Ant Group, the Chinese company that owns the digital payment platform Alipay, has signed up Chinese tennis player Qinwen Zheng to a sponsorship deal. Ant Group is part of the Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group.

Qinwen Zheng is an up-and-coming player who is ranked in the top 50 in the world. As a junior, she reached the semifinals at the French Open and US Open in 2019. After moving to the women’s tour, in 2022, she reached the fourth round at the French Open.

Zheng’s other sponsors are Nike and Wilson. It’s a clever move from Ant Group to sign up a rising tennis star early. She has powerful groundstrokes backed by a big serve and will be a grand slam contender for many years.