MELBOURNE, Australia — Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen took full advantage of the indoor environment at Rod Laver Arena, securing her spot in the second round of the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory on Sunday, all while heavy rain fell outside.
In her first appearance on Melbourne Park’s main court since last year’s finals defeat to Aryna Sabalenka, Zheng triumphed over 20-year-old qualifier Anca Todoni, with scores of 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Inside the climate-regulated stadium, conditions were cool, although Zheng encountered some challenges during the match. The fifth seed squandered three set points at 40-love before conceding the 10th game. She later saved a set point, pushing the match into a tiebreaker, where she managed to regain her momentum and ultimately take the set.
During the second set, Todoni required a medical timeout to address a lower back issue after just three games, but this brief pause only delayed Zheng’s march to victory. She completed the match in just under two hours.
Zheng’s impressive run to last year’s final significantly raised her profile in China, and with her recent Olympic success, she now faces heightened expectations every time she competes. “Of course, the fans start to create more pressure, but at the same time, they motivate me to grow as a person and a player,” she conveyed in a post-match interview, highlighting her ability to thrive under pressure.
Just as Zheng and Todoni were finishing their pre-match preparations, play was temporarily halted for the roof to be closed, marking one of three matches that transitioned indoors. As the rain intensified outside, tournament officials postponed all outdoor matches until later in the afternoon.
The Australian Open spans 15 days, with organizers extending the schedule by adding an extra Sunday to allow for a more balanced distribution of first-round matches. This extension is proving practical as inclement weather impacted the day’s schedule.
The young 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva was the first player to make it into the second round, winning against Marie Bouzkova with scores of 6-3, 6-3 on John Cain Arena.
After a series of breaks and a challenging hold, Andreeva broke for a 4-3 advantage, and just as she was serving in the eighth game, the court’s roof needed to be closed. Taking full advantage of the indoor conditions, she dominated the match, which ended with her walking over to her coach, Conchita Martinez, for a towel to dry off. “I’m very happy today that I played on a stadium with a roof,” Andreeva expressed following her victory.
