Madrid Open winner Sabalenka was sent packing in the quarter-finals by eighth-seed Zheng 6-4, 6-3.
Sabalenka’s stunning clay-court form deserted her as she fell in straight sets to Olympic gold medallist Zheng.
It was seventh time lucky for the world number eight as she at last got the better of her Belarusian opponent with a confident display under the lights in Rome.
After surviving early pressure on her own serve, Zheng broke Sabalenka to take a 3-2 lead in the first set before serving out.
Zheng then pounced in Sabalenka’s first service game in the second frame to go up a break.
Sabalenka showed determination to make gritty holds in the fifth and seventh games of the set, but she could not make inroads on Zheng’s service as the 22-year-old powered into the semis.
“It’s been a long time I haven’t arrived in semi-finals,” Zheng told Sky Sports after securing her first semi-final appearance of the season. “It was not easy for me because at the beginning of the year I got some struggle with my arm. So right now I’m just perfectly in shape and trying to play better tennis all the time.”
Zheng will meet Coco Gauff in the last four after the American earlier beat Mirra Andreeva 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
Gauff has guaranteed herself number two in the women’s world rankings with her solid displays in Rome, where she saw off seventh seed Andreeva.
Former US Open winner Gauff said that she had “a lot of confidence” for the last four, where she will face an opponent against whom she holds a 2-0 record.
Gauff, 21, is looking for her first title of the season ahead of Roland Garros, after losing the Madrid final to Sabalenka.
Indian Wells champion Andreeva, at 18 years old the youngest woman to reach the last eight at the Foro Italico since Gauff in 2021, put up surprisingly little resistance in a low-key first set.
And Gauff had too much for her in the second, quickly responding to each of Andreeva’s breaks of serve before coming through a tricky tie-break.
In the men’s draw, third seed Carlos Alcaraz produced what he called one of his best displays of the season to book a last four date with home hope Lorenzo Musetti, who earlier took down reigning Rome champion Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7/1), 6-4.
His impressive win over Draper kept alive the Spaniard’s chances of a third title of the season and also moved him up to number two in the world rankings behind Jannik Sinner.
On top of that, Alcaraz bagged a top-two seeding at the French Open which begins later this month.
“I think I started pretty well and I ended the match pretty well as well,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner in search of a first Rome crown.
“I lost focus a little bit in the second set but it wasn’t for too long, so it was pretty good,” he added. “Probably it was one of the most complete matches that I played this year.”
Alcaraz had to be at his best to down fifth seed Draper, who put in another strong showing on clay in Italy after losing the Madrid Open final to Casper Ruud.
The Briton lost control of the first set when after taking a two-game lead he was broken twice by Alcaraz who then took the lead in the match.
And Alcaraz made sure of victory by saving two break points in a 10-minute game eight of the second set, before breaking Draper to love to go 5-4 ahead in the set and then serve out the match at the first time of asking.
Ruud’s attempt at a Madrid and Rome double has a Sinner-shaped obstacle in its way after the world number seven won his postponed match with Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-4.
“Tomorrow will be one of the toughest matches of the year, probably,” said sixth-seed Ruud of facing Sinner. “I got beaten pretty bad by Jannik last time in Turin. Let’s see, he’s been looking good since the first match.” (AFP)
