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Olympic champion Zheng knocked out of Wimbledon / Photo: © AFP
Olympic champion Zheng knocked out of Wimbledon
Zheng Qinwen's Wimbledon challenge came to an abrupt end as the Chinese Olympic champion slumped to a shock defeat against world number 81 Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday.
Zheng exited in the first round for a third straight year, losing 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to the unheralded Czech in two hours and 25 minutes in searing heat on Court Three.
It was the fourth time in her past six Grand Slam appearances that Zheng failed to get past the third round, a barren run interrupted by quarter-final runs at the 2024 US Open and this year's French Open.
After finishing as Australian Open runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka last year, Zheng won Olympic gold on the Paris clay in August, beating Donna Vekic in the final.
The 22-year-old, sixth in the WTA rankings, has fared less well on the grass courts of south-west London.
Following her latest Wimbledon flop against Siniakova, the Chinese star has never been past the third round in four visits to the All England Club.
A. de Almeida--JDB
