Zheng Saisai from China captured her first career singles title, defeating Belarusian Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic on Sunday.
“It brings out so much confidence,” Zheng, who is ranked 55th, said (h/t ESPN). “I wasn’t winning, and this week, I beat many seeds. This gives me confidence, but still I’m just going to play my tennis.”
Zheng credited a strong focus on her gameplan as the ingredient to her success on Sunday.
“The tactic is put the ball deep, and whenever I see a space, let her run and change if I can flies or high balls because if I give her the same pace, the same ball, she will hit winners on any corner, so I was just trying to mix it up,” Zheng said.