Zheng Qinwen recovered from a “stupid mistake” to begin her Australian Open bid with a straight sets win on a rain-disrupted first day in Melbourne.
Fifth-seeded Chinese Cheng, who lost to Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final, defeated Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni with a score of 7-6 (7-3) and 6-1 under the roof of Rod Laver Arena.
The Olympic gold medalist served in the opening set at 5-4, 40-0, but was unable to win any of the three set points.
Todoni, 20, had never beaten a top-50 opponent and had the opportunity to move to the halfway point for an upset victory after creating three set points on Cheng's serve at 6-5.
But she was unable to convert the result, and the 22-year-old Cheng maintained her composure before increasing her pace in the tie-break.
The second set was more clear, as Cheng, supported as usual by a large number of Chinese fans, broke her opponent's serve early before achieving the victory.
She said: “The first set is not always easy, especially because I made stupid mistakes. I don't know what happened there.”
“But I'm happy to get through.”
Regarding the rise in expectations after winning the Olympic title, she added: “Of course, the pressure began to be greater, but… [the fans] They push me to be a better person and a better athlete.
“I like to play under pressure. As Billie Jean King says – pressure is a privilege. I love that sentence.”
“Let's keep playing under pressure.”
While Zeng was able to complete her indoor match, a severe thunderstorm caused play to be suspended on the outdoor courts until 17:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
