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Olympic champion Zheng battles into French Open last eight / Photo: ALAIN JOCARD - AFP
NYSE - LSE
Olympic champion Zheng battles into French Open last eight
Chinese eighth seed Zheng Qinwen secured a place in the French Open quarter-finals with a hard-fought three-set victory over Russian Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday.
The reigning Olympic champion extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Zheng said that she does not feel like a defending champion despite winning Olympic gold at the same venue last summer.
"It's different because Grand Slam we need to play seven matches, and the Olympic Games is six matches to get a gold medal," she said.
"I really don't consider myself as defending champion. Right now even though I'm in (the) quarter-final, I think I'm still a bit far, and I just want to stay calm and fight every single match.
"Forget what happened last year, but just fight at this moment in Roland Garros."
Zheng will continue her bid for a maiden Grand Slam title against world number one Aryna Sabalenka after she beat Amanda Anisimova.
The winner of that clash could face three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals.
Zheng is the only woman to beat Swiatek at Roland Garros in the last four years after her semi-final win at the Paris Games.
"I feel she's doing amazing here, but you know, for me I will just keep going because, like I said before, I want to stay longer here in Roland Garros," she added.
N.Zimmermann--BlnAP
