The 2025 Australian Open Tennis Championships officially kicked off. Chinese player Zheng Qinwen, seeded No. 5 in the tournament, made her first appearance of the new season at the Rod Laver Arena.
Facing her was young Romanian player Todoni, a match not only marking the debut of China's tennis star in the new season but also an important battle in her career.
Zheng Qinwen made history last season, reaching the final of the Australian Open and ultimately finishing as the runner-up.
To better prepare for this competition, Zheng Qinwen even withdrew from the United Cup. This time at the Australian Open, her goal is clearly more than just making it to the final again.
Zheng Qinwen was drawn into the women's singles quarter-finals, where she faced strong opponents like world No. 1 Sabalenka, meaning it would not be easy for Zheng Qinwen to break through from this half of the draw.
At the beginning of the first set, both sides showed extremely high competitive states. Todoni, relying on her height advantage and powerful serve, successfully held serve in the first service game.
Zheng Qinwen, on the other hand, started her service game with a signature ace and also easily held serve. As the match progressed, both players held their own service games, with the score alternating.
It wasn't until the seventh game that Zheng Qinwen seized the opportunity, forcing two break points and successfully converting one of them, breaking Todoni's serve first to take a 5-3 lead.
However, just as everyone thought Zheng Qinwen would easily win the first set, a dramatic scene unfolded.
In the tenth game, during Zheng Qinwen's serve-to-win-the-set game, she once had three set points at 40-0, but then made consecutive errors, instead being broken by Todoni, leveling the score to 5-5.
Next, Todoni fought even harder, winning two games in a row to overtake the score at 6-5. At a critical moment, Zheng Qinwen demonstrated her tenacity, saving three set points in succession, eventually dragging the match into a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Zheng Qinwen quickly adjusted her state, taking four set points at 6-2. Although Todoni saved one set point, Zheng Qinwen still won the tiebreak 7-3 with her outstanding performance, narrowly securing the first set victory.
After the intense struggle of the first set, Zheng Qinwen obviously found her rhythm in the second set. She started by holding and breaking serve, quickly establishing a 2-0 advantage.
At this point, Zheng Qinwen had completely controlled the situation on the court, with more stable baseline shots and a more threatening serve.
On the contrary, Todoni seemed affected by the loss of the first set, with her state declining. Especially in the sixth game, when she returned after requesting a medical timeout, her performance became even more unstable, eventually allowing Zheng Qinwen to win the second set easily with a score of 6-1.
The whole match lasted about 1 hour and 56 minutes, during which Zheng Qinwen hit a total of 8 aces, with a first serve winning rate as high as 83%, and made 29 winners. These statistics fully reflect Zheng Qinwen's dominance and technical level in this match.
In the post-match interview, Zheng Qinwen talked about how she dealt with the pressure in the match. "Pressure motivates me to become a better person and a better athlete. I think I can deal with pressure well and enjoy playing under pressure," she said. It was precisely this positive mentality that helped her stay calm at critical moments and ultimately achieve a reversal.
Looking to the future, Zheng Qinwen expressed that she will continue to work hard and strive for better results at this Australian Open.
In summary, Zheng Qinwen's performance in this opening match was undoubtedly a thrilling comeback. Her strong mental quality and technical skills shown in adversity not only won her a precious victory but also brought a visual feast to the fans. We look forward to her maintaining this state in the upcoming matches and moving towards higher goals.