Qinwen Zheng battled bravely against Iga Swiatek, but she wasn't able to beat her despite giving it a really good try at the 2024 Dubai Championships.
Zheng and Swiatek played some interesting matches in the past. The Chinese player gave her a tough time a couple of times, but for the most part, Swiatek was able to cruise through the matchup.
This latest match was very similar in that regard. Swiatek once again mostly cruised, but there were a few tricky moments in the match. The opening set was largely one-sided in the sense that Swiatek never lost control of the match.
She looked like the better player even though it was a close match. There were two crucial points: one was on Swiatek's serve, and it was a break chance for Zheng. The Chinese player failed to convert it.
The second one was on Zheng's serve, and it was a break point for Swiatek. She converted it, which was more than enough to win the opening set 6-3. The second set was very similar in the sense that there was a lot of battling going on.
Zheng was pushing quite hard but never got it done. She was actually the player who created the first break point in the second set but failed to convert it.
In the very next game, Swiatek got her own, and she did convert, taking a 3-2 lead. She then navigated a 15-30 game to take a 4-2 lead, and those were the moments that won her the match.
She's been on fire lately, and also in this match, he was just a tiny bit better when it mattered the most, and tennis is such a sport.
A few rallies really can determine the outcome of a match. Swiatek then took a 5-2 lead and finished it off in the next game for the final score of 6-3, 6-2 and another WTA 1000 semi-final.
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