Australian Open: Zheng and Mirra Secure Wins as Heavy Rain Halts Outdoor Matches
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Melbourne, Jan 12 (NationPress) A turbulent kickoff to the 2025 Australian Open could not stop last year's runner-up Zheng Qinwen, the Chinese fifth seed, who clinched the first triumph at Rod Laver Arena by overcoming Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni with a score of 7-6(3) 6-1 on Sunday.
The 22-year-old took nearly two hours to secure her win against Todoni in their inaugural encounter. Zheng dominated with 83 percent of her first serves, supported by eight aces, contributing to a total of 29 winners, nine more than her rival.
The reigning Olympic gold medallist Zheng is now set to face either Germany's Laura Siegemund or Hailey Baptiste from the United States in the second round.
Previously, No. 14 seed Mirra Andreeva became the first victor of the 2025 Australian Open. The youngest player in the Top 20, Andreeva effortlessly defeated former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Marie Bouzkova with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in her opening match.
The 17-year-old Andreeva, who reached the Round of 16 during her Australian Open debut last year, struck 27 winners compared to Bouzkova's 11 in her 1-hour and 36-minute victory.
In the next round, Andreeva will compete against either 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette from Poland or Moyuka Uchijima from Japan.
However, heavy rain and lightning have interrupted play on all outdoor courts on Day 1 of the Australian Open. Matches will not resume before 5 pm local time (11:30 am IST).
While action continued on Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and John Cain Arena, all other courts saw play suspended approximately 50 minutes after the matches commenced on Sunday.
The weather will not affect the two highest-seeded men competing on Sunday. Norway's Casper Ruud, ranked No. 6 in the ATP Rankings, is scheduled to play second on Laver against Spain's Jaume Munar, whom he leads 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head encounters.
In the featured night match on Laver, World No. 2 and two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev will face a first-time meeting with French wild card Lucas Pouille. Zverev enters the season brimming with confidence after a remarkable 69-21 match record last season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
The rain compelled players to seek indoor practice courts, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner sharing a court as they practiced side by side.
