Zheng Qinwen suffers earliest French Open exit with first round loss (updated)

PARIS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- China's Zheng Qinwen suffered a shock first-round exit at the French Open on Monday, falling 6-4, 6-0 to Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

Zheng, who had reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year, struggled to find her rhythm against the world No. 114 and was unable to recover after a late collapse in the opening set.

Trailing 4-1 in the first set, Zheng battled back to level at 4-4. But the Chinese then lost the next eight points and dropped the set 6-4.

Zheng failed to halt the slide, losing six consecutive games as the Pole completed a dominant 6-0 set to seal victory in just one hour and 30 minutes.

Zheng committed 32 unforced errors against just five from Chwalinska.

"The defeat has nothing to do with my coaching team. It is more about me not doing well on court," Zheng told media afterwards. "Her topspin was really excellent, and I didn't handle it well today."

"I had a tailored tactic before the match, but her topspin was bouncing much higher than expected. At one point on the court, I even hit the line judge with my racket, because I couldn't move back any further," Zheng added. "Normally, on a bigger court I would have more space to adjust backward, but today I simply didn't have that room."

The defeat marks the earliest French Open exit of Zheng's career. The 23-year-old has now competed at Roland Garros five times, and this is the first time she has failed to advance beyond the opening round.

Zheng enjoyed her best run in Paris in 2025, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.

"I didn't expect to leave Roland Garros in the first week," she said. "This is a very painful defeat for me, but perhaps it can give me a different perspective and help me to come back stronger next time."

After failing to defend the quarterfinal points she earned at Roland Garros last year, Zheng, who missed a series of matches due to injury last summer, is projected to fall outside the world's top 100.

"I haven't discussed my upcoming schedule with my team yet. But given the current situation, I may need to start again from lower-level tournaments," Zheng added. Enditem