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Peng into slam semis at 37th try
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PENG Shuai got so frustrated with her inability to make a serious run at a major title that she nearly quit the sport in 2006, a thought that crossed her mind only once before — when she had surgery to repair a heart defect at age 12.
Her day finally came on Tuesday, when Peng beat 17-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-1 at the US Open to earn a spot in a grand slam semifinal for the first time in 37 tries. Only five women have participated in more major tournaments before getting to a final four.
“My coach, my parents, they always tell me to try to keep going and never, ever give up,” said the 28-year-old Peng.
Before her run at Flushing Meadows, she had reached the fourth round of a major tournament five times but had never advanced further in a career going back to 2001.
The 39th-ranked Peng becomes the third Chinese player to make a major semifinal after two-time grand slam champion Li Na and Zheng Jie, a two-time semifinalist.
Peng has not lost a set and kept up that consistency against Bencic, hitting 24 winners and committing only seven unforced errors. Her young opponent, meanwhile, appeared to become unglued in the muggy, 92-degree heat of Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
The 58th-ranked Bencic was the youngest quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since her mentor, Martina Hingis, won the title at 16 in 1997. Bencic is coached by Hingis’ mother, Melanie Molitor.
Peng next plays 10th-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki, a 6-0, 6-1 winner against 13th-seeded Sara Errani of Italy in Tuesday’s last match.
The soft-spoken Peng explained that doctors at one point suggested she should quit the game after heart surgery as a 12-year-old, and she later considered quitting on her own in 2006 after injuries and bad results caused her ranking to slip. She persevered and came back to make three grand slam fourth-round appearances in 2011, helping her reach a career-high ranking that year of No. 14. Playing mostly with partner Hsieh Su-wei of Chinese Taipei, Peng reached the No. 1 ranking in doubles this year.
Asked to explain why she is doing so well at the US Open now, after so many years of falling short, Peng was at a loss.
“Maybe this time I find a way,” she said, “or I catch the right time.”
“I dreamed about it,” she said of reaching the semis. “Because everybody was asking me all week, maybe you have a chance to get to quarters, so I was really happy to be first time in quarters.
“And I went to the semis. Of course it’s exciting, it’s a surprise, but it’s not like I felt like I could not.”
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