"I try to be serious but I couldn't control" - Zheng Qinwen relishes chance to sing along to her favorite songs on court for home fans at China Open

Zheng Qinwen relished the opportunity to shake a leg and sing her favorite songs on the court during her 2024 China Open second-round win. The Chinese player was greeted with a great atmosphere at her home event. However, she was surprised that the crowd did not dance along with her.

Zheng received a bye in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament and faced off against Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round.

This was the first time the Chinese player set foot on the court for a match in her home country after earning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. She was welcomed onto a packed Diamond Court with rapturous applause as she stepped in.

The China Open had come under criticism for empty stands during the ATP event, but the crowd at Zheng's match told a completely different story.

The 21-year-old gave the fans what they came to witness. An impressive performance saw her dropping only two games as she bagged a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Her unstoppable performance faced a stoppage only due to the rain soon after which the roof was closed.

During the break, however, the DJ played some of Zheng's favorite songs and she moved along and sang on the court. During the post-match press conference, Zheng admitted she was surprised that her favorite songs were played and she could not control herself.

"I was very surprised they played the song. I try to be serious, but they were playing that music, I couldn't control myself. I had to move with the music, sing with the music, because they were playing the songs I love," Zheng Qinwen said.

"I was curious why the audience wasn't dancing with me. I like the Chinese traditional music. I listen to it a lot. I understand that the China Open played the song because of me," she added.

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Zheng Qinwen does not feel the "burden" of support at the China Open 2024

Zheng Qinwen at the 2024 China Open (Image: Getty)

Before the 2024 China Open, Zheng Qinwen stated she did not feel the pressure of support from her home fans. She doubled down on those comments during her post-match press conference on Saturday, September 28, after defeating Kamilla Rakhimova.

She was asked:

"With so much support, do you feel more expectation and burden?"

Zheng responded:

"No, I don't. I'm past that period when I felt more burden. If I were 19, I would feel nervous because this kind of support would be a burden for me. I'm 21 now. I've been through the waves. Now I'm here on the center court, on this stage. I think this is normal. I am just playing what I'm training for."

The 21-year-old is in fine form as she has now won 17 of her past 19 matches. Zheng has also won 36 matches in 2024, surpassing her record of most matches won on the WTA Tour in a season (35 in 2023).

In the third round at the China Open, Zheng will face Nadia Podoroska on September 30.