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.
>>> Tottenham Hotspur Reaches Verbal Agreement to Sign Marcos Senesi
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.
