"Come on, it's Queen" - Qinwen Zheng approves of her 'Queenwen' nickname as she enters maiden Grand Slam QF at US Open

Qinwen Zheng recently talked about her nickname 'Queenwen' in an on-court interview after making it to her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinals at the 2023 US Open.

Zheng delivered a brilliant performance to oust last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur in the fourth round on Monday. The 23rd seed beat the Tunisian fifth seed 6-2, 6-4 in a dominant display at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Zheng became the fourth Chinese woman to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open, following Li Na (2009 and 2013), Peng Shuai (2014), and Wang Qiang (2019).

The clip from Zheng's on-court interview was posted on Twitter (now X) on Tuesday, September 5.

In the clip, the interviewer asked Zheng to share some thoughts about her nickname and if more people are gonna know her as Queenwen after the match, to which the 20-year-old replied:

“I especially love this nickname, Queenwen. Come on, it’s Queen!”

Zheng has been one of the rising stars of the WTA tour this year, winning her maiden title in Palermo, reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Rome, semifinals in Abu Dhabi, and breaking into the top 20 of the rankings in May.

But her breakthrough at Flushing Meadows has been even more impressive, as she has overcome some tough opponents including Jabeur and Kaia Kanepi. The 20-year-old has dropped only two sets in her four matches so far.

---

Qinwen Zheng will face Aryna Sabalenka for a spot in the US Open semifinals

Qinwen Zheng at the 2023 US Open

23rd seed Qinwen Zheng will face a tough challenge against second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open on Wednesday, September 6.

Zheng has reached the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, while Sabalenka has already won the Australian Open this year and will become the new World No. 1 next week.

Zheng has impressed with her aggressive baseline game and powerful strokes, which have helped her overcome some difficult opponents in the previous rounds. She defeated Nadia Podoroska, Kaia Kanepi, Lucia Bronzetti, and Ons Jabeur.

Sabalenka has been dominant in her matches so far, reaching the last eight without dropping a single set. The Belarusian breezed past Maryna Zanevska, Jodie Anna Burrage, Clara Burel, and Daria Kasatkina.

This will be the first meeting between the two on the WTA tour, as their head-to-head record stands at 0-0. Aryna Sabalenka will be the clear favorite to win and advance to her fifth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.