MELBOURNE, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China secured a victory in her opening match at the Australian Open but rated her performance only "70 points" out of 100.

"If I had taken it at 5-3, I might have given myself 90 points," Zheng told reporters after the match.

Zheng, the fifth seed and last year's beaten finalist, endured unexpected challenges during her one-hour, 59-minute first-round match against Romanian newcomer Anca Todoni.

Leading 5-3 in the first set, Zheng faltered on her serve and allowed Todoni to save three set points, equalize at 5-5, and take a 6-5 lead. Todoni even earned a set point in the 12th game, nearly pulling off an upset.

Zheng attributed the shift in momentum to her lack of focus while serving at 40-0.

"This match taught me a lesson: you can never relax at any moment," Zheng said. "Just because you think you've got it, you absolutely cannot relax until the end."

The first set stretched to a tiebreak, where Zheng prevailed 7-3 before cruising through the second set 6-1.

Reflecting on her struggles, Zheng said the fluctuations in her performance stemmed from insufficient tension at critical moments rather than nerves.

"I feel really nervous," she said. "I started to feel nervous already since yesterday because I felt a special emotion for the Australian Open. I feel it's one of the biggest tournaments. I really like it here. But when I feel nervous, actually I play better."

"I would say when I enter 5-3, I was thinking that moment the nervousness doesn't make me play my best tennis."

Zheng entered the tournament without playing warm-up matches, opting to focus on preparations after her last official match at the WTA Finals in November. Despite the shaky start, she appeared confident moving forward.

"When facing top players, such mistakes can be fatal," Zheng said. "I hope to maintain consistent focus in my next match."

After reaching the finals here last year, Zheng went on to claim gold at the Paris Olympics, win WTA titles in Palermo and Tokyo, and finish as runner-up in her first WTA Finals.

"I feel the tennis court is like one place, it's my dream. It's like where I want to become better. But also I can find my peace outside the tennis court. I love reading, I love singing," she added. Enditem

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