Palermo win prepares Zheng for Paris

China's top ace Zheng Qinwen has thrown down the gauntlet to her fellow Olympic competitors after defending her WTA 250 title in Palermo, boosting her medal prospects in Paris in the process.

A proven world-class competitor on clay, Zheng lived up to her pre-event billing as a hot favorite in Palermo, outplaying Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 2-1 in Sunday's final to successfully defend her title on the Italian island of Sicily — while regaining her winning momentum in time for the Olympic tournament on the same surface.

"It was a really tough match, because I think she's an amazing player," Top-seed Zheng said after beating Muchova, the No 2 seed, 6-4,4-6, 6-2 in nearly three hours on Sunday.

"I think I gave her a lot of opportunities in the second set. I didn't play aggressively enough," said Zheng, who lost to former No 8 Muchova in their only previous encounter at the Madrid Open in 2022.

"It was a really tough match because she's an amazing player. She volleyed very well and had a tough drop shot for me. There were a lot of ups and downs. I was trying to be more aggressive in the third set, and I'm happy that it worked out."

It was Zheng's third career WTA singles title, following her first on home soil in Zhengzhou last year, and secured a career-high ranking of No 7, as she heads into the Olympic tournament at Roland Garros next week as the sixth-seeded ace.

Zheng now has an 11-1 career win-loss record in Palermo. She conceded her only loss at the tournament to Jaqueline Cristian in the second round in 2022, but avenged that defeat to the Romanian in this year's quarterfinals.

"I feel that this place has been really special for me," Zheng said of her winning streak in Palermo. "I've had a lot of great performances here."

Zheng made this week's championship match without losing a set, reaching her first final on the WTA Tour since her maiden Grand Slam final appearance at this year's Australian Open.

With just a week before the all-important Olympic tournament, Zheng's title finish in her final tuneup prior to Paris has proved that she's managed the unusual, sudden surface switch midway through the traditional grass-court portion of the season well enough for a deep run on her Olympic debut.

"I took a couple of days to rest, repair and refresh myself mentally, to recharge my energy, and to get ready to be back on the court," Zheng said of her adjustment, after suffering a consecutive first-round elimination at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

Although starting out on China's hard courts in her junior years, Zheng has developed an aggressive, yet resilient, game by training regularly on clay at her overseas base in Barcelona since turning professional in 2021. She has proved her competitiveness on the surface by reaching the round of 16 at the French Open in 2022.

"Clay is a completely different game from grass. We have done a lot of work on physical (training) to prepare for the Palermo tournament and the Olympic Games," said Zheng, who will represent the Chinese delegation in women's singles and, perhaps, mixed doubles with men's world No 31 Zhang Zhizhen in Paris.

"It means a lot to me to represent China. Of course, there will be a lot of pressure, but I hope I can handle it well," said the 21-year-old Hubei province native.

"Making it to the Olympic Games has been a dream of mine since childhood, and I really hope I can do something great for Chinese tennis."

Mao Yixun contributed to the story.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn