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Qinwen Zheng Has Wardrobe Mishap in Pan Pacific Open

Qinwen Zheng forgot one important part of her Nike outfit in the Pan Pacific Open.

Pat Benson

Qinwen Zheng had an embarrassing wardrobe moment during her first match at the 2024 Pan Pacific Open.
Qinwen Zheng had an embarrassing wardrobe moment during her first match at the 2024 Pan Pacific Open. / Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Qinwen Zheng made her highly anticipated return to the tennis court on Thursday morning at the Pan Pacific Open. The 22-year-old phenom's last match was against Aryna Sabalenka in the finals of the Wuhan Open on October 13.

Zheng came up short against Sabalenka in Wuhan and made headlines for her fiery attitude throughout the tournament (including the finals). After going the distance in Wuhan, Zheng pulled out of the Ningbo Open.

Naturally, tennis fans were excited to see Zheng back on the court. She made her appearance in a bright orange Nike outfit but might have been too focused on her match as she suffered an embarrassing fashion faux pas.

Before Zheng's Round of 16 match against Moyuka Uchijima, the two competitors met at the net for a picture. Uchijima tried to point out that Zheng still had the price tag on the back of her outfit.

It took a moment for Zheng to notice her minor mistake and quickly pulled the tag off as she walked to her side of the court. Zheng handled the moment with class and laughed it off.

Shortly after the match started, it looked like Zheng might have been a little rusty after her brief break following the Wuhan Open. The first set was competitive, but then Zheng delivered a bagel in the second set. Zheng defeated Uchijima in straight sets: 7-5, 6-0.

Thanks to today's victory, Zheng has secured her fourth quarterfinal in a row. Zheng will meet Leylah Fernandez on Friday morning at 4:30 a.m. EST.

Fernandez defeated Zheng in their first two meetings, but Zheng won their most recent meeting earlier this month at the Wuhan Open. It will be interesting to see if tensions have cooled between Zheng and Fernandez following their beef on the court just two weeks ago.

Zheng is currently the WTA World No. 7 with a record of 38-16. Her highlight of the year came when she won a gold medal for China in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Shortly after Zheng's gold medal victory, Nike dropped an awesome commercial celebrating her achievement.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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