Qinwen Zheng has done it; the Chinese player secured a Top 10 breakthrough after months of consistent and solid play.
This isn't something that happened overnight because it's been in the making for many months. Zheng finished the 2021 season with a 34-11 record and a ranking of 125.
It was the start of her consistent journey, culminating today in the win over Anna Kalinskaya at the 2024 Australian Open 6-7(4) 6-3 6-1. The 2022 season finished with a 39-19 record, and it was the breakout season for her as she finished in the Top 30 on the WTA Tour ranked number 28.
Last year was another good season with a 42-19 and year-end ranking of 15. That put her in striking distance of the Top 10, and with a wonderful run to the semi-final in Melbourne, Zheng got it done.
It wasn't the hardest run you'll ever see because a lot of things went right with the draw. She bested Ashlyn Krueger, Katie Boulter, Yafan Wang, Oceane Dodin, and finally Anna Kalinsakya. They're all solid players, but none is ranked inside the Top 50.
Still, a tennis match needs to be won regardless of who your opponent is, and Zheng went out and won every match, including this last one, which wasn't easy at all. Now she'll get a chance to play for her maiden Grand Slam final, which could push her further up the rankings.
Right now, on the live rankings, Zheng sits at number 10 after getting 780 points for her run so far. That gives her 3430 points overall, over 400 more than 11th-placed Krejcikova has and only 90 points behind 9th place Karolina Muchova, with 3520.
If she beats Dayana Yastremska, Zheng will get about 600 more points, which could push her up to number 7 on the rankings.
Live WTA Rankings (Jan 24th, 2024):
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 6. | Ons Jabeur | 4076 |
| 7. | Marketa Vondrousova | 3846 |
| 8. | Maria Sakkari | 3710 |
| 9. | Karolina Muchova | 3520 |
| 10. | Qinwen Zheng | 3430 |
| 11. | Barbora Krejcikova | 3081 |
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