China's tennis star Zheng Qinwen eases past through 71st-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia with 6-1, 6-1 in 75 minutes in the women's second round at the China Open in Beijing on September 28, 2024. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen eased past 71st-ranked Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia with 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of a highly anticipated match at the China Open on Saturday. 

The match attracted more than 12,000 fans to the 15,000-capacity Diamond Court at the National Tennis Center in Beijing. 

Making her debut at this year's China Open thanks to a first-round bye as the fifth seed, Zheng said she was satisfied with her performance on Saturday after suffering frustrations since the US Open.

"I'm very satisfied with today's overall performance. I always practice with male players during training, and I often get beaten, which is frustrating, but today's match went really smoothly. I haven't had such a smooth match in a long time, especially since every match at the US Open was tough," Zheng said after the match. 

"I was surprised to see so many fans at the venue today, and I really appreciate everyone's support. I hope I can go further in the China Open, so you all can have more opportunities to watch me play."

Saturday's match was only Zheng's second appearance in the tournament after a surprising first-round exit in 2023. Zheng is currently ranked No.7 in the world, going up from world No.23 at this time same time in 2023. 

Zheng will take on 25th seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in the third round. 

Zheng has expressed a desire to shift her focus away from the overwhelming glow of her Olympic gold medal in the women's singles and instead focus on her WTA Tour events, as her objective for the rest of the season is clear: to secure a spot in the year-ender WTA Finals. 

Zheng currently sits at No.9 in the Race to the Finals, trailing US players Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins by 498 and 108 points, respectively. 

Zheng's Finals campaign was made easier ahead of Saturday's match after compatriot and veteran Zhang Shuai defeated Navarro on Friday in the first round.