Chinese tennis teen Zheng Qinwen rockets up to No 41 in WTA rankings, Zhu Lin jumps 20 spots to world No 73
- Latest update sees 19-year-old prodigy move up to a career-high ranking after starting the season at No 143
- Zheng says she is looking to close out the year in the top 30 and believes she has the level to be there
China’s Zheng Qinwen has secured a career-high WTA ranking of No 41, thanks to last week’s performance at the National Bank Open in Toronto where she reached the quarter-finals.
Zheng, who started the season ranked No 143, cracked the top 50 earlier this year and has continued to work her way up with some breakthrough results, including at the French Open in May where she upset former champion Simona Halep in the second round.
The 19-year-old moved into the last 16 at this month’s Canadian Open after No 5 seed Ons Jabeur retired with abdominal pain. She then went on to topple Canada’s Bianca Andreescu before falling to former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova.
Zheng’s dizzying 2022 started at the Melbourne Summer Set event where she reached her first WTA semi-final after beating Mai Hontama, former No 2 Vera Zvonareva and Croatia’s Ana Konjuh.
A week later Zheng qualified for her first grand slam at the Australian Open where she defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round before losing to fifth seed Maria Sakkari in straight sets. Her efforts in Melbourne saw her crack the top 100 at world No 80.
Earlier this year Zheng said she was aiming to finish the year in the top 30. That goal is now within her sights.
“I know it’s quite difficult but I believe that my level is there. At the moment I have to get through match by match, point by point. I think I have the level to be there,” Zheng told WTA Insider.
The latest rankings have also seen Zheng’s compatriot Zhu Lin climb 20 spots to No 73 – her highest ranking since 2019.
Zhu saw off rising American Elizabeth Mandlik to capture the title at the ITF W100 event in Landisville last week, and earn 140 ranking points.
The win was Zhu’s third ITF title of the season, following her triumphs at the W60+H Irapuato in March and W25 Monastir in April. It was her second W100 title after her victory at the Shenzhen event in 2019.
The new rankings see British star Emma Raducanu drop out of the top 10 and slip three places to No 13 ahead of the Cincinnati Masters, as she continues her build up to defending her US Open crown.
Williams’ defeat of Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the first round at Toronto was her first victory since Roland Garros 2021, and the 60 points she gained have enabled her to re-enter the rankings at No 612.
