Australian Open 2025: Zheng Qinwen and Mirra Andreeva win on rain-disrupted first day

Chinese player Zheng Qinwen, despite encountering "stupid mistakes," ultimately won her match in straight sets on the first day of the Australian Open in Melbourne, successfully starting her Australian Open journey. The first day of play was interrupted by rain, and Zheng Qinwen defeated Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni under the roof of Rod Laver Arena with a score of 7-6 (7-3) and 6-1. Zheng Qinwen, the runner-up last year after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the final, is competing as the fifth seed in this tournament.

In the first set, Zheng Qinwen led 5-4 and 40-0, holding three set points, but failed to capitalize on the opportunities. Todoni, 20, who had never previously defeated a top-50 player, also had three set points when Zheng Qinwen led 6-5, with a chance to win the first set. However, she also failed to seize the opportunities. Ultimately, the 22-year-old Zheng Qinwen withstood the pressure, improved her performance in the tie-break, and won the first set.

The second set was relatively smooth, with Zheng Qinwen breaking serve early on, supported by numerous Chinese fans, and ultimately winning easily. "The first set was always tough, especially because I made some stupid mistakes—I don't know what happened there," Zheng Qinwen said after the match. "But I'm happy to have pulled through." Regarding the increased expectations after winning an Olympic title, she added, "Of course, there's more pressure, but the fans are pushing me to be a better person and a better athlete. I like to play under pressure. Like Billie Jean King said—pressure is a privilege. I love that quote. Let's keep going and play under pressure."

While Zheng Qinwen's match proceeded smoothly indoors, a downpour caused play on the outdoor courts to be suspended until 5 pm local time (06:00 GMT). Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva stated after defeating Marie Bouzkova in the first round that she now feels like she has integrated into the WTA tour. The 17-year-old, who made her Grand Slam debut at the 2023 French Open, easily defeated her Czech opponent with a score of 6-3 and 6-3.

Andreeva, who reached her first Grand Slam singles semi-final at the French Open last year and saw her world ranking climb to No. 15, admitted that she still felt like she was proving herself last season. "I would say that now I don’t feel like I’m a new player on tour. I feel like I’m here now," Andreeva said, whose next opponent will be Magda Linette or Moyuka Uchijima. "Even when I was playing French Open and Wimbledon in 2024, I was still trying to prove to people that I belong here, that I will play with you guys, that this is my place. I feel like now I finally belong here."