MELBOURNE — Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen overcame a sluggish start to blast into the Australian Open second round Sunday as storms caused havoc ahead of Aryna Sabalenka beginning her quest for a historic third consecutive crown.
Fifth seed Zheng , last year's losing finalist, had the honour of playing the first point on centre court at the opening Grand Slam of the season against Romania's 110th-ranked Anca Todoni She came through unscathed 7-6 , 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena but was clearly rusty after opting not to play a warm-up event. Zheng had three set points on-serve at 5-3 in the first set, but allowed Todoni to come roaring back before closing her down in the tiebreak then racing through the second set.
'Honestly it was a bit hard for me when they started closing the roof ,' said Andreeva, who is coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez.'I'm very happy today that I played in a stadium with a roof.' - Hat-trick bid - Belarusian world No. 1 Sabalenka headlines the evening session on Rod Laver Arena in a potentially tricky encounter with 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Andreeva Win As Rain Lashes Australian Open On Day
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