Inspired by Billie Jean King, Zheng Qinwen puts calm face on tough Australian Open first round

Zheng Qinwen held her nerve through a topsy-turvy start to her 2025 Australian Open campaign, and kept a calm face despite a few stressful moments against Anca Todoni on Sunday.

“You think I am calm on court, but if you check the camera when I’m facing the fans, maybe my face is not so calm!” she joked to Andrea Petkvovic during her on-court interview.

A runner-up in 2024, the reigning Olympic champion got out to a strong lead under the roof on Rod Laver Arena only to find herself down set point in the first set before solving the Romanian in a tiebreaker.

“I was making stupid mistakes at 5-4, 40-0 for me, and I don’t know what happened there, and she played good in that moment,” explained Zheng, who ultimately edged through, 7-6 (3), 6-1.

“It’s just about trying to focus on the present, and not thinking about how I lost the last point or that it’s a set point for her. She saved so many set points as well, so I believed I could, too!”

I like to play with pressure, like what Billie Jean King says: ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ I love this sentence, so let’s keep going, playing with pressure! Zheng Qinwen

The 22-year-old Zeng has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the WTA rankings since reaching her first major final last season, continuing the momentum at the Summer Olympic Games and later at home in China, where she reached the semifinals in Beijing and the finals of her home tournament in Wuhan.

Ending the season with a runner-up finish at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the No. 5 seed is embracing the new challenge of facing down the field—drawing inspiration from one of the sport’s greatest legends.

“Of course, there starts to be more and more pressure, but at the same time, they’re pushing me to become a better person and better athlete,” said Zheng, who will next face either Laura Siegemund or Hailey Baptiste.

“I think I deal good with the pressure. I like to play with pressure, like what Billie Jean King says: ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ I love this sentence, so let’s keep going, playing with pressure!”

That mindset could come in handy later in the week for Zheng, who is at career-high ranking of No. 5: she is projected to face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, in what would be a rematch of last year’s final.