Zheng Jie returns the ball to Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic during their match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London yesterday. Zheng became the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament by beating Vaidisova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Reuters
Zheng Jie created history at Wimbledon yesterday, becoming the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
The Chinese ace beat Nicole Vaidisova, of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to set up a semifinal clash with former winner Serena Williams of the US.
In an earlier match, the upstart Zheng put paid to women’s top seed Ana Ivanovic's hopes of winning her first Wimbledon crown then later went on to beat Hungary's Agnes Szavay in the fourth round on Monday.
The 24-year-old Zheng now becomes the first wild-card entrant to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon and the second at any Grand Slam.
Seeded 133 for the women’s singles event, Zheng, is playing at Wimbledon for only her third time, and is now just two wins away from completing a dream run.
Zheng comes from the Sichuan capital of Chengdu, which was hit by a devastating earthquake on May 12 and she has promised to donate her prize winnings to the disaster region.
（英语点津 Helen 编辑）
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Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
