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)