Zheng, meanwhile, remained unfazed by the drama and maintained her focus, edging closer to a potential breakthrough title.

Zheng Qinwen decided to tell a story about meeting Aryna Sabalenka for the first time when she was just 14 and how "not treating the Belarusian like a normal player" impacted their early matches.

Her remarkable run of making finals came to an abrupt end when Zheng beat her in straight sets in the quarterfinals.