In the first round of the Australian Open women's singles, which ended on January 12th Beijing time, China's "big sister" Zheng Qinwen defeated Romanian dark horse Toudoni in straight sets. Zheng Qinwen not only achieved a good start for the Chinese team but also advanced through the first round of the Australian Open for the fourth consecutive year.
After the match, Zheng Qinwen stayed on the court to be interviewed by German veteran Petkovic. Speaking about the increased attention from the outside world after winning an Olympic gold medal, Zheng Qinwen frankly said, "The first game is always tough, and I really enjoy playing in Melbourne. Sometimes pressure can be a good thing; it's motivation. Pressure has made me a better player and a better person. I like pressure, just as Billie Jean King said, 'Pressure is a privilege.' I like this saying, so let me keep fighting with pressure!"
When asked about saving three set points in the first set, Zheng Qinwen responded playfully, "You might think I'm calm on the court, but if you look at the camera I'm facing, maybe I'm not that calm."
During the match, Zheng Qinwen did face pressure from her opponent in the first set. After breaking serve first, she was broken back by her opponent in the serve-to-win set, leading to a tie-break in the first set. However, Zheng Qinwen eventually won with her superior skills. In the second set, Zheng Qinwen did not give any more chances to her opponent whose physical strength had dropped, sweeping her away with a 6-1 victory. As the competition progresses and Zheng Qinwen gets into better form, she will undoubtedly deliver even more outstanding performances while enjoying the pressure.