Zheng Qinwen after Miami match: Winning is most important, I need to fight my way out of the jungle!

Early this morning Beijing time, Chinese player Zheng Qinwen defeated former US Open champion Stephens 6-3/6-2 in the second round of the WTA1000 Miami Open, securing a strong opening victory. Having lost her first match at Indian Wells earlier and returning to competition not long ago, for Zheng Qinwen, nothing is more important than winning matches.

Zheng Qinwen expressed this point in her post-match interview: "Actually, the most important thing for me today wasn't how I played, but first securing the victory. I think in my last match, I might have cared too much about exactly how I was playing, because I hadn't been in match condition for a while."

Reviewing the match process, Zheng Qinwen was broken first in the opening set, but after gradually regaining her rhythm, she strongly took control of the match. Discussing her performance, Zheng Qinwen said: "Today in my first two or three service games, my first serve basically didn't go in much; it took about twenty to thirty minutes before I started finding some feel for the match. Actually, after being broken by her today, I had only one thought in my mind: no matter how I was playing, I must first win this match. You don't always need to play perfectly, and I haven't played matches for so long either; I need to give myself more chances."

Although Zheng Qinwen's first-serve percentage in this match was only 42%, the instances of first serves missing were mainly concentrated at the start of the match. Once her serve landed in, it was quite threatening; her first-serve winning percentage and second-serve winning percentage were as high as 84% and 65% respectively.

Evaluating her serving performance, Zheng Qinwen stated it was key to winning: "In today's match, serving indeed played an important role, whether in her service games or mine, because when I could drag the match into a more back-and-forth state, I was actually the more dominant side. I want to improve my first-serve percentage a bit more, because when she broke me at the start, it was because my first-serve percentage hadn't come up. As I play more matches, my first-serve percentage might gradually get better."

Zheng Qinwen's second-round match against Stephens was postponed one day due to rain. Regarding this, she said: "I think this situation was strange. I waited from (Friday) morning, and right when they announced my match was canceled, the second match had already finished, and the third match was ready to go on. So I think it was a very odd decision, because it's not easy for us; now some among us have won one match but have to play three matches consecutively."

However, Zheng Qinwen has a clear understanding of this, frankly stating that only improving her ranking can change this situation: "But this is tennis; if you're not among the top ranks, you can't decide your schedule. So for me, I need to fight my way out of the 'jungle.' When I return to a top position, everything will become easier."

This Miami Open is only Zheng Qinwen's third tournament since her comeback; finding match form remains a top priority. She indicated that only through accumulating match volume can she ignite a hotter competitive level.

"I need those very close scores, those very tense moments to push me into that fiery state. Maybe I need opponents to push me to the limit in matches, and I also need more release points on court. Actually, today's match indeed didn't make me feel that pressure in terms of score, but I truly crave that (fiery) state, and I'm also regaining that state. I now need more matches to hone myself; the true self that reigns on the tennis court can only gradually awaken and be discovered by me within matches."

Interview content sources: Youku Sports, @一阵风的网球视界, WTA official website; Editor: Wang Fei; Image: Visual China.