Zheng and Andreeva progress as rain disrupts Australian Open

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen began her Australian Open campaign with a solid victory on 12 January, overcoming a slow start to defeat Romania's Anca Todoni 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 in the first round.

Meanwhile, heavy rain disrupted play on outside courts, leaving organisers facing a potential match backlog.

Zheng battles past rust to advance

Playing the first match on Rod Laver Arena, Zheng, last year's runner-up, showed signs of rust after skipping warm-up events. She allowed Todoni to fight back from 5-3 down in the opening set but regained control in the tiebreak and dominated the second set.

"The first match is always not easy," Zheng admitted. "Just happy to get through the match, the tiebreak and find my rhythm."

The 22-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2024, claiming Olympic gold, three WTA titles, and defeating Iga Swiatek along the way.

Rain halts outside court matches

Just an hour into play, storms brought thunder and lightning to Melbourne Park, forcing players and fans to seek cover. Heavy rain turned the skies dark, halting action on outside courts until at least 3:00 pm (0400 GMT). Only the three main arenas—Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena—have roofs, allowing limited matches to proceed.

Andreeva moves on

Seventeenth seed Mirra Andreeva, who reached the fourth round in Melbourne last year, became the first player to progress to the second round. The 17-year-old Russian defeated Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-3 under the roof of John Cain Arena.

"Honestly, it was a bit hard for me when they started closing the roof mid-match," Andreeva said. "I'm very happy today that I played in a stadium with a roof."

Her next match will be against either Magda Linette of Poland or Japan's Moyuka Uchijima.

Sabalenka begins title defence

Belarusian world number one Aryna Sabalenka is set to headline the evening session against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Sabalenka is aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis (1997-1999) to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.

"I know that I have the possibility of joining legends by winning three times in a row," Sabalenka said. "Hopefully, by the end of this tournament, I'll be able to put my name into history."

Fresh from winning the Brisbane International, Sabalenka relishes being the player to beat after a career-best season in 2024, where she also claimed her maiden US Open title.

Zverev and Ruud among men's contenders

Men's second seed Alexander Zverev will close the night session against France's Lucas Pouille, a 2019 semi-finalist. Zverev, ranked a career-high world number two, is chasing his first Grand Slam title after falling to Carlos Alcaraz in last year's French Open final.

"Going into a Grand Slam as the world number two, you have to have the mindset of wanting to win the tournament," Zverev said.

Norwegian sixth seed Casper Ruud also begins his campaign, facing Spain's Jaume Munar in the first round.