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

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.

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