Zheng Qinwen recovered from a “stupid mistake” by starting her Australian Open campaign with victory on the rain-affected first day in Melbourne.
Chinese fifth seed Zheng, defeated in last year’s final by Aryna Sabalenka, won 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 against Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni under the roof of Rod Laver Arena.
The Olympic gold medalist served in the first set at 5-4, 40-0, but was unable to convert any of her three sets.
Todoni, 20, has never beaten a top-50 opponent and had a chance to get within halfway to a shock victory after winning three sets on Zheng’s serve at 6-5.
However, she failed to convert and the 22-year-old Zheng held on before hitting another gear in the tie-break.
The second set was easier as Zheng, supported as usual by a huge number of Chinese fans, broke early before he could claim victory.
“The first set is always not easy, especially because I made stupid mistakes. I don’t know what happened there,” she said.
– But I’m glad I made it through.
On the rising expectations after winning the Olympic title, she added: “Of course there is more pressure, but… [the fans] they push me to become a better person and a better athlete.
“I like to play with pressure. As Billie Jean King says, pressure is a privilege. I love this sentence.
“Let’s continue to play under pressure.”
Although Zheng was able to complete the match indoors, a severe storm caused play on the outdoor courts to be suspended until 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
