Jie Zheng stuns Caroline Wozniacki to reach quarters – Brussels Open 2013
Chinese contender, Jie Zheng, surprised everyone after defeating the former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, in straight sets at the Brussels Open 2013 on Wednesday. She jolted down a 6-2, 6-4 victory against the Dane to force
her way into the final eight at this WTA Premier event taking place in Brussels, Belgium.
The Chinese was on double duty as she rallied past the American qualifier, Mallory Burdette, in three sets earlier that day before setting up a date with the top seed. Zheng kept her momentum in the second round battle and eventually
secured a spot in the last eight.
The Chinese veteran was quoted in a courtside interview after bagging the match, "She's a very tough player and fought until the last point. I'm so happy I could win this match. We've played many times before and she's always so
tough to beat. I'm very proud and this gives me a lot of confidence."
Zheng made a storming entry at these Belgium courts as she drew the first blood in the opening game to take the initial lead. After the top seed snatched her break back in the fourth game, the Chinese unleashed her skills, clicking
the opener with a 6-2 win.
Currently ranked 51st in the WTA Premier Rankings, Zheng maintained her intensity in the following set. She reeled off the opening four games before the world number 10 could come on the score sheet. The Chinese lost
her serve in the eighth game but remained focused, eventually clinching the set with a 6-4 score line.
Up next for the high flying Chinese is the Swiss challenger, Romina Oprandi.
Wozniacki wasn’t the only seed who exited from Brussels. The third seeded Dominika Cibulkova bowed out to Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi in the opening round. The Estonian star then marched on to overpower Jana Cepelova in the round of
16 before securing a spot in the quarter-finals.
"It was really tough to wake up so early and then play at 10 in the morning! It's tough to play two matches in one day, but I handled it well and I'm happy to have won both matches. I felt a little tired in the second match but
I really focused and tried not to think about it."
The Estonian will now face off seventh seeded Varvara Lepchenko in the last eight. The American seed crushed the British wild card entrant, Elena Baltacha, with a bagel to set up this encounter.
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