Chinese tennis player Qinwen Zheng will face Polish qualifier Maja Chwalińska on Court 7 at Roland Garros on Monday, May 25, 2026, marking her return to the French Open main draw after an extended elbow injury layoff.
Zheng, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, has fallen to No. 53 in the WTA rankings, leaving her unseeded and vulnerable to early-round matchups against top seeds.
The 23-year-old entered the tournament under pressure to defend her 2025 quarterfinal points, having played only six tournaments since last July due to her physical recovery.
In a press conference, Zheng attributed her recent struggles to a lack of competitive rhythm rather than physical limitations, after close three-set losses in her clay-court preparation events.
"The results haven't been exactly as I wanted.
I feel like I still need that extra push, that extra energy in crucial moments because, as you can see, I lost the last two matches in the third set, both were very close," Zheng said.
"I believe my level is there, the difference is mental because it had been a while since I last competed, and now I can finally maintain concentration for a long time throughout the entire match.
I have been working hard on that."
Zheng reflected positively on returning to the Paris courts where she won her Olympic title, noting a productive training block after her third-round exit at the Italian Open.
"Since I arrived on the clay court season, I had a few great matches," she stated before her opening match.
She elaborated on the psychological adjustments required after sitting out major tournaments, including the Australian Open.
"I feel coming back here is like coming back to my dream place," Zheng commented.
"Because I had the best experience so far in 2024, and really good experience as well last year."
The former world No. 4 acknowledged making errors regarding her rehabilitation timeline but viewed the time away as a learning experience.
"There are a lot of things I can learn from the injury time," she said. "For example, decision making.
Before taking a decision, trying to ask more experts. Like this, maybe I could have made better decisions at that moment."
"I missed the Australian Open—that was not the plan. So I learned a lot from that mistake, and it was really tough for me."
Zheng emphasized her eagerness to return to high-level competition.
"But right now it's a new page again for me, coming back from injury, which I've never done before—for such a long time without tennis.
And of course I missed the tour."
Her opponent, Maja Chwalińska, is ranked 114th and is making her Roland Garros main draw debut after winning three qualifying matches without dropping a set.
