Serving up a 'perfect' performance

Power-hitting Chinese ace Zheng Qinwen blasts her way into Riyadh semifinals

Not after making her first major final, not after winning the coveted Olympic gold, not until this week in Riyadh had Zheng Qinwen ever described a match she played as "flawless".

She did so on Wednesday, giving herself a perfect 10 for the first time in public, as far as anyone could tell, and she was not exaggerating.

By smashing 12 aces, converting five breaks and hitting 24 winners to go with only 14 unforced errors, the reigning Olympic champion was firing on all cylinders as she delivered a ruthless demolition of Italy's Jasmine Paolini.