Last year's finalist Qinwen Zheng made a strong start to this year's Australian Open, defeating Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni 7-6(3), 6-1.
The Olympic champion from Paris struggled against her 20-year-old opponent in the first set, despite breaking first to take a 5-3 lead. The Chinese woman broke when serving for the set and Todoni took three games in a row to pull ahead 6-5. It eventually went to a tiebreak, in which Zheng prevailed 7-3. In the second half, the fifth seed dominated and prevailed 6-1 after a total of one hour and 56 minutes of play.
In the second round, Zheng will play either Laura Siegemund (Germany) or Haley Baptiste (USA).
17-year-old Russian Mira Andreeva also advances. The 14th seed defeated Czech Marie Buzkova 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 34 minutes. Andreeva will face either Japan's Moyuka Uchijima or Poland's Magda Linet.
Meanwhile, the tournament was hit by storms just an hour into the first day, with play on the outdoor courts suspended.
Thunder and lightning forced players and fans to seek shelter, while Melbourne Park was drenched in heavy rain. Only the three main stadiums - Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Kane Arena - have roofs. | BGNES
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