23YO Star Breaks Down in Tears After Emotional French Open Exit: ‘Very Tough Loss’

Back in 2024, Zheng Qinwen ruled the Paris clay after defeating Donna Vekic to capture Olympic glory and the defining triumph of her young career. But the same red dirt that once lifted her into stardom has become painfully unforgiving, beginning with a crushing straight-set quarterfinal defeat to Aryna Sabalenka last year. Now, Roland Garros delivered an even crueler blow as Zheng’s campaign collapsed heartbreakingly in the opening round.

Zheng Qinwen suffered one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing French Open after crashing out in the opening round against Maja Chwalinska. The Olympic champion fell 6-4, 6-0 as she struggled badly to find rhythm against the world No. 114.

The match initially looked competitive despite Zheng’s slow start. Chwalinska quickly moved ahead 4-1 in the opening set while the Chinese star searched desperately for consistency from the baseline.

To her credit, Zheng fought her way back into the contest and managed to level the set at 4-4. For a brief moment, it appeared the momentum had finally started shifting toward the former Olympic champion.

However, the collapse that followed completely changed the direction of the match. Zheng suddenly lost the next eight consecutive points and handed over the opening set 6-4 to the Polish qualifier.

The problems only worsened in the second set as Zheng failed to stop the momentum, completely slipping away. Chwalinska dominated the rallies, while the former world no. 4 continued spraying errors under pressure.

The Pole eventually stormed through the second set 6-0 to complete a stunning victory in just one hour and 30 minutes. Zheng finished the match with a staggering 32 unforced errors, compared to only five from Chwalinska.

The emotional damage of the defeat became visible during Zheng’s post-match press conference. Tears rolled down her face as she reflected honestly on one of the toughest losses of her career.

Qinwen admitted the pressure and emotions surrounding Roland Garros heavily affected her performance during the shocking first-round defeat. “It was a very tough loss for me, but it may give me a fresh outlook and make me stronger,” Zheng said in her post-match news conference.

The Chinese star also revealed how painful the defeat felt emotionally, especially because of her strong memories in Paris from the Olympic Games. She added that losing in the first round of Roland Garros was “really, really tough for me. It takes time to handle it.”

Now, Zheng faces the difficult reality of potentially competing in second-tier tournaments again to rebuild her ranking and qualify for Grand Slams and WTA 1000 events. Still, the 23-year-old tried to see some positives in the setback, believing more matches could eventually help her regain rhythm and confidence.

“I think the problem was I needed more matches to get into the rhythm,” she explained. “Of course, it takes a while to recover. It’s not an easy moment for us. It’s a difficult moment,” Zheng said.

The defeat now marks the earliest Roland Garros exit of Zheng’s career. The 23-year-old had previously advanced beyond the opening round in all four of her earlier Parisian clay appearances, making this collapse even more painful.

After failing to defend the quarterfinal ranking points she earned in Paris last year, Zheng is now projected to fall outside the world’s top 100 to No. 117. The Chinese star, who already missed several matches last summer because of injury problems, now faces another major setback in her season.

And Zheng was far from the only major casualty in Paris. The opening rounds of this year’s Roland Garros have already produced a wave of shocking upsets, turning Roland Garros into one of the most unpredictable Grand Slam starts in recent memory.

Four former Grand Slam champions crash out brutally from the French Open opening round

This year’s French Open has already delivered massive shocks, especially on the WTA side, where several major names crashed out during the opening round.

Emma Raducanu returned to competition after spending more than two months away because of a post-viral illness. However, the Brit struggled badly early in her match against Solana Sierra and lost the opening set without winning a single game.

Although Raducanu showed some fight during the second set, her inconsistency proved costly throughout the contest. The 2021 US Open champion finished the match with 42 unforced errors as her Roland Garros campaign ended immediately.

Barbora Krejcikova also suffered a painful exit despite making a strong start in her match against Hailey Baptiste. Playing with limited match practice this season, Krejcikova captured the opening set and even held match points before eventually losing in three sets.

Another major casualty came in the form of Sofia Kenin. The 2020 AO champion never managed to settle into a rhythm and was comprehensively beaten in straight sets by Peyton Stearns.

Sloane Stephens also failed to extend her stay in Paris despite successfully battling through the qualifying rounds. The former US Open champion could not carry that momentum into the main draw and saw her singles run end on opening day.

On the ATP side, Taylor Fritz also became one of the tournament’s biggest early casualties. The American suffered a disappointing four-set defeat against fellow countryman Nishesh Basavareddy in a result that stunned many fans.

With so many high-profile exits already shaking up the opening round, this year’s French Open has started dramatically. Attention will now turn toward which other stars could suffer unexpected collapses as the tournament continues in Paris.

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