Tennis star Zheng Qinwen makes history
China DailyChina's Zheng Qinwen celebrates victory against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska after their women's singles semi-final match on day 12 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 25, 2024. Tennis star Zheng Qinwen made history on Thursday and became the second Chinese woman to reach a Grand Slam singles final with a straight-set semifinal win over Dayana Yastremska at the Australian Open. Zheng's inspirational victory, cheered on by an enthusiastic Chinese crowd at the Rod Laver Arena, was achieved on the exact 10th anniversary of retired legend Li Na's second major win at the 2014 Aussie Open on the same court, sparking a wild celebration from the local Chinese community in Melbourne as well as fervent fans at home. At just 21 years old, Zheng has carved out quite an impressive upwards trajectory since turning pro in 2020, taking road trips to entry-level ITF tournaments across Europe as the tennis world slowly came out of the pandemic's impact