Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen overcame a slow start to advance to the second round of the Australian Open on Sunday, despite storms causing disruptions just before Aryna Sabalenka began her pursuit of a historic third consecutive title.
Fifth seed Zheng, last year’s runner-up, had the honour of playing the very first point on the centre court at this season’s opening Grand Slam against Romania’s 110th-ranked Anca Todoni. She won the match 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena but appeared somewhat rusty after deciding not to compete in any warm-up events.
Zheng had three set points while serving at 5-3 in the first set but allowed Todoni to mount a comeback. However, she managed to close it out in the tiebreak and quickly dominated the second set.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough in 2024, with her success at the Australian Open contributing to her Olympic gold medal victory—where she defeated Iga Swiatek along the way—as well as three WTA titles.
While Zheng was able to compete, play on the outside courts at Melbourne Park was halted roughly an hour after it began due to storms that darkened the sky. Thunder and lightning prompted players and fans to seek shelter as heavy rain hit Melbourne Park, creating challenges for organizers facing a backlog of matches.
No play was scheduled before 3:00 PM local time (0400 GMT) at the earliest, as only the three main stadiums—Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena—have roofs.
Mirra Andreeva was the first player to advance to the second round, with the 14th-seeded Russian defeating the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-3 on John Cain Arena. The 17-year-old made a strong run in Melbourne last year, reaching the fourth round, and will face either Poland’s Magda Linette or Japan’s Moyika Uchijima in her next match.
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