in the second round, and Zheng Qinwen exited in the third round, meeting the best expectations set before the tournament.

This time, Wang Xinyu and Zheng Qinwen left Doha one after another, and the results were fully accepted because both lost to the same player: the newly crowned Australian Open champion Rybakina.

The reason both Chinese stars still received praise despite their losses is simple: they truly gave their all, but the in-form Rybakina was simply too strong to overcome.

When Wang Xinyu faced Rybakina, after a quick 2-6 loss in the first set, she showed great resilience by leading 4-2 in the second set under immense pressure, temporarily halting the momentum of the new Australian Open champion. This was her brightest moment in the match and earned her much respect.

Unfortunately, Wang’s endurance was slightly lacking; otherwise, after pushing herself to the limit and gaining the upper hand, she likely would have forced a three-set battle, igniting even louder cheers from fans and netizens.

At the moment Wang Xinyu left the court with her bag, some fans boldly predicted that her first career title is near! The reason being that previously she often came close to her maiden title but fell short due to a lack of decisive strength at critical moments. Now, she showed that fighting spirit against the formidable Rybakina. If she maintains it, winning a WTA 250 title should be within reach for Wang.

Zheng Qinwen’s loss to Rybakina moved many even more than Wang’s, as it felt like the passionate young Zheng had truly returned.

Especially in the match against Rybakina, Zheng entered the game very quickly, taking the first set 6-4 and delivering a warning to the Australian Open champion. At that time, it seemed Zheng’s pre-tournament claim of aiming to beat top players like Rybakina and Sabalenka was genuine; she really wanted to make a big impact.

Unfortunately, the toll of two consecutive three-set matches affected Zheng’s stamina, which showed in this crucial match. She lost the next two sets 2-6 and 5-7, allowing Rybakina to complete a comeback and denying Zheng her first post-comeback quarterfinal appearance on the tour.

After the match, many praised Zheng for her effort; even when nearly drained, she managed to keep the final set score close at 5-7 despite trailing 0-3, proving her strong determination to quickly achieve another goal after returning — improving her ranking.

“She played amazingly, with some shots almost unbelievable, and her serve was powerful. I’m glad to see her healthy again. I was leading in the third set but couldn’t capitalize on the chance, though I eventually won,” said Rybakina after the match, showing how much pressure she felt. Zheng’s three matches in Doha also clearly showed she has fully recovered from injury, or she wouldn’t have fought so fiercely against Rybakina in the decider.

Although the farewell of the Chinese female players at this Doha WTA 1000 was not sad, there remains the biggest regret: Zhang Shuai!

After Zhang Shuai’s early loss in the singles qualifying first round, fans pinned hopes on her and Mertens’ doubles campaign, wondering if they could win another doubles title in Doha following their success at the Australian Open.

However, that hope was unexpectedly shattered when Mertens withdrew due to physical reasons, forcing Zhang to exit the doubles competition prematurely and ending her chance to compete for the Doha doubles crown.

After the Doha tournament concluded, the latest plans for Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xinyu were revealed. Zheng plans to head to Dubai to continue competing with top players, while Wang reportedly withdrew from this WTA 1000 event, ending the possibility of seeing the top two Chinese women play side by side again here!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonriver’s Starry Sky)