China's tennis ace Zheng Qinwen on Friday expressed her confidence in delivering the best performance at the WTA Finals debut against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, saying that she has the strength to beat anyone.
Zheng, 23, will make her tournament debut in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia and face off her long time rival Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Purple Group of WTA Finals not earlier than 23:00 Saturday Beijing Time.
The World No.7 said that she feels great and looks forward to the forthcoming matches against the world's top women tennis players.
"At the moment I feel like I'm in a relaxed frame of mind going into this finals. And for myself, I hope I can play my own tennis game, because I always believe that as long as I play my own game, I have the strength to beat anyone. But in finals, you will have to face up to very strong opponents at the very beginning, which means that you don't get so much buffer time like in tours. You have to stay in a high state of play, then you fight from the first score to the last. Because the players here all master at key points, sometimes the chances just slip away if you are not careful. I think I've got to be super focused to stand out from the finals," Zheng said.
Zheng acknowledged Sabalenka as a formidable opponent but remained confident in her own abilities.
"I know Sabalenka is definitely a very tough opponent, but I think I have what it takes to beat her. The question is only when I can really beat her on the tennis court. Like I said earlier, it's crucial to get hold of the key points when playing against her," Zheng said.
Earlier on Oct 27, Zheng defeated Sofia Kenin of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-3 to clinch the title at the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open. She has been adapting to the altitude changes as she transits to Riyadh, the Saudi capital with an altitude about 600 meters higher than Tokyo.
She also took a moment to thank her fans.
"Thanks to the fans who follow me, I will play the next match in Riyadh, and you'll see me on TV, or see me on court if you want to watch my match on-site. I will give my best effort to deliver the best performance in Riyadh," she said.
From Nov 2 to Nov 9, Zheng will join Barbora Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini and Jessica Pegula at the star-studded season-ending tournament of WTA Finals.
The top-two finishers of each group will advance to the semifinals on November 8 and the two winners will compete for the title on November 9.
Zheng is the first Chinese singles player to qualify for the WTA Finals since Li Na in 2013, when the latter finished runner-up after narrowly losing to Serena Williams.
Zheng Qinwen poised for WTA Finals in Riyadh
Zheng Qinwen poised for WTA Finals in Riyadh
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday U.S. "economic terrorism" threatens global economy and the sovereignty of nations worldwide.
The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday "the most crushing economic operation ever taken" against any country providing a lifeline to Iran.
"This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," Trump posted on Truth Social, calling the move "an ECONOMIC D-DAY."
In response, Araghchi said on X that the so-called "Economic D-Day" is a diversion from Washington's own crisis: "unprecedented debt and surging interest costs."
"Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat -- and enmity of Iranians. U.S. economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide," he added.
On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending their war in the region on all fronts. Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within a period of 60 days, which ended on Monday, to reach a final agreement. However, the fate of the talks remains unclear following an escalation between the two countries last month.
Washington's anti-Tehran "economic operation" comes as Iran is already under U.S. unilateral sanctions and naval blockade.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Thursday that the United States is now further pressuring Iran under the label of an "economic war," which he views as an attempt to cover up Washington's previous failure.
Gharibabadi said in a social media post that while the United States claims Iran is "on the verge of collapse," it is reaching out to all its allies for help, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.
To cover up its failure, the United States has to create an even bigger failure, Gharibabadi said, adding that the military war had failed to deliver results, and Washington was now calling the next defeat an "economic war."
Trump announced on social media Wednesday that the United States would launch "the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country" against Iran.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has said the country will use more "devastating" weapons if a new war begins against it.
Following the 12-day and 40-day wars imposed against the country in June last year and late February by the United States and Israel, Iran has expanded its military capabilities, IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said in an interview with Iran's Defa Press news agency, which was published on Thursday.
"If another war begins, our weapons will definitely be different ... in terms of the generation of missiles' warheads, as well as their precision and range," Mohebbi said.
The spokesperson emphasized that Iran has never stopped its armaments production, adding, "The destruction power of the warheads used in the IRGC's (new) missiles is far greater than the models used in the previous wars."
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing the country's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region.
Iran's FM says U.S. "economic terrorism" threatens global economy, national sovereignty
