Zheng Qinwen admitted Saturday she has watched Chinese great Li Na's win in the 2014 Australian Open final "10 times" as she moved closer to matching the exploits of her idol, who surprised her with a visit after the match.
The 21-year-old, known to her fans as "Queen Wen," battled into the last 16 with a fighting 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8) victory over compatriot Wang Yafan.
Their clash was played on Rod Laver Arena, where Li beat Dominika Cibulkova in 2014 to become the first Asian player to lift the trophy at Melbourne Park.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.