Yibing Wu has praised Qinwen Zheng after she claimed her first WTA singles title at the Palermo Ladies Open. Zheng defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in a three-set thriller in the summit clash on Sunday, July 23.The 20-year-old received a congratulatory message from her compatriot and former junior world No. 1 Yibing Wu , who called her a "queen."Zheng, who was the second seed and the World No. 24, had a dominant start to the tournament, defeating former French Open finalist Sara Errani in the first round. She then survived three tough three-setters against Diane Parry, Mayar Sherif, and Paolini to lift the trophy.In the final, Zheng overcame a second-set slump to beat the fifth-seeded Paolini 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in two hours and 14 minutes.Wu, who won the US Open boys’ singles and doubles titles in 2017, showed his support for Zheng on social media. On Monday, July 24, she posted several pictures of herself holding the Palermo trophy on her Instagram account."This is my first WTA title, and I want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way including my team. This victory did not come easy. After failures, tears, regrets, and disappointments, I finally got a taste of victory. I believe this is just the beginning. What's truly precious is to go through the storm without being changed, and never forget why you started 🇨🇳🌾🍀," Qinwen Zheng wrote on Instagram.Wu commented on the post with a trophy emoji, implying that Zheng is a champion."Queen 🏆," he wrote. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostYibing Wu's comment on Qinwen Zheng's postZheng notably reached her first WTA final last year in Tokyo, where she lost to Liudmila Samsonova. She was also named the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2022 after reaching the fourth round of Roland Garros.A look back at Yibing Wu and Qinwen Zheng's performance in Wimbledon 2023Yibing Wu in Wimbledon 2023The 2023 Wimbledon Championships was a disappointing tournament for Chinese tennis fans. Two of their rising stars, Yibing Wu and Qinwen Zheng, suffered early exits in the men’s and women’s singles respectively.Wu, ranked 89th in the world before the tournament, had a tough draw that saw him face Frances Tiafoe in the first round. Tiafoe prevailed 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 to march into the second round.Zheng, on the other hand, had a more favorable draw that saw her face Czech World number 36 Katerina Siniakova in the first round. Siniakova picked up a fairly comfortable 6-3,7-5 victory.Yibing Wu and Qinwen Zheng's early exits at Wimbledon 2023 marked a setback for Chinese tennis, as they failed to replicate their form and potential on grass. The duo will hope to bounce back and display their ability to adapt to different surfaces in the near future.