Paris Olympics championZheng Qinwen showed significant progress in her mental game with a come-from-behind win in theUS Openfirst round againstAmanda Anisimova. Despite being on the back foot early on, world number seven Zheng managed to secure a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over her American opponent.Zheng, who is the first Olympic singles champion from China, was particularly happy to build on her Olympic success."It's the typical match I will lose, especially after huge success," AFP quoted Zheng. "Usually after huge success I will get a little bit too high, until reality slap me down again and I come back to the ground and trying to be humble and work hard."At 21, Zheng emphasized the importance of maintaining her focus and avoiding any post-triumph let-downs. Anisimova, however, made it challenging. "It was really difficult, the match today," she noted. "She's hitting the ball very strong and the only things I feel like I can do today during the match is just to stay with her and find my moment."Anisimova entered the US Open in good form, having climbed from a ranking of 373rd in the world at the start of the year to within the top 50. Her performance this month in Toronto, where she reached the final, earned her a wildcard invitation to the main draw at Flushing Meadows."Every ball (from Anisimova) went inside in the beginning and I couldn't do anything," Zheng admitted. "More as the match goes I started to find my rhythm on hard court. Little by little I started to get into the rhythm."After the match, an on-court interviewer praised Zhengâs Olympic gold medal achievement, prompting her to redirect the focus to her current goals. Reflecting on her runner-up finish toAryna Sabalenkaat the Australian Open, Zheng expressed her desire not to let her form slip again."This time when I get a success, I'm telling myself, I don't want to let this happen. I'm going to continue working hard, keep the stable mindset," she said.
