China’s Zheng Qinwen successfully defends Palermo clay-court title for Olympics boost
- Chinese player has won 10 consecutive matches at the Sicilian venue dating back to 2022
China’s Zheng Qinwen retained her Palermo clay-court title on Sunday with a hard-fought win over Karolina Muchova in a major confidence boost ahead of the Olympics.
Zheng’s triumph was her 10th consecutive win at the Sicilian tournament, in a run dating back to 2022, when she lost to Jaqueline Cristian in the second round.
The top seed, runner-up at the Australian Open earlier this year, beat second seeded Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
It was the world No 7’s third career title, having also won in Zhengzhou last year.
“I feel, you know, this place has been really special for me,” Zheng said. “I’ve had a lot of great performances here.”
Zheng did not drop a set on the way to a second final of the year, but Muchova pushed her all the way over the course of a gruelling two hours and 49 minutes.