As Zheng Qinwen stepped onto the court for her second-round match on the sweltering third day of the US Open, she was greeted with loud cheers from the crowd in the stands. Asian-American fans lined the upper and lower sections, including a young man proudly carrying a Chinese flag, supporting her as she defeated Russia’s Erika Andreeva to secure a spot in the third round of the tournament.

The 21-year-old rising star has already made Chinese history with his Olympic victory in Paris, but is still at the very beginning of his popularity and mainstream media appeal in the United States.

“It felt like home for me,” Zheng said during a post-match press conference. “The first time I was at the US Open (2022), I got to the second round and had a lot of support from the Chinese (fans), but I was not used to that. I was more nervous on the court, but after three years I feel very comfortable. I love when they call my name and clap after a good shot.”

Zheng entered the US Open on a high after winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s singles tennis. The former world No. 2 helped her country draw level with the United States for the most gold medals (40). Earlier this year, she reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January.

Now she has set her sights on winning her first US Open title.

The pursuit of this lofty goal comes with her opportunity to gain more exposure and marketability in the United States. In addition to her rise in the tennis rankings this year, her sponsorship portfolio has also grown. Zheng currently has nearly a dozen sponsorship deals with major brands such as Nike, Gatorade, Wilson Sporting Goods and McDonald’s. She is only the second female athlete to land a contract with Lancôme, alongside No. 1 Iga Świątek.

With the support of companies in the cosmetics, apparel and food industries, she has a unique opportunity to build an iconic personal brand that resonates with lifestyle brands and other major sponsors. Her retail partners hope that she will continue to connect them with the vast mass of potential consumers in China.

“She is quite capable of penetrating the U.S. market and brands will find creative ways to use her,” said Bo Heiner, former senior vice president and consultant for Octagon, in a phone interview. “The proof is always in the success on the court. If she continues to be a top-10 player, (even more) commercial opportunities will come her way… It’s a game of exposure.”

Heiner compares her rise and marketing potential to former New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin and former eight-time All-Star Yao Ming, who spawned a new generation of Asian NBA fans.

He mentioned that well-known tennis brands like Emirates Airlines and Rolex are often based in international cities and that they can benefit from having overseas-based tennis players like Zheng to increase exposure in the U.S. “She is as primed as anyone to succeed in the United States,” Heiner said.

Zheng’s role model is 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, having contributed to a huge increase in tennis participation in the country.

Li was also popular in the corporate market, signing sponsorship deals with brands such as Haagen Dazs, Rolex and Nike. At one point, she inked a multimillion-dollar deal with Mercedes-Benz, which also boosted her popularity in China, one of the world’s largest automotive markets. The former world No. 2 essentially created a blueprint for what Zheng can potentially achieve both on the tennis court and in her personal life.

Zheng also has deals with China-based companies such as Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba. Ant Group also owns mobile payment platform Alipay, whose brand logo was seen on her chest on her outfit on Wednesday.

Zheng, who has 284,000 followers on Instagram, said she is currently focused on honing her skills but knows she needs to find success off the court as well. She says it’s about balancing her hectic schedule with input from her coach and manager. For now, she believes the smartest thing to do is to build her presence at home.

“You have to make time for the commercial stuff,” she said earlier this week. “I think I’ll do (activations) in China because it will be much easier for me than outside of China.”

She is still early in her professional career, but it is clear that she has the chance to transcend the sport in a way that others cannot. A win at the US Open could be the catapult and the perfect timing after the gold in Paris.