Zheng/Yan carry home interest in Olympic tennis event

In an early match, Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie battled hard but her opponent Dinara Safina's superior groundstrokes were too much for the her.

But Zheng got compensation in a late doubles match, coming onto the court with her long-time partner Yan Zi to beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi/Patty Schnyder from Switzerland 6-3, 7-6(2) and making it to the third round.

"At the beginning we got into a pretty good state and they were overwhelmed by our momentum. They were not playing well in the first set, but adjusted their strategy in the second set," Zheng said. "Schnyder is one of the top players in the world and it was not easy to deal with her."

"I played two matches every day, it is really a test on my physical strength. I was at my limit, but Olympics is only once every four years, and I will strive to hold on."

The host's medal hopefuls will be greatly tested while facing top seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova/Dinara Safina of Russia in the third round on Thursday.

在１３日进行的奥运会网球女单八分之一决赛中，中国姑娘郑洁以０：２不敌赛会６号种子、俄罗斯选手萨芬娜，无缘八强。郑洁被淘汰，意味着中国金花中仅剩下李娜一人晋级奥运会网球女单八强。

但是在女双比赛中，郑洁／晏紫直落两盘，以６：３和７：６的比分战胜瑞士组合施尼德／加利亚尔迪，高歌挺进女双８强。

无论是从比赛经验，还是过往战绩来看，郑洁／晏紫在这场比赛中都占据一定优势。但郑洁一日双赛，体能让人有些担忧。作为中国女双推出的黄金组合，郑洁／晏紫在北京奥运会的首秀中表现不俗，此番她们只需正常发挥出水平就能顺利晋级。