Zheng Qinwen Battles into French Open Quarterfinals with Gritty Win over Samsonova

Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen advanced to the French Open quarterfinals after a three-set victory over Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova. The Olympic gold medalist will next face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

French Open: Olympic Champion Zheng Qinwen Reaches Quarterfinals After Tough Win

2 June 2025 – Roland Garros, Paris

China’s Zheng Qinwen fought through a challenging fourth-round contest on Sunday to secure her place in the French Open quarterfinals, defeating Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

The 21-year-old eighth seed, who claimed Olympic gold on the same courts last summer, extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches.

Despite her Olympic success, Zheng insists she doesn’t see herself as a defending champion in Paris.

“It’s different because at a Grand Slam, we need to play seven matches, and the Olympic Games is six to win gold,” Zheng explained.

“I really don’t consider myself a defending champion. Even though I’m in the quarterfinals, I think it’s still a bit far. I just want to stay calm and fight every single match.”

Quarterfinal Clash with Sabalenka Awaits

Zheng will now face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last eight, after the Belarusian defeated American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.

It will be a high-stakes matchup with the winner potentially facing three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

Notably, Zheng is the only woman to defeat Swiatek at Roland Garros in the past four years, having triumphed in the semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Iga is doing amazing here,” Zheng said. “But like I said before, I just want to stay longer here in Roland Garros and fight for every point.”