PARIS, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese women's pairing of Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai emphasized on the confidence they gained from the French Open despite their loss in Sunday's final.
The Chinese duo conceded a 6-2, 6-3 loss to second-seeded Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in women's doubles final.
"We got chances in the match but let them slide away, and our momentum went a bit down. They played better and better," Zheng admitted, adding that she and her partner will make better preparation if competing again in the future.
For Zheng, the final is a chance to learn from the opponents. "They had three consecutive final appearances at Grand Slams. We need to learn from them on how to play aggressively and fearlessly in the match. If we made the final some time in the future, we will also do it that way."
Reaching the final at a Grand Slam tournament when partnering for the first time, both players shed light on the confidence they benefitted from the result.
"We advanced to the final in our first partnering experience, also moving past strong opponents. We have experienced a lot, which brought us great confidence," Zheng pointed out.
"We have many matches to go. Despite finishing runner-up, we have harvested a lot from the competition and there is much space for improvement," Duan echoed.
Duan, who had been absent for three months due to sickness, thought that she has undergone huge challenge on her way to the Grand Slam final.
Zheng was found in tears following her exit from singles matches. She admitted that she felt very disappointed about singles elimination, but emphasized that she should approach everything in a positive manner.
"As long as you keep a positive mind, everything may make its return," she commented.
