Zheng Qinwen's Bumpy Start at the Australian Open Boosts Viewership, While a Young Challenger Nearly Pulls Off an Upset
Beijing Time, January 12th, 2025: The Australian Open for the 2025 season officially commenced, as reported by Xinhua News Agency. Zheng Qinwen made history as the first Chinese player to participate in the opening match of the Australian Open, exerting significant influence.
Zheng Qinwen, seeded fifth and a strong contender for the championship, was last year's Australian Open runner-up. Her first-round opponent was Romanian player Todoni, ranked 110th in the world. It was widely expected that Zheng Qinwen would easily defeat her opponent and end the match quickly. However, the unexpected occurred when 20-year-old Todoni nearly pulled off a miracle, almost upsetting Zheng Qinwen in the first set.
The first set was filled with ups and downs, with Zheng Qinwen battling through a tiebreak to win 7-6 after 75 minutes. Zheng Qinwen had a 70% first-serve success rate and an 87% first-serve scoring rate, making her serve her biggest threat. Despite being only 20 years old, Todoni performed admirably in this match, posing a significant challenge to Zheng Qinwen.
Zheng Qinwen once led 5-4 but was surprisingly broken in the 10th game when she was 40-0 up. Todoni then successfully held serve, bringing the score to 5-6. In the 12th game, Zheng Qinwen trailed 15-40 but managed to save the set point, bringing the set to 6-6. Entering the tiebreak, Zheng Qinwen narrowly won. It must be said that Todoni nearly created a miracle, playing exceptionally well. However, Zheng Qinwen managed to withstand the pressure in the final moments of the first set, narrowly avoiding defeat. Due to the suspenseful nature of the match, it significantly increased the viewership ratings for CCTV5, ranking second among ordinary matches in the first round of the Australian Open, which is truly astonishing.
In the second set, Zheng Qinwen maintained her lead over Todoni with a score of 2-0, performing better than in the first set. After not playing any matches for about two months following last year's competition, Zheng Qinwen still needed to find her rhythm but was clearly improving. She then held serve again, extending her lead to 3-0. In the fourth game, Todoni successfully held serve, closing the gap to 1-3!
It seemed that Todoni's strategy was effective; when Zheng Qinwen was leading 3-0, she suddenly requested a medical timeout to check her waist injury, although she was actually uninjured. The main purpose was to disrupt Zheng Qinwen's momentum. However, if Todoni ultimately lost the match, she would undoubtedly feel regretful, as she had come close to winning the first set. If she had won the first set, she might have had a chance to eliminate China's top female tennis player. But now, Zheng Qinwen had the upper hand.
In the fifth game, Zheng Qinwen successfully held serve, leading 4-1 against Todoni. The sixth game was crucial, with Zheng Qinwen breaking serve to lead 5-1! She then successfully held serve in the seventh game, winning the second set 6-1. Ultimately, Zheng Qinwen swept Todoni 2-0. Although it appeared to be a sweep, Zheng Qinwen had already caused a stir among fans in the first round, with many expressing the need to prepare heart-saving pills in support of her.