Chinese revel in Zheng success
[b]In the year of the Beijing Olympics, Chinese tennis player Zheng Jiecould not have chosen a better time to put herself on the sporting map.[/b]The 24-year-old has enjoyed a fairytale two weeks to power into the semi-finals at Wimbledon and whip up a storm back home.
Zheng, it seems, is the name on everyone's lips - even though the Games of the XXIX Olympiad start in just over a month.
"Back home in China everyone is into tennis and Jie Zheng is thehero nowadays," Gu Jue, who works for Shanghai TV, told BBC Sport. (x:b0F1k#J
"People have changed their MSN names into 'Zheng Ji go','Zheng Ji keep going', things like that. I think it's really great forus."
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With Beijing looming, it is a godsend for the organisers that people are talking in glowing terms about a Chinese athlete.
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[table=231] [tr] [td=1,1,5][img=5,1]http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif[/img][/td] [td] [b]I hope I can play on my birthday on Saturday but it's a big ask[/b]
Jie Zheng
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[/td] [/tr] [/table] And little wonder. Zheng is the first Chinese tennis player to reachthe semi-final of a Grand Slam in singles, and she has done it from theremarkable position of number 133 in the world after a long spellstruggling with an ankle problem. She had to be given a wildcard to even get into Wimbledon and hasresponded with some stunning tennis, dumping out new world number oneAna Ivanovic in the third round, disposing of number 15 seed AgnesSzavay next and then seeing off 18th seed Nicole Vaidisova in thequarters.#s,v`N0R
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In the process, she went one step further than compatriot LiNa - who reached the last eight at Wimbledon in 2006 - and also becamethe first wildcard to reach the semis of the ladies' singles at SW19.
So, did Zheng expect to enjoy such a phenomenal time at the All England Club? In a word: "No". 'p-]s/?o6q
"I did not think I could reach the semis when I was given awildcard," she admitted. "I have just tried my best and kept going. Ican't believe I've got this far." mU'C7@ l3I]Z'B
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[b][url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/jamesreynolds/2008/07/new_star.html]Tennis isn't (yet) a big sport in China, but that might now change[/url][/b] 5T4a(_ t `)c ? q
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[/td] [/tr] [/table] Zheng turns 25 on Saturday, the day of the ladies' final, but she willhave to get past two-times former champion Serena Williams if she is tospend her birthday fighting for the title."k:K i8OS(C
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"It's a big gift for my birthday which is on Saturday. I hope Ican play on my birthday but I don't want to think about it too much,"added Zheng.
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"Serena is a two-times winner and a very prominent player on grass - I am in the semi-finals for the first time. 3l:\q7S3p@*l7~ o
"In 2004, I lost to her in the first round [6-3 6-1] when she was the defending champion. I hope I do better this time."
Zheng must find a way of combating Serena's awesome power if sheis to have any joy. Standing at only 5ft 4in - seven inches shorterthan the average on the women's tour - this may not be an easy task./@qBcB j@ I&w
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Zheng has tasted success at these Championships before though,winning the women's doubles crown in 2006 with compatriot Zi Yan - intandem, the duo won an astonishing 19 out of the 20 events theyentered, including the Australian Open the same year. h)E o8T'}8Z8M,iN
Tracy Austin, twice a semi-finalist at Wimbledon, told BBCSport that although the Chinese are revelling in Zheng's success inEngland, it is Beijing in August where they want her to shine.
"Once Beijing got the Olympics, the government made an effortto produce these tennis champions and they really went after doubleplayers first," said Austin. nS6Se:s Q
[table=226] [tr][td] [img=226,170]http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44799000/jpg/_44799733_zheng_yan226.jpg[/img] Jie Zheng (left) lifts the doubles trophy with Zi Yan in 2006
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[/td][/tr] [/table] "First of all they brought in the coaches because they were way behind - there were no Chinese players on the circuit. "They brought in very experienced coaches to teach them and after awhile Zheng and Yan won the doubles, the first Chinese players to win aGrand Slam.!M5[ As y { B
"On Thursday, because of the interest in China, there will bemore people watching Zheng's semi-final than ever in the history ofWimbledon.lPG J6A1z}%u Y%w G
"But it's medals they want. It's a couple of years ago when LiNa got to the quarter-finalsand the year before they actually missedWimbledon because they had the Chinese Championships, but it's allreally about the medals and the Olympics."
For Zheng, born in the Sichuan Province of China that was hitwith devastating effect by an earthquake only last month and in whichabout 70,000 people died, she wants her success to be put to greateruse.
"I would like to give the all prize money [to the victims] but cannot," she said. u$}1o&mY-NEj C
"I need to give some back to the tennis association, but ofcourse I will donate all my portion. Apart from that, I will do as muchas I can to help the Sichuan region people because I'm from Sichuanprovince, as well.9J v'R3n,t6@v.d
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"When I go back after Wimbledon, I will do more charity workand encourage more people to come to support the stricken region andhope people from Sichuan will have their new homes as soon aspossible."!w [(t5J6{dP$t
Zheng will also be competing in the singles and doubles at herhome Olympics - maybe her greatest moment on a tennis court is yet tocome. V;h+@B0L,FF"Y8i8A
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Ref. [url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7486378.stm[/url] BBC Sports.
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::81::81::81 ::83 she is really good~ our colleagues discussed it this morning... but i didn't watched the match ::13 last year there were opportunities we could have part time jobs there at Wimbledon T1cZ NY _
but i couldn't go i had to be working on the summer project at school last year
what a pity Sooooooooooooooooooooo proud of her~~ a stunning player~ we all anticipate that she proceeds it and creats a swell of startlingness. [quote]原帖由 [i]reservoir[/i] 于 2008-7-3 18:21 发表 [url=http://bbs.taisha.org/redirect.php?goto=findpost&pid=12031450&ptid=1081580][img]http://bbs.taisha.org/images/common/back.gif[/img][/url]
i had to be working on the summer project at school last year ]/q%H K|4L3Zun
what a pity [/quote]Me too.::13
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