Australian Open 2025: The Happy Slam Begins Amid Rain

Rod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park (photo: Tennis Australia/James Ollerenshaw)

MELBOURNE/WASHINGTON, January 12, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Australian Open 2025 launched in Melbourne Park on a Sunday for the second time since expanding to 15 days a year ago, joining the French Open. With star power headlining on Rod Laver Arena, Top-10 talents Zheng Qinwen and Casper Ruud were featured during the day session, with the roof closed due to heavy rain and lightening, while defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev were featured during the night session later on.

With a total of 16 men’s and 16 women’s singles matches on the original Opening Day order play, spread across 10 courts, there was plenty of appealing tennis for everyone to appreciate once the rain subsided. It halted play less than an hour after the 11 a.m. start on the outer courts and delayed matters for close to six hours. Once play resumed, eight outer-court matches were cancelled. Meanwhile, the show went on with the roofs closed on the three show courts, Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.

Last year’s finalist Zheng yearns for something more

China’s Zheng Qinwen enjoyed a break out season in 2024, which included winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris. The World No. 5 from Shiyan, in Hubei Province, was a finalist at last year’s Australian Open and went on to win 50 of her 68 matches on the WTA Tour last year.

Zheng Qinwen

Zheng Qinwen (photo: Australian Open TV/YouTube)

Now, the 22-year-old fifth seed, who ended last season by winning her fifth career title in Tokyo before reaching the WTA Finals title match in November, opened play on Rod Laver Arena Sunday afternoon yearning for something more.

Zheng faced rising 110th-ranked qualifier Anca Todoni of Romania, who was making her AO debut and looking for her first Top-10 win. Just 20, she ended last season with her second WTA 125 title in Bolivia and had won six of her seven matches in Australia this season, after qualifying in both Brisbane and Melbourne.

As it happened, Zheng won the match, 7-6 (3), 6-1, comfortably, in an hour and 56 minutes. She finished with eight aces, won 83 percent of her first-serve points, hit 29 winners to 21 unforced errors, compared to 20 winners and 29 unforced errors for Todoni, and converted three of five break points. She outpointed her opponent 81-62.

Next, Zheng will play either No. 79 Laura Siegemund of Germany or No. 88 Hailey Baptiste of the United States in the second round.

“I always feel like my practice is not good enough,” Zheng said during her pre-tournament news conference on Friday. “I always feel there is something I could do better. Always in the fitness side is the same. Treatment is the same.

“To the coach I say, ‘I think my backhand down the line is to improve. I think my return is to improve.’ I always come on the court with, ‘Okay, we are not good enough.’

“I’m right now Top 5, but still far away from my goal.”

During her on-court interview after defeating Todoni, Zheng was asked by Andrea Petkovic how life has changed for her to play with so much attention after her on-court success last year. She replied: “Of course, there started to be more and more pressure. But at the same time, they’re pushing me to become a better person and a better athlete. I think I do good with the pressure. I like to play with the pressure. Like what Billie Jean King says, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ I love this sentence. Let’s keep going and playing with pressure.”

Around the Australian Open

• Rising 17-year-old Russian and crowd favorite Mirra Andreeva, seeded 14th, took out No. 42 Marie Bouzkova of Czechia, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and 36 minutes on John Cain Arena with the roof closed to record the first win of this year’s Australian Open.

The youngest player in the Top 20, the 15th-ranked Andreeva struck 27 winners to 27 unforced errors, compared to 11 winners and 25 unforced errors for Bouzkova, and converted six of 10 break points to advance to the second round after reaching the fourth round last year in Melbourne. She outpointed Bouzkova 70-52.

Next, Andreeva will play either 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette of Poland, ranked 38th, or No. 63 Monika Uchijima of Japan in the second round.

During her on-court interview, Andreeva was asked what’s she’s learned from her coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez. “With her I became closer to being fearless,” she said. “Before, I would never play a volley in match point. Here, I decided ‘Why not?’ Honestly, Marie was putting every ball back. I was so tired, like ‘What is this?'” I decided to go in front and finish by myself.  I said to myself, ‘Well, I’m serving. So, if it doesn’t work, well, I will try to have another chance – and I just decided to go for it.”

• Next Gen star Arthur Fils of France, seeded 20th, opened play under the closed roof of Margaret Court Arena with a hard-fought 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Otto Virtanen of Finland in two hours and 45 minutes.

The 20th-ranked Fils was making just his second appearance in Melbourne, having reached the second round in his debut last year, but made the most of his opportunity. He struck 15 aces, won 81 percent of his first-serve points, overcame 48 unforced errors by hitting 47 winners and converted three of 10 break points. Fils outpointed Virtanen, who was making his AO debut in his 8th Grand Slam main draw appearance overall, 138-124.

“It was a tough match,” Fils admitted during his on-court interview. “He was playing great tennis, putting me under pressure. I had to find a way to win the second set, then to feel a little bit better on the court. Game after game, set after set, I was playing more aggressive. So, I’m really happy with how I dealt with the match.”

Next, Fils will face fellow Frenchman Quentin Halys, ranked 71st, who rallied from two sets down to beat No. 91 Adam Walton of Australia, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-5, in three hours and 39 minutes.

Sunday’s Australian Open results

Monday’s Australian Open order of play

By the numbers

• There are 23 ATP players making their Australian Open debuts this year. Of the 23 first-timers, 11 are direct acceptances (including one seed, No. 31 seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and one player who used a protected ranking to gain direct entry, Dominic Stricker), nine are qualifiers and three are wild cards (Tristan Schoolkate of Australia, Nishesh Basavareddy of the United States and Kasidit Samrej of Thailand.

• A total of 14 WTA players are making their Australian Open main draw debut. They include: Erika Andreeva of Russia, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain, Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina, Maja Chwalinska of Poland, Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia, Maya Joint and Emerson Jones of Australia, Iva Jovic of the United States, Sonay Kartel of Great Britain, Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, Julie Rivera of Argentina, Zeynep Somnez of Turkey, Anca Todoni of Romania and Wei Sijia of China. Of those players, Erjavec, Lamens, Jones and Wei are also making their Grand Slam debut.

• Alexander Zverev is bidding to reach the second round in Melbourne for the ninth straight year. This is his 10th Australian Open appearance and his 36th Grand Slam overall.

• Women’s No. 27 seed Magdalena Frech of Poland is seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time. She is one of three Polish women ranked in the WTA Top 50, along with No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 38 Magda Linette.

“Quotable …”

“I don’t think much feels very different for me. I think it kind of feels the same. I’m approaching it as I have other Slams. Last year, I was happy with all my Slam results. I want to treat it the same way.

“The worst thing I can do is be looking super far ahead in the draw and putting all this pressure on myself. It’s the same mentality I always have: take it one match at a time, don’t look too far ahead. I don’t feel like it’s much different  other than where my ranking’s at.”

– World No. 4 Taylor Fritz of the United States, from his pre-tournament news conference. Fritz, the U.S. No. 1, enters this year’s Australian Open as a top-five seed.

 

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