“He’s always by my side”: Laura Siegemund dedicates Zheng Qinwen upset to coach, partner at Australian Open

After Laura Siegemund scored her biggest-ever Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open, the first order of business was to celebrate with someone extra special watching from the sidelines.

Coach and partner Antonio Zucca supported Siegemund through a stunning victory over No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen, the reigning Olympic champion who reached the final in Melbourne 12 months ago. The two shared a hug after the match and Siegemund spoke at length about their relationship on John Cain Arena.

“First of all, I love him very much,” she smiled after the 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory. “The best part is we’re spending our life together on tour. It’s very hard if your boyfriend or husband is not traveling with you. We’re sharing all the great and terrible moments together, and that’s the best part.

“He’s always by my side, which I really appreciate very much.”

Despite Zheng’s legion of fans, Siegemund enjoyed broader support from the John Cain Arena crowd as she sought to beat a Top 10 player at a major tournament for the first time in her career. The 36-year-old eked out a first-set tiebreaker and continued to frustrate Zheng from the baseline to ultimately edge over the finish line in two hours and 16 minutes.

“I knew I just had to play more than my best tennis,” said Siegemund, who is into the Australian Open third round for a third time. “I had nothing to lose, so I just told myself to swing free and she’s an amazing player. She’s just one of the best players right now, but I know I can play well and I wanted to show that to myself, to make it a tough fight.

“Some days you just go outside and have the ball on the racquet!”

A former world No. 27 known for her variety and (at times controversial) competitiveness, Siegemund has played her best tennis in doubles of late, winning a women’s doubles title at the 2020 US Open and two mixed majors—including one last year at Roland Garros with Frenchman Édouard Roger-Vasselin.

I’m really competitive, just a grinder and a fighter, which is maybe not something that’s so popular with opponents. But that’s just me. Laura Siegemund

“Obviously, she’s a better server than me, so I needed to make the points once the ball was in the rally,” explained Siegemund, who withstood 11 aces from Zheng to strike 29 winners off the ground. “I tried not to do too many fancy things but stick with my clear plan. I think I did a good job with that.

“It started to get very physical and I was thinking about my off-season, and why I’m doing all this running all the time. I told myself, ‘Now you have to run!’”

Having thwarted the projected quarterfinal between Zheng and top seed Aryna Sabalenka—a would-be rematch of the 2024 final—Siegemund awaits the winner of the second round between No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anastasia Potapova.

“I’m really competitive, just a grinder and a fighter, which is maybe not something that’s so popular with opponents. But that’s just me,” she said before saluting the crowd and reuniting with Zucca off court.