Zheng Qinwen makes winning return, eases past Arango at China Open
Chinese world No 9 back on court for first time since crashing out of Wimbledon in first round
Zheng Qinwen made a winning return to tennis on Saturday, easing past Colombia’s Emiliana Arango in the second round of the China Open in her first match since undergoing surgery on her right elbow.
Back on court for the first time since she was beaten in the first round at Wimbledon by Czech player Katerina Siniakova, Zheng wasted little time in putting together a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
The world No 9 opened her account with an ace against lucky loser Arango and then dominated the second set, advancing to the third round in Beijing and wrapping up her first win since reaching the semi-finals at Queen’s in June.
“I’m really happy to play in front of my home crowd, especially coming back from injury, two months without competition,” the 22-year-old said. “I wasn’t in my best shape. I still have maybe 10 per cent left, or 20 per cent left of my speed.”
Zheng has yet to drop a set against the Colombian, with her previous wins including a straight-sets victory in the second round of this year’s French Open, and next she plays the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova, who is ranked 27th.