Zheng Jie into the Wimbledon semis | Beijing Olympics Blog

Such a great result for Zheng Jie to make the Wimbledon women's semifinals with yet another upset of another unseeded player - this time it was Nicole Vaidisova, the 18th seed, on the wrong end of Zheng's strong groundstrokes and all-court play. It's hard to overstate how big a deal this is, coming just 38 days before the Olympics begin. It's not just that it's a great result by Zheng and China's best ever showing in women's singles at a Grand Slam, let alone Wimbledon - or that there's a poignant backstory as Zheng hails from Chengdu in Sichuan province, still reeling from the effects of the devastating May 12 earthquake. It's that Zheng really is that good - and it's taken time for China's women to figure out the international game, one of many Western sports that China is now beginning to really develop at the highest levels. Zheng and doubles partner Yan Zi were the very first cover subjects when Sports Illustrated China published its first issue in September of 2006. They earned the honor with two Grand Slam doubles victories that year and even though the U.S. Open, where the cover shot was taken by Bob Martin, wasn't their best tournament, it seemed that China was on the rise the way Russia had been on the rise just a few years back. Then, the hiccups, the injuries, the nerves got the better of the bunch and the same results hadn't been seen again. Until now. Congratulations to Zheng on a terrific Wimbledon and a great Thursday semifinal matchup with Serena Williams.

Zheng Jie's bio page - Sony Ericssson WTA Tour

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