US Open – Wang Qiang v Serena Williams: Chinese tennis fans turn on their No 1 after 44-minute quarter-final thrashing at Flushing Meadows
- Fans lament the Chinese No 1’s lack of power against the American while comparing her to Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei
- Wang’s weaknesses exposed in 6-1, 6-0 defeat in her first grand slam quarter-final appearance
In her first quarter-final at a grand slam tournament, Wang was hapless and helpless against the powerful Williams, who hit 25 winners in the match with the mainlander scoring none.
Williams, who has won an open-era record 23 grand slam singles titles, sealed the victory 6-1, 6-0 to set up a clash against Elina Svitolina of Belarus in the semi-finals.
“The statistics are terrible and it doesn’t look like a quarter-final clash,” said one Guangzhou-based fan who posted on Sina Sports online portal while another Nanjing-based fan said, “Her new coach said Wang has some new weapons against Williams … zero winners in a match and this should never happen.”
Another fan from Hubei was fulsome in praise of the American. “Williams played only 70 per cent of her game and has already beaten Wang to an extent that she should rethink her tennis career. It also proves how poor the standard of women’s tennis is in China. I pity every player that has to come across Williams in the tournament, especially Maria Sharapova in the opening round”.
Wang, the world No 18, came under heavy fire for her lack of power in the one-sided encounter, but fans also pointed out Taiwan player Hsieh Su-Wei, who has a similar style to Wang, often prevailed over stronger opponents.