Spanish coach Pere Riba and Coco Gauff have parted ways, after the teenager lifted the 2023 US Open title under his tutelage. They split because Riba needed to step back for personal and family health reasons. Now Riba coaches Chinese sensation Qinwen Zheng.
Zheng has already started turning heads due to her stunning performances at the 2024 Australian Open. After beating Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals in three sets 6-7(4-7), 6-3, 6-1 in two hours and 20 minutes, Zheng is all set to play her first semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
During a recent interview with the Australian Open, the interviewer told Riba that people call Qinwen “queen” and brings some good energy. Riba, in response, revealed a special nickname he had given Zheng. The 35-year-old said he likes to call the Chinese youngster a “kid” because when they joined hands for the first time, she was very young.
She has a lot of nicknames. You know I call her kid, you know, like because when we started to work like she was 17 years old to close to 18, and then from was like really, really young, and I started to say to her kid. And yeah I will continue saying that…and yeah, people love it. Qinwen you know, because of the energy that she brings. Riba via the Australian Open’s YouTube channel
Notably, Riba and Zheng started working together in 2021. Under the Barcelona-based coach, Zheng, who was outside the Top 100, entered the Top 30. The 21-year-old was also named the Newcomer of the Year in 2022.
But they parted ways after the 2023 French Open, after which Riba started coaching Gauff ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon. Zheng, on the other hand, hired Belgium’s Wim Fissette.
Qinwen Zheng will lock horns with Dayana Yastremska for the first time
After defeating Anna Kalinskaya, Qinwen Zheng has now reached her first semi-finals in a Grand Slam event. This made her the third Chinese semifinalist at a Grand Slam event after Li Na (who also won the 2014 Australian Open) and Zheng Jie .
After making it to the last four, Zheng will have a chance to break into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. Before this, Zheng’s best performance at a Grand Slam event was at the 2023 US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals.
Dayana Yastremska, on the other hand, defeated Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. She and Zheng have not faced each other yet, and in the semifinals, it will be their first encounter.
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