China tennis duo gain confidence boost after amazing French Open run

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China's women's doubles pairing of Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai reflected on the confidence they gained from their run in the French Open despite losing in Sunday's final.

The Chinese duo lost 6-2, 6-3 to second-seeded Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in the women's doubles final.

"We got chances in the match but let them slide away, and our momentum went a bit down. They played better and better," Zheng admitted, adding that she and her partner will make better preparations if competing again in the future.

For Zheng, the final was a chance to learn from their opponents. "They had three consecutive final appearances at Grand Slams. We need to learn from them on how to play aggressively and fearlessly in the match. If we made the final sometime in the future, we will also do it that way."

Reaching the final at a Grand Slam tournament when partnering for the first time, both players shed light on how they gained confidence from the result.

Duan Yingying (L) and Zheng Saisai during the award presentation after their French Open final, June 9, 2019. /VCG Photo

"We advanced to the final in our first partnering experience, also moving past strong opponents. We have experienced a lot, which brought us great confidence," Zheng pointed out.

"We have many matches to go. Despite finishing runner-up, we have harvested a lot from the competition and there is much space for improvement," Duan echoed.

Duan, who had been absent for three months due to sickness, felt that she had undergone a huge challenge on her way to the Grand Slam final.

Zheng was in tears following her exit from the singles tournament. She admitted that she felt very disappointed about her elimination, but emphasized that she should approach everything in a positive manner.

"As long as you keep a positive mind, everything may make its return," she added.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency