Zheng Qinwen Beats Andreeva to Win China Open
Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, have you ever tried to win something in front of your family? Your hands shake more, right?欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，你有没有试过在家人面前争胜？手会抖得更厉害，对吧？
Oh yes. I once played a small tennis game while my parents watched. I missed the easiest ball. So when I heard about Zheng Qinwen, I really felt for her.太有了。我有一次在爸妈围观下打网球，连最简单的球都打丢了。所以听到郑钦文的事，我特别懂她的感受。
That is the perfect start. On October 11, in Beijing, Zheng Qinwen played the final of the 2026 China Open. She faced Mirra Andreeva from Russia, the new French Open champion.这个开头太合适了。10月11日，在北京，郑钦文打了2026中国网球公开赛的决赛。对手是俄罗斯的米拉·安德烈耶娃，新科法网冠军。
Wow, a home final against a Grand Slam champion. That is huge pressure. What was the score?哇，主场决赛打大满贯冠军，压力太大了。比分是多少？
Zheng won 2 to 0. The score was 7-5, 6-4. Both sets were close. Nobody ran away with the match.郑钦文2比0赢了。比分是7比5、6比4。两盘都很接近，谁都没能轻松拉开。
7-5, 6-4. So every game mattered. How did she finish it? Was it a long rally?7比5、6比4，那每一局都很关键。她是怎么结束的？是多拍大战吗？
No, it was one clean shot. On match point, she hit an ace. The ball went to Andreeva's backhand side. Andreeva could not even touch it.不，是一记干净利落的发球。赛点上，她发了一个 ace。球飞向安德烈耶娃的反手，她连碰都没碰到。
An ace on match point? That is cold-blooded. Wait, for our learners: match point means one more point and you win the whole match, right?赛点上发 ace？这心脏也太大了。等等，给学英语的朋友解释下：match point 就是再拿一分就能赢下整场的意思，对吧？
Exactly. And an ace means your serve lands in, and the other player cannot touch it. One serve, game over. Best possible ending.完全对。Ace 就是发球落在界内、对手碰都碰不到。一记发球，比赛结束。最完美的收尾。
And what did she do after that ace? Please tell me she stayed cool.那她发完这个 ace 之后呢？告诉我她保持冷静了。
Not at all. She fell to the court and cried. She lay there sobbing. Two years of waiting came out at that moment.完全没有。她倒在球场上哭了。就躺在那儿掉眼泪。两年的等待都在那一刻哭了出来。
Break down in tears. That is our next expression. It means you start crying because the feeling is too strong. I love that she did not hide it.Break down in tears 喜极而泣，这是我们今天下一个表达。意思是情绪太强烈忍不住哭出来。我喜欢她没有掩饰。
She said winning in Beijing, in front of her home crowd, was always one of her dreams. Home crowd just means the fans from your own country, cheering for you.她说在北京、在主场观众面前夺冠，一直是她的梦想之一。Home crowd 就是来自你自己国家、为你加油的球迷。
That makes sense. But why two years of waiting? She is an Olympic champion. Was she not winning all the time?这很合理。但为什么说是两年的等待？她可是奥运冠军，难道不是一直在赢吗？
Good question. She reached world No. 4 last year. Then she hurt her right elbow. It was serious. Her ranking fell all the way to No. 54.问得好。她去年最高到过世界第4。然后右手肘受了重伤，很严重。排名一路掉到第54位。
From No. 4 to No. 54? That must hurt more than the elbow. How did she even get into this tournament?从第4掉到第54？这比手肘疼多了吧。那她是怎么进这次比赛的？
As a wild card. A wild card means the organizers invite you in, even if your ranking is too low. It is like a second chance ticket.靠外卡。Wild card 就是排名不够，但组委会邀请你参赛。像一张第二次机会的门票。
And she used that ticket to win everything? That is like a movie story. Who did she beat before the final?然后她拿着这张门票赢下了一切？简直像电影。她决赛之前赢了谁？
In the semifinal, she beat Elise Mertens from Belgium, 7-5, 6-2. That took her into her first China Open final. She had played this event for four years in a row.半决赛，她7比5、6比2赢了比利时名将梅尔滕斯。那是她第一次进中网决赛。她已经连续四年参加这项赛事了。
Four years of trying, then the final in year four. And this win is her first WTA 1000 title, right? Maiden title means first big title?努力了四年，第四年进决赛。这次是她第一个 WTA 1000 冠军，对吧？Maiden title 就是第一个重要冠军的意思？
Yes. WTA 1000 is one level below the Grand Slams. It is a very big trophy. And she is the first Chinese player to win the China Open since it started in 2004.对。WTA 1000 是仅次于大满贯的一级，是很有分量的奖杯。而且她是这项赛事2004年创办以来，第一个夺冠的中国人。
First Chinese winner at home in more than 20 years. No wonder the crowd went crazy. Did she say anything funny after?20多年来第一个在家夺冠的中国人，难怪全场疯了。她赛后有说什么有趣的吗？
She did not give a long speech. She sang. At the award ceremony, she took the microphone and sang for the fans. The photos show her holding the trophy and laughing while singing.她没做长演讲。她唱歌了。颁奖仪式上，她拿起话筒给球迷唱歌。照片里她捧着奖杯边唱边笑。
From crying on the ground to singing with the trophy? That is the fastest mood change in tennis history. I would still be crying during the song.从躺在地上哭，到捧着奖杯唱歌？这是网坛史上最快的情绪切换了。换我唱歌时还在哭呢。
That is why I like this story. For two years she was quiet, fixing her elbow, falling down the rankings. Then one ace, and suddenly she is singing in front of Beijing.这就是我喜欢这个故事的原因。两年来她很安静，养伤、排名下滑。然后一记 ace，突然就在北京放声唱歌了。
So friends, here is a question for you. If you won your biggest match at home, would you cry first, or sing first? Tell us your answer, and see you next time!所以朋友们，留个问题给你。如果你在主场赢下人生最大的一场胜利，你会先哭还是先唱？告诉我们你的答案，下期见！