"Why are these girls bullying Zheng Qinwen almost every round" - Fans divided after Zheng's heated argument with Leylah Fernandez at Wuhan Open

Zheng Qinwen's heated confrontation with Leylah Fernandez during their third-round match at the 2024 Wuhan Open has sparked divided reactions from the fans. The incident happened in the second set when the Chinese, who was seemingly distracted by the Canadian's father's incessant cheering, called him out.

Fernandez got herself involved in the incident after realizing that Zheng had said something to her father, Jorge, who is also her coach. The chair umpire then pacified the situation following which the two players went on to complete the match, with the home favorite winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.

After the match, the World No. 7 revealed the details of what went down during the incident. She stated that after dealing with his cheering throughout the match, she finally asked Fernandez's father:

"You must to talk before I start to return?"

Here's a look at the incident.

Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to the incident. One fan questioned why the WTA players were frequently bullying Zheng Qinwen, possibly alluding to Emma Navarro's comments and Marta Kostyuk's opinion on her Australian Open run.

"Why are these girls bullying Zheng almost every round," the fan questioned.

Another fan said they were slowly becoming a fan of the Chinese because of how she was being treated by the other players.

"Beginning to like Zheng more just because of what the other players put her through," the fan said.

Here are some other reactions from the fans.

"Lol, that zheng eye roll when Leylah says- 'Be respectful'," a fan quipped.

"Idk the girls needa stop playing with her. Bc she will let you have it no matter who you are," a fan mentioned.

"Girl (Leylah)… just serve. If they’re distracting her she should be able to say something. People want any excuse to make Qinwen a villain," a fan said.

However, some fans didn't enjoy Zheng confronting Jorge and one fan also felt that it broke Fernandez's rhythm, who was leading the match when the incident occurred.

"In my opinion, Zheng could talk to umpire if she has any problems with Leylah's box, not just talked to Leylah's team directly," a fan opined.

"Don't know what Zheng said to Leylah's box in game 3 of set 2 (starting to realise why Qinwen isn't the most popular amongst other players), but it completely threw her. Fernandez was brilliant (and in control) up until that point, but not quite the same player after," a fan felt.

Zheng Qinwen to face Xang Winyu in an all-Chinese semifinal at the Wuhan Open

Zheng Qinwen (Source: Getty)

After defeating Leylah Fernandez in the third round, fifth seed Zheng Qinwen ousted third seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a topsy-turvy thriller to reach the semifinals of the 2024 Wuhan Open and setting up an all-Chinese clash with Wang Xinyu. This will be the first meeting between the two women.

Xinyu has been in stunning form at the WTA 1000 event having ousted second seed en route. She defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) to reach the final 4.

The winner of the match between Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xinyu will play either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or fourth seed Coco Gauff in the summit clash.