As the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and sixth seed Casper Ruud reached the second round of the Australian, rain poured over Melbourne after covering the difficult conditions.
The fifth seed and last year’s runner-up, Zheng was first up on Rod Laver Arena against Romania’s Anca Todoni, ranked 110th. She did battle through some early jitters but won through 7-6 (7/3), 6-1.
Zheng said she felt a little out of practice after skipping the warm-up events in the lead-up to the Grand Slam. “The first match is always not easy,” she said.
Meanwhile, storms disrupted play on outside courts at Melbourne Park, sending players and spectators looking for shelters amidst thunderstorms and heavy rain, further complicating the situation for organizers.
He struggled to overcome Spain’s Jaume Munar, the world No. 106, in an intense match, eventually winning in five awkward sets, 6-3, 1-6, 6-5, 2-6, 6-1.
In other highlights, we saw Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori pull off a remarkable comeback against Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in a five-set thriller that lasted over four hours. The day also saw 1st seed Mirra Andreeva ease through with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Marie Bouzkova.
Later, world number one Aryna Sabalenka will face former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the evening session, looking for her third consecutive Australian Open title.