Paris Olympics 2024 champion Zheng Qinwen pulled out of the ongoing WTA Ningbo Tennis Open due to health reasons. The main draw of the tournament began on October 14, and attracted several top-ranked players. According to the schedule of the WTA 500 event, the top four seeds received a bye in the first round. The Chinese tennis pro, being the second seed, was scheduled to play in the second round.
She was set to lock horns with the winner of the match between Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic and Australia’s Olivia Gadecki. Zheng’s season highlight came during her history-making run at the Paris Olympics 2024 where she took down World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Zheng won China’s first Olympic singles gold in tennis.
Zheng Qinwen withdraws from Ningbo Open due to health reasons
The 22-year-old tennis pro announced her withdrawal from the tournament and apologised to her fans for the same. Zheng was quoted by Xinhua as saying, “I deeply regret having to withdraw from the Ningbo tournament. After competing in the China Open and the Wuhan Open, I have sustained some injuries and have also caught a cold. I hope to return and compete in Ningbo next year. I sincerely apologise for my withdrawal.”
After her Paris gold, Zheng made it to her second consecutive US Open quarterfinal, semifinal at the China Open in Beijing and Wuhan Open final. She lost her first career WTA 1000 final to Aryana Sabalenka. She became the first Chinese player in over a decade to qualify for the WTA Finals Riyadh.