Name: Zheng Jie
Sport: Tennis
Date of Birth: July 5, 1983
Hometown: Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
Height: 1.64 meters
Weight: 57 kg
Experience:
1990: Began to play tennis, coached by Cai Honglin
1998: Joined number two tennis team of Sichuan Province
1999: Joined number one team of Sichuan Province, trained by Chen Yuwen
2001: Selected for national team, coached by Chen Li and Wang Liangzuo
Major achievements:
2000 China Youth Tennis Tournament: Champion, women's singles and women's doubles
2000 ITF Hangzhou Tournament: Runner-up, women's singles, women's doubles
2002 ITF Shanghai Tournament: Champion, women's singles
2002 ITF Tianjin Tournament: Champion, women's singles
2003 ITF Bronx Tennis Tournament: Champion, women's singles
2003 ITF Quebec City Tournament: Quarterfinals, women's singles
2003 Japan Open: Semifinals, women's singles
2004 French Open: First Chinese woman to reach final 16
2005 WTA Hobart International: Champion, women's singles
2005 Guangzhou Women's Open: Semifinals, women's singles
2006 Australian Open: Champion, women's doubles
2006 French Open: Semifinals, women's doubles
2006 Wimbledon: Champion, women's doubles
2006 US Open: Quarterfinals, women's doubles
2006 Estoril Open: Champion, women's singles
2006 Stockholm Opon: Champion, women's singles
2006 Doha Asian Games: Champion, women's singles and women's doubles
2007 Australian Open: Semifinals, women's doubles
2007 Internationaux de Strasbourg 2007: Champion, women's doubles
2008 Australian Open: Semifinals, women's doubles
2008 Dubai Tennis Championships: Runner-up, women's doubles
2008 Indian Wells Masters: Runner-up, women's Doubles
Zheng has had an amazing performance at this year's Wimbledon. She has become the first Chinese woman to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam event in the singles tournament. Zheng beat top seed Ana Ivanovic in 72 minutes at Wimbledon on June 28, marking the first time a Chinese woman has beaten a world number one.
On June 30, Zheng vanquished Hungary's Agnes Szavay, ranked 15th, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinal. She became the second Chinese woman after Li Na to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal.
In that quarterfinal match on July 1, Zheng defeated 19-year-old Nicole Vaidisova from the Czech Republic 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to advance to the semifinal.
Zheng is a skilled baseline player whose strengths are her quickness, backhand and mental toughness.
(China.org.cn July 9, 2008)