Zheng Qinwen may not have managed to make a deep Doha run but she has all the reasons to be super satisfied with how her comeback went.
Two months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow, the Chinese returned to action in Beijing, only to retire in her second match after realizing that her elbow was nowhere near where it needed to be for her to compete at the highest level.
This week, Zheng played her first tournament since September and only the second since Wimbledon. And this time, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist won her opening two Doha matches and heavily tested Elena Rybakina before the reigning Australian Open champion claimed a narrow 4-6 6-2 7-5 round-of-16 win.
Against Sofia Kenin in her first match, Zheng posted an outstanding stat-line as she fired 20 aces and 43 winners. Then, the current world No. 26 defeated Alycia Parks and nearly ended Rybakina's winning streak.
While Zheng's performance was rock-strong, the most important thing for the 2024 Australian Open finalist is the fact that her elbow didn't cause her any trouble. And that's the most important thing and encouraging sign going forward for the 23-year-old.
Why is Zheng’s right elbow holding up the biggest win?
After arriving in Doha to kick off her 2026 season, Zheng admitted that her fears were so big at one point that she "just prayed" for the issue to go away.
“When I was at the China Open, my elbow still didn’t have full extension or the flexion. At one moment, I thought my elbow would stay like this forever, that I would never be able to bend my right arm like I can bend my left. I was praying, I don’t know if it was to God or something else, but I just wanted my elbow to get back to normal. I don’t pray for winning matches. I just prayed for a normal elbow," the Chinese admitted.
Zheng will resume action in Dubai next week before heading to the United States for the Sunshine Double.
