Aryna Sabalenka Overcomes Qinwen Zheng Despite Serving Issues In Miami
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Aryna Sabalenka defeated Qinwen Zheng relatively comfortably in the 2025 Miami Open quarterfinal, but struggled much more than usual on her serve.
The three-time Grand Slam champion did not drop a set in her first three matches of the tournament. That included a win via retirement and beating the defending champion Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Sabalenka probably had additional confidence before the match because she had won all five of her previous contests against Zheng. The Chinese star only managed to take one set during those losing efforts.
All of Zheng's victories in the previous rounds were against Americans: Lauren Davis, Taylor Townsend, and Ashlyn Krueger. While they are all capable players, Sabalenka was always going to be a more significant test.
Zheng created the first break point chances in Sabalenka's opening service game, but could not convert them. That proved costly since she struggled on her own serve throughout the entire match.
Sabalenka broke to go 2-1 up and was immediately comfortable on Zheng's serve. The 2024 WTA Finals runner-up has one of the most powerful first serves on the WTA Tour, but her first serve percentage was lower than usual, which proved damaging.
Zheng broke back to make it 2-2, but she did not win another game in the first set after that. It felt slightly harsh on the 22-year-old since she did not play badly in the rallies and came close in a few of the lost games.
However, Sabalenka showed her elite mentality in the most pivotal moments. She broke Zheng three times to secure the opening set 6-2, the 11th in 12 she had won against her younger opponent since their rivalry began.
It was extraordinary how much both women struggled on serve in the second set, considering how strong they usually are in that department. Zheng began the set with a hold, but an unexpected streak started afterward.
There were six consecutive breaks. Zheng began returning Sabalenka's first serve outstandingly well. The Belarusian did not enjoy the depth and pace of the returns that the Chinese No. 1 hit.
But Zheng continued to get repeatedly hurt on her second serve. The young WTA star's first serve percentage of below 50% gave Sabalenka plenty of looks at her second delivery, and Zheng only won 19% of second serve points in the match.
A seventh consecutive break looked inevitable when Sabalenka fell 40-0 down at 3-4. The two-time Australian Open winner then stepped up and produced some blistering shot-making to hold, including an incredible rally at 30-40.
Zheng got just her second hold of the match at 4-4 before finding herself in trouble again when Sabalenka held. She could not fend off the pressure, and the world No. 1 broke to leave her serving for a place in the semifinal.
Sabalenka made no mistake and sealed a 6-2, 7-5 triumph. She will face Jasmine Paolini, who has beaten her twice, in the semifinal. However, Sabalenka won their last meeting at the 2024 WTA Finals.
Sabalenka is letting her tennis do the talking at the Miami Open. When asked about the PTPA's controversial and surprising lawsuit, she did not want to talk much about it, although she is interested in players receiving a higher percentage of the revenue created.
