Zheng enjoys a Wells-timed resurgence with back-to-back wins

Indian Wells is known as the "Tennis Paradise" for a reason, and Zheng Qinwen has finally found the California tournament enjoyable on her third visit.

Of course the world-class facilities and glamorous vibe at the WTA1000 tournament suited Zheng, as well as others, but it wasn't until the Chinese No 1 posted two straight wins for the first time this season — over two bitter rivals she'd never beaten before — that Zheng found the topflight tournament in the Californian desert a pleasing place to be.

"I am just happy to win the match today, because it's my first time to go this far in Indian Wells. This will make me love coming to the Tennis Paradise more," the 8th-seeded Zheng said after beating New Zealand's Lulu Sun in straight sets on Sunday night to advance into the last 16 at the BNP Paribas Open for the first time.

Zheng, who is currently ranked world No 9, will play Ukraine's world No 24 Marta Kostyuk in the next round.

Zheng's 6-4, 7-5 victory over Sun, whose mother hails from China, has helped her avenge an upset by the unheralded qualifier in the opening round at last year's Wimbledon, where the 23-year-old Sun surprisingly fought her way into the quarterfinals on her main draw debut at the All England Club.

Sunday's triumph also marked Zheng's first back-to-back wins this season, after she beat two-time major champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus for the first time in their third encounter in Friday's tournament opener, showing a glimpse of recovery in Zheng's form after a slow start this year.

Cheered on by a small, yet vocal group of local Chinese fans, the 22-year-old reigning Olympic champion overcame a fightback by Sun, who broke Zheng three times in the second set, to kickstart her winning momentum again after a disappointing second-round loss at the Australian Open, followed by consecutive opening defeats at the WTA500 level tournaments in Doha and Dubai.

Zheng attributed the fending off Sun's comeback to "just trying to stay consistent throughout the match" — a key area of her game that contributed to her successful 2024 campaign, and that has been missing at the first three events of this year.

"She is really a good player, and if I hit short balls, she always gets them back. She has strong forehand strikes, so it was not an easy match," said Zheng, who also won two more WTA titles in Palermo, Italy, and Tokyo last year to go with her Olympic gold in Paris.

The fire of revenge she has kept within was more of a strong push, rather than a mental burden, Zheng reckoned.

"If I have to be honest, no, I don't forgive," said Zheng, who also fought into the WTA Finals championship match in her debut at the season finale in November.

"I even remember the match I lost three years ago against (Angelique) Kerber (at Indian Wells), I was leading 4-1. So it's tough for me to lose. I remember, and I try to fight back. I think that's one of my strong points. That's why I try to be better, and here I am."

Now, with her long-term mentor, Spaniard Pere Riba, back in her corner after recovering from a hip surgery, and Zheng herself getting back to winning ways, she seems all set to relaunch her 2025 after a subpar start, looking to build an upward trajectory as she continues chasing her career goals.

When asked which was more important, being world No 1 or winning a Grand Slam, Zheng, without any hesitation, replied: "No doubt, a Grand Slam."

"This was the dream since I was a child. I didn't put world No 1 in my dream, I put the Slams (on top of the list)," said Zheng, whose best performance at a major was a runner-up finish at last year's Australian Open, eventually won by Belarusian world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn