At WTA Dubai, China's golden flower Zheng Qinwen ushered in a high-profile match against the powerful Potapova. Not only are these two players close in age, but they also emerged almost at the same time, and their strength is almost the same. The last three games they have played each other have been filled with intense confrontations, especially those that are tied at 7-6, which is creepy to watch. Although Potapova hasn't been as good as Zheng Qinwen lately, she has been a tough opponent and this bout is full of suspense.
Potapova was noticeably poor in the first set, and her form was not fully adjusted. In contrast, Zheng Qinwen's serve success rate is not high, but she was able to capitalize on Potapova's service errors. Potapova has been complaining about her serve, with a low second-serve win rate of 32 per cent, which led to her conceding multiple break points. Although Potapova also had her moments of successful breaking, there was still a clear gap compared to Zheng Qinwen. In the end, Zheng Qinwen took the lead 6-3 and won himself a certain advantage.
In the second set of the match, Potapova still couldn't fully come out of the slump. After Zheng Qinwen took the lead in holding serve, Potapova made more and more mistakes, and the score was forced to be very tight. Although Potapova managed to salvage some key points, Zheng Qinwen's serve fluctuated a bit in the third game, which gave Potapova some chances. However, Potapova was rather passive in the face of Zheng's high-pressure attack, and Zheng struggled to hold her serve.
In the fourth game of the match, Potapova showed some impatience and made back-to-back errors to give away two break points. But Zheng was very calm, and she cleverly used the opportunity to complete the break. In the ensuing situation, Potapova still had problems with her serve, sometimes sending high balls, sometimes showing hesitation on key points, while Zheng Qinwen showed strong first-serve ability and held her serve steadily.
Entering the sixth game of the match, Potapova's service problems became more and more prominent, and various errors continued one after another. At the same time, Zheng Qinwen began to increase his offensive efforts, taking advantage of the opponent's problems to play to his advantages and constantly pulling the score apart. Although Potapova tried hard to resist, she could not resist in the face of Zheng Qinwen's strong pressure, and the overall score came to 4-2.
Potapova still couldn't find an effective solution in the seventh game of the match, and Zheng Qinwen always took the initiative. Despite her occasional mistakes, Xiao Zheng maintained control of the game. Potapova made several mistakes in front of Zheng Qinwen, making it difficult to form an effective confrontation. In the end, Zheng Qinwen easily defeated Potapova with a score of 6-2 and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Race, showing his strength and self-confidence.
Through this match, we not only saw Zheng Qinwen's outstanding performance, but also felt her calmness and decisiveness at critical moments. In the face of strong opponents, she was undaunted and steady, and finally won the victory. Potapova's struggles in the tournament are also a reminder that consistency and mentality are essential in top matches. Zheng Qinwen's victory is not only an affirmation of strength, but also a reward for perseverance and hard work. I look forward to her achieving better results in the next competitions and winning glory for Chinese tennis!