When Zheng Qinwen stepped on the court for her second-round match on a sweltering Day 3 at the U.S. Open, she was met with a roar from the crowd in the grandstand. Asian American fans lined the upper and lower bowl, including one youngster who was proudly toting a Chinese flag, supporting her as she defeated Russia’s Erika Andreeva to book a spot in the third round of the tournament.
The 21-year-old rising star has already left her mark in Chinese history after winning Olympic gold in Paris, but still is scratching the surface in the U.S. in terms of popularity and attracting mainstream media.
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“It felt like home for me,” Zheng said during a press conference after the match. “The first time I went to the U.S. Open [in 2022] I went to the second round and had a lot of support from Chinese [fans], but I wasn’t used to that. I was more nervous on court but after three years I feel very comfortable. I love them yelling out my name and clapping after a good shot.”
Zheng entered the U.S. Open riding a high after capturing the country’s first-ever tennis Olympic gold medal in women’s singles. The former world No. 2 helped her country tie the United States for the most gold medals (40). Earlier this year she reached her first Grand Slam final in January’s Australian Open.
Now she has her sights set on winning her first U.S. Open title.
The pursuit of the lofty goal coincides with her opportunity to command more attention and increased marketability in the States. Alongside her rise in the tennis ranks this year, her endorsement portfolio has also grown. Zheng currently has nearly a dozen sponsorships with major brands such as Nike, Gatorade, Wilson Sporting Goods and McDonald’s. She recently became just the second athlete to receive a deal with Lancôme, joining No. 1 Iga Świątek.
Backed by companies in cosmetics, apparel firms and food industry, she has a unique opportunity to build a personal iconic brand that resonates with lifestyle brands and other major sponsors. Her commercial partners hope she will continue to connect them to the large swath of potential consumers in China.
“She’s very capable of penetrating the U.S. marketplace, and brands will find creative ways to use her,” former Octagon senior vice president and consultant Bo Heiner said in a phone interview. “The proof in the pudding is always success on the court. If she continues to be a top-10 player, then [even more] commercial opportunities will come her way… It’s an exposure game.”
Heiner relates her ascension and marketing potential to former New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin and retired eight-time All-Star Yao Ming, who sparked a new generation of Asian NBA fans.
He mentioned how endemic tennis brands such as Emirates Airlines and Rolex are often based in international cities, and that they can leverage from foreign based tennis players like Zheng to drive U.S. awareness. “She’s as primed as anyone to have success in the United States,” Heiner said.
Zheng looks up to Li Na, the first Chinese woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. Li, who Zheng cites as a source of inspiration, was also popular in China as she helped create a massive explosion in tennis participation in the country.
Li was also favored by the corporate market with sponsorships deals with brands such as Haagen Dazs, Rolex and Nike. At one point, she inked a multi-million-dollar deal with Mercedes-Benz which also leveraged her popularity in China, one of the world’s largest automobile markets. The former world No. 2 essentially created a blueprint for what Zheng can potentially achieve both on and off the court.
Zheng also has deals with China-based companies such as the Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba. The Ant Group also owns mobile payment platform Alipay, whose brand logo was placed across her chest on her outfit on Wednesday.
Zheng, who has 284,000 Instagram followers, said she’s focusing on honing her craft right now, while acknowledging the need for off the court winnings. It’s all about balancing her hectic schedule she says with input from her coach and manager. For now, she believes growing her footprint back home is the smartest move.
“You need to block some time for the commercial things,” she said earlier this week. “I think I will do (activations) in China, because that’s going to be much easier for me insead of doing outside of China.”
She’s still in the early chapters of her pro career but it’s evident that she has the chance to transcend the sport in ways others can’t. A win at the U.S. Open could be the catapult and perfect timing after taking gold in Paris.
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