Chinese fans bash ‘sore loser' Zheng after Wimbledon exit, question her attitude
The tournament's fifth seed was beaten 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 by world No 81 Katerina Siniakova late on Tuesday – the second time in three years the Czech had knocked Zheng out in the opening round of the grass grand slam.
Afterwards, many on Chinese social media rounded on the 22-year-old, questioning whether she truly belonged among the world's best.
'I feel like she thinks she really is a queen,' one user said. 'Her opponent didn't win because she played well; it was because [Zheng] didn't play well. She doesn't have the power of a queen, so she needs to stop acting like one.'
'Going out in the first round at Wimbledon three times in a row – not many people can say that,' one popular comment on Weibo said.
Zheng Qinwen shows her frustration during her first-round defeat at Wimbledon. Photo: AFP
Another person joked: 'That sore loser expression again', alongside a screenshot of Zheng walking away after her handshake with Siniakova – a reference to previous stories about the Chinese player's cold demeanour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Table tennis world No 2 Wang Chuqin gets traffic fine before heading off to WTT event in US
Table tennis star Wang Chuqin was fined and had a point deducted from his driving licence following a road violation earlier this month. Advertisement The reigning men's singles world champion, who won his title at the ITTF Table Tennis World Championships in Doha in May, was reported to have crossed a solid line and turned into the General Administration of Sport of China building in Beijing without indicating. Wang's violations were not detected by road cameras but were reported to the authorities by the public. In March, the 25-year-old from Jilin was also reported by members of the public to have driven his car while wearing only slippers. Wang was not punished at the time, but the incident did spark controversy. In response to the reports, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau retrieved the electronic surveillance video of the road, from the East Gate of Tiantan to the lower section of Yuting Bridge, to confirm the violations. Advertisement Wang, the world No 2, was reportedly fined 200 yuan (US$27.91) and visited the Dongcheng Traffic Detachment Tiantan Brigade on the same day to settle his punishment before heading to Las Vegas to take part in the World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong well-placed to referee commercial sports disputes
Hong Kong is taking another important step towards becoming a go-to destination for dispute resolution. A month after launching its first legal body to solve international disputes through mediation before a neutral third party, Hong Kong is inviting proposals to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute arbitration. The convention signed by 33 countries to establish the Hong Kong-based International Organisation for Mediation is a groundbreaking China-led initiative to promote amicable dispute resolution. Hopefully, before too long, dispute resolution by formal mediation can also be extended to the sports sector. Few sectors can match the growth of sport and its universal appeal across borders and cultural divides. Along with increasing commercialisation, this has created fertile ground for disputes at the elite level. Experts say the pilot two-year programme for sports dispute resolution is a key step towards a neutral intervention mechanism. The Department of Justice says it is seeking joint proposals from an administrator and a technology provider by July 31. Given Hong Kong's international standing in arbitration, a sports dispute resolution process would not have to start from scratch. The proposed pilot scheme follows a pledge in the chief executive's policy address in October to explore establishing such a system. Along with the new organisation for mediation, this can enhance Hong Kong's reputation as an international centre for dispute resolution. The increasingly commercialised sport sector is generating more diverse and complex disputes, leading to the creation of institutions to settle them. The leading example is the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Switzerland.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Zac Purton blasts past last season's tally with another magnificent Sha Tin four-timer
Magnifique and Zac Purton (white and red) win at Sha Tin on Saturday. Photos: Kenneth Chan Zac Purton breezed past last season's tally with another four-timer headlined by the gutsy win of Magnifique in the Class Three Chow Silver Plate (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Saturday night. The 42-year-old moved past the 130-winner mark and then onto 132 victories following the success of David Hall's promising three-year-old, but there was a sour footnote with the Charm Spirit galloper found to have bled post-race. Magnifique pulled hard throughout the race after settling midfield and made rapid ground to find the lead 200m from home, looking set to win by multiple lengths. That was not the case, however, as he leaned right in the closing stages and found just enough to fend off Righteous Arion by a neck. Nice talent! Magnifique extends his record to three wins from his first four starts for David Hall as @zpurton makes it a four-timer at Sha Tin... 🙌#SummerSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) July 5, 2025 The winning margin does not do his win justice, but a lengthy spell on the sidelines is now likely as he is nursed back to health. 'He came up very comfortable, [Zac] had plenty of horse and was going to go right over them and win like the good horse he is, but the reason he slowed down was because he bled,' said Hall. 'He's one of those highly strung sprinting horses – he's always a bit on edge so normally he's the type of horse it happens to.' 'It's a bit unfortunate and puts a dampener on the win, of course, but he'll have a long break and we probably won't see him again until November. It's just unfortunate as he's a horse with a lot of potential.' HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. That was the fourth leg of another brilliant winning day for Purton, who also scooped the Class Four Wong Cup (1,200m) for Hall with $2.2 favourite Mr Energia. Mr Energia makes it look easy! David Hall's galloper cruises to a third win this season under @zpurton today... #SummerSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) July 5, 2025 Purton sat wide throughout the race but was always handy and made ground sharply on the turn for home, soon taking the lead and quickening up smartly to win one and three-quarter lengths. After seconds in two of the next three races, Purton was quickly back in the winners' enclosure when the Tony Cruz-trained Igor Stravinsky surged down the outside to claim the Class Four Stevenson Cup (1,200m). Purton was always niggling away at the Irish import and the pair looked in trouble as the leaders quickened up, but the champion jockey got a brilliant tune out of his mount in the final 200m for a cosy success. And things got even better just one race later when $2.2 favourite Fortune Boy fended off a late challenge from Forever Folks to win the Class Four Ip Jug (1,800m). On fire again, @zpurton! 🔥 David Hayes' Fortune Boy sneaks in as favourite to give the eight-time champion jockey a three-timer at Sha Tin... #SummerSeries | #HKracing — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) July 5, 2025 Purton was always travelling kindly in midfield and made his move at the 300m pole, making rapid ground in the middle of the track to overhaul the early pacemakers. Favourite backers would have had a brief moment of panic as Forever Folks closed quickly, but Purton had enough up his sleeve to scramble in by a head. 'It's been good, all the horses have run well. It's nice to have a reasonable day towards the end of the season,' said Purton. It could have easily been a five-timer for the Australian, but he was denied that honour when $1.7 favourite Patch Of Stars was beaten in the concluding Class Three Chairmen's Day Handicap (1,400m) by Cruz's Beauty Crescent. The hot favourite was planted in midfield and still had plenty to do as the field turned for home. Although Purton closed with menace, he never looked likely to stretch clear and was ultimately collared late by Beauty Crescent.
