Tennis-Olympic champ Zheng staying grounded to avoid post-Paris letdown

By Karl Plume

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen said she refuses to let history repeat itself as she hopes for a deep run at the U.S. Open after claiming China's first tennis singles gold in Paris.

She has in the past followed big tournaments with sub-par showings, a fate the 21-year-old would need to avoid to win her first major.

Zheng cleared the first hurdle as she battled back from a set down to defeat American Amanda Anisimova in New York on Monday.

"It's the typical match I will lose, especially after huge success, because as I know myself. Usually after huge success I will get a little bit too high," Zheng said.

"So 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.

Zheng is no stranger to stumbling soon after soaring in the biggest moments.

Last year's quarterfinals appearance at the U.S. Open was followed by a first-round exit at the China Open. And after reaching the Australian Open final this year, she suffered a sub-par performance at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

"I had this experience already. So this time when I had success in (the) Olympic Games, to come to (the) next tournament, I say, everything starts (at) zero. You are not anymore Olympic champion," Zheng said.

"Just be humble and try to work, fight every single match. Because if you don't fight, you have a big chance you lost."

Zheng will face Russian Erika Andreeva in the second round.

(Reporting by Karl Plume in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)