Olympic champion Zheng knocked out of Wimbledon

Zheng Qinwen’s Wimbledon grief came to an abrupt cease as the Chinese language Olympic champion slumped to a shock defeat in opposition to world number 81 Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday.

Zheng exited in the first round for a 3rd straight yr, shedding 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to the unheralded Czech in two hours and 25 minutes in searing heat on Court Three.

It changed into once the fourth time in her past six Mountainous Slam appearances that Zheng failed to win past the third round, a barren budge interrupted by quarter-closing runs at the 2024 US Beginning and this yr’s French Beginning.

After ending as Australian Beginning runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka last yr, Zheng received Olympic gold on the Paris clay in August, beating Donna Vekic in the closing.

The 22-yr-old, sixth in the WTA rankings, has fared less neatly on the grass courts of south-west London.

Following her most unique Wimbledon flop in opposition to Siniakova, the Chinese language star has in no map been past the third round in four visits to the All England Club.