Qinwen Zheng delivered a fearless comeback, rallying past Madison Keys 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the Miami Open to charge into the Round of 16. The win underlines her resurgence after elbow surgery, with timing and toughness clicking again. And ahead of her clash with Aryna Sabalenka, she addressed her coaching shift, spotlighting Marcos Baghdatis.

At the post-match press conference, Qinwen Zheng spoke about her coaching setup. She was asked about adding Marcos Baghdatis to her team. “I always wanted to add a second coach. I really believe Pere Riba is also helping me a lot. We’ve been working together for 5 years,” she added. Her response showed trust in her long-time coach. It also explained her thinking behind the change.

She then spoke about Baghdatis. “Marcos is new. He joined at Indian Wells. I really hope we can work well together. But we are still in a trial period. I want to keep focusing on my match and let’s go for the next round.” This confirmed the partnership is still early.

Earlier, during her on-court interview, she shared her feelings about returning to competition. She spoke about life away from tennis. Her answer was honest and simple.

She said, “I think it’s nice to compete with all the girls… My body likes pressure. During these 6 months when I’m without pressure, I feel my life is so boring, honestly so boring without tennis”.

For context, Zheng arrived at the BNP Paribas Open with a new addition. Baghdatis joined her coaching team at that event. The move drew attention across the tennis world.

Baghdatis is a former top player. He was a finalist at the Australian Open in 2006. He also reached a career-high ranking of No. 8 before retiring in 2019.

Zheng explained the reason behind the move in another interview. She said, “I hope he can bring me something different and help my tennis improve further,”. Her focus was on growth and improvement.

At the same time, there were rumors about her relationship with Pere Riba. Some reports suggested a split between them. This created confusion around her team.

Zheng addressed those rumors directly. She said, “I know there have been many questions about my coaching team, so let me clarify again. I have not ended my collaboration with Riba,”. She made her position clear.

She further added, “I truly have not ended it. He is just temporarily away from the team for a period of rest.” This clarified that Riba was still part of her setup. The situation was temporary, not permanent.

Now, things have settled. Riba has rejoined her team at the Miami Open. The coaching structure is now more stable again.

Zheng also explained how roles are currently divided. She said, “As for the division of roles, for now, it’s mainly Baghdatis leading the coaching because he started coaching me first in Indian Wells. In the future, there might be some adjustments, we don’t know yet. But, so far, I really enjoy working with both of them.”

Looking ahead, Zheng now faces Aryna Sabalenka again. It will be their ninth meeting. She aims to secure her second win in their last three matches.

On the other side, Sabalenka comes in strong. She defeated Caty McNally 6-4, 6-2 in the night session. She won 10 of the last 12 games, showing strong form heading into the clash.

And this is not the first time Qinwen Zheng has added another coach to her team, as she has made similar changes in the past.

Qinwen Zheng adds Dante Bottini to the coaching team in 2025

Pere Riba, a former Spanish professional, has played a key role in Qinwen Zheng’s rise. He is widely credited with helping her take the next step on tour. They first started working together when she was 18. At that time, she had just left juniors and was ranked outside the top 150.

Between 2021 and 2023, Riba guided her transition into a full-time professional. Zheng improved quickly during this period. She broke into the world’s top 20. This phase built the base for her future success.

However, things changed during the 2023 clay season. Zheng struggled with form and lost matches early. It became her first real slump on tour. Her team decided to make a change.

They ended their partnership with Riba. Soon after, they brought in Wim Fissette. This marked a new phase in her career. At the same time, Riba moved to a different team.

Riba joined Coco Gauff’s camp. He helped her win titles in Washington and Cincinnati. She later went on to win the US Open, the biggest title of her career.

Under Fissette, Zheng had some success too. She won her first WTA title in Palermo. She also reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open. But the partnership did not last long.

Fissette ended the agreement on his own. He chose to work with Naomi Osaka instead. This left Zheng searching for stability again. Her coaching situation became uncertain.

By the end of 2023, Riba returned to her team. The reunion worked well. In 2024, Zheng reached the Australian Open final. She also won singles gold at the Olympics and finished runner-up at the WTA Finals, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 5.

Riba had to step away again later. He needed surgery for a long-term hip problem. During this period, Zheng worked with the former coach of Kei Nishikori and Grigor Dimitrov, Dante Bottini and Albert Costa at different times. She then reunited with Riba again in February 2025.

Now, Zheng prepares to face Aryna Sabalenka at the Miami Open. With Riba back and Marcos Baghdatis also involved, her team looks stronger. The big question remains whether she can beat Sabalenka and make a deep run at the Masters 1000 tournament.