“…Two pieces of Wimbledon history were made on Court No 1 at 4.58pm, when Jie Zheng, the wildcard entrant who has been the revelation of these Championships, defeated Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic to become the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, and the first wildcard player to reach the semi-finals of the women’s singles…”

By Andrew Baker
Source: Telegraph 

Two pieces of Wimbledon history were made on Court No 1 at 4.58pm, when Jie Zheng, the wildcard entrant who has been the revelation of these Championships, defeated Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic to become the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, and the first wildcard player to reach the semi-finals of the women’s singles.

The diminutive 24-year-old from Chengdu beat the No 18 seed 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in a little under two hours, and while the achievement pales beside her third-round ousting of the world No 1 and No 1 seed Ana Ivanovic, her performance proved that she has consistency and heart as well as a game that is difficult for her opponents to cope with.

Zheng, who said she wants to donate part of her winnings to the victims of China’s recent earthquake, regularly delivers her first serve at around 80mph, and her second wouldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding.

Yet she aced Vaidisova, a 5ft 11in Sharapova lookalike, on two occasions, once with great placement and once because the ball came through at ankle height. China’s new heroine will play Serena Williams in the semi-finals, which may turn out to be hard luck: her skidding deliveries would cause more trouble for Venus, the lankier of the Williams sisters.

It might be said that all of Zheng’s opponents at Wimbledon this year have self-destructed, but this is now a lot more than coincidence: it is a trend. There is clearly something about the Chinese player’s game that drives opponents to distraction, and it isn’t just her lack of inches, scuttling shots and goofy grin.

She has stickability, and stays in games and rallies when her rivals might expect her to give up. She also gets around the court with great speed, and can hit the ball on both flanks with a power that belies her slight frame.

The can-do girl from Chengdu is already the most sensational and endearing story of Wimbledon 2007. Can she now go and beat a multiple champion?

“I wish to win,” she said. “The Wimbledon is very historical cup, and it has very far reach affection in China.”