Zheng philosophical after semi thrashing
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Zheng Jie left Melbourne Park upset at how she played her second grand slam semifinal after a brutal drubbing by her idol Justine Henin yesterday.
"Yeah I want to forget this match," Zheng said after the 6-1 6-0 loss, smiling ruefully after her quickfire exit from the Australian Open.
"I learnt a lot of things today. Before I felt like I had dictated play to my opponents but I was the one who was dictated to today."
Zheng's 51-minute thrashing ended China's hopes of a first Grand Slam finalist after defending champion Serena Williams had earlier knocked out 16th-seeded Li Na 7-6, 7-6.
In contrast to Li's breezy mood after her dogged effort to bring down the world No 1, Zheng was crestfallen after losing 12 straight games to Henin.
"She's just such a complete player. You never know what she's going to do next," the 35th-ranked Zheng said of the Belgian, who she rates as her favorite current player.
"The way she controls the tempo during rallies, I just was not able to play the way I would have liked to.
"I think if she carries this game into the final, she has a big chance to be champion."
Zheng, who made the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2008, will return to the top 20, following her surge through the field in Melbourne.
"I thought during the whole tournament my serving and aggression was a lot better than in the past," she said. "It wasn't just that I made the last four. It's because the things I've done in training really came out here so it's been a good harvest."
Zheng and Li became their country's first two players to advance to the semis of the same Grand Slam. Before Melbourne, no two had ever made the fourth round.
"We'll have more opportunities to have a (Grand Slam) champion soon. As to when, I don't know.
"Compared to other countries, the attention devoted to tennis is still not that high in China. I hope there more people can watch and get involved, but, of course, this will require more good results."
