China's Qiang Wang is making a major statement at the 2019 US Open.
The No. 18 seed advanced to her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal, thanks to a 6-2, 6-4 upset of world No. 2 Ashleigh Barty on Sunday afternoon inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. Armed with flat groundstrokes and precise hitting, she left the reigning French Open champion looking for answers.
"I think I'm really focused on the court today, really enjoyed way I play. I'm so happy I won," Wang said after the match. "I tried to play more patient today. I think I did really well today. I'm really mentally strong today."
For those who might not know the 27-year-old from Tianjin, here's a primer:
Even before beating Barty, the Chinese No. 1 was in uncharted territory.
Having reached the third round at a major three times in her career, including at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, the 27-year-old's win over France's Fiona Ferro in Round 3 assured her of breaking new ground.
Her US Open quarterfinal appearance is the latest in a series of milestones. The 2018 season marked an incredible breakthrough for Wang, who was ranked as low as world No. 91 in May.
She won two titles—both in her native China—and surged up the WTA rankings at the end of the year, thanks in part to a 21-6 record after the US Open, which saw her become the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of the Wuhan Open.
By the end of the season, she cracked the world's Top 20, and she peaked at a career-high ranking of world No. 14 this July.
While she scored a victory over an Australian Grand Slam champion in Armstrong on Sunday, Wang honed her tennis skills alongside another: four-time Grand Slam champion Peter McNamara coached her for nearly four years.
The pair announced an end to their working collaboration earlier this year, as McNamara's health began to decline, and the Hall of Famer tragically lost his battle with prostate cancer in July.
"He helped me a lot. It's really tough to me to hear he's passed," Wang said. "I think he's always been there with me, yes. He told me how to play the match. He took me to the professional tennis, so that's how he taught me. He always believed in me. He told me I can be a top player."
Wang has since teamed up with Thomas Drouet, best known for working with other players including Bernard Tomic, Marion Bartoli, Shuai Peng, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Timea Babos—helping the last of which to become the first player from Hungary to ascend to world No. 1 when she topped the WTA doubles ranks last year.
"I remember when she started with Peter, God bless him," Drouet said in a press conference on Sunday. "I was always impressed with the work she had, the discipline she had, the respect she gave to the coach. When I stopped with my previous player, I put her first on the list for this reason. I don't pretend that I'm a magician. I just have this discipline and this work ethic every day, in the good day and the bad day. I felt she had this, naturally. When I started with her we really connected well. It was natural."
And for the fortnight in New York, Wang has already put him to work.
"I think that's my coach's homework," she joked with interviewer Andrew Krasny inside Armstrong, about scouting her quarterfinal foes. "I just want to enjoy now, and my coach will tell me how to play next."
When asked how his charge will approach the biggest match of her career to date, Drouet explained that they're sticking to strengths and keeping it simple.
"I think she's the kind of player who has this capacity of analyzing, and on the WTA, I think this is a big weapon," Drouet said. "She's very athletic. She can improve a bit the power of course, but these are her two weapons... Point by point, she makes the opponent tired. We have to add this in her game. Like Nadal is doing. He's not going to rush. He is making the opponent tired and then he can finish him.
"I do my homework. I spend hours with the statistics and the video, analyzing what the player is doing. When I say that thing to my player and she can execute, it gives me even more confidence. I believe even more that if there can be a live computer during the match it's better than closing the eyes and hitting and hoping it's going [to be in]."
Up next, Wang will face 23-time major champion and No. 8 seed Serena Williams as she looks to progress further at the final Slam of the season—a sight she already had her eyes set on.
"I think definitely Grand Slams are my goal and getting to semifinals of a Grand Slam is something great," Wang told reporters after competing at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China last year.
"I haven't reached there yet. That's my goal and I definitely will work my way up there. I know my goal and I'll probably be reaching there soon."
