Zheng provides proof of recovery in Doha

Zheng Qinwen believes she will play her way back into her best tennis after the China women's No 1 staged a resounding comeback to beat Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the WTA 1000 Qatar Total Energies Open in Doha on Monday.

After losing the first set, Zheng, the 2024 Paris Olympic champion, gradually found her rhythm and finished the match with an impressive 20 aces for a confidence-boosting win in what was her first competitive game since September.

"Me and my team, we are working so hard on that because I've been out for six months with my elbow," said Zheng after the win.

"That's not easy and I want to come back really strong. I'm glad I did that in the first match, but it's tennis - it has to be consistent, it's not only one round."

Following last summer's Wimbledon tournament,Zheng decided the time was right for arthroscopic minimally invasive surgery on her right elbow. While she made a comeback at the China Open in September,the Hubei native had to withdraw again due to a recurrence of the injury, and subsequently missed both the Australian Open and the Abu Dhabi Open.

Monday's match was her first appearance on the WTA Tour in 133 days, and the nature of the win gave her encouragementthat she was returning to full fitness.

"I think when you come back from injury, it's never totally pain-free," Zheng, whose WTA ranking has slipped from a career high of 4 to 26, added.

"It always comes with an up and down process. Sometimes, when you wake up, you feel better. Sometimes, when you wake up, you feel a bit worse. But generally, I believe my elbow is making progress because I could feel it.

"When I was at the China Open, I wasn't sure I should play, so I would say my elbow right now isat a really good stage, and I can keep going for another two hours serving 190[km/h]."

Next up for Zheng is United States qualifier Alycia Parks, who also came from behind to defeat 15th seed Diana Shnaider, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

"I would say there's still a lot of things I could do better during this match, and I'm just happy I get a chance in the next match to do better in my tennis," the Chinese star said.

In gearing up for her much-anticipated comeback, Zheng dedicated months to intensive rehabilitation therapy and physical conditioning. On Saturday, she shared a seven-minute training clip on social media, offering an unvarnished glimpse into her arduous journey to recovery.

"During this period, elbow rehab and physical conditioning became my daily routine. As much as I longed to get back on the court, all I could do was focus on my physiotherapy and rehabilitation training," Zheng said.

Marc Boada, Zheng's physical therapist, added: "Qinwen is very stubborn, she knows clearly what she wants and she's gonna do everything to achieve that goal.

"If she thinks this is gonna be good for her tennis, no matter how hard it is, it's doesn't matter how much she is suffering, she's gonna do it just to make it possible."