On January 12th, Beijing time, the first day of the new season's Australian Open women's singles round welcomed its first match day, featuring several Chinese players including Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xinyu, and Yuan Yue. Due to the scheduling, the first victory at the Australian Open was achieved by a 17-year-old prodigy.
Zheng Qinwen's match started at 8:30 am, while some players had already begun their matches at 8 am, including Russian prodigy Mira Andreeva, whose first-round opponent was Buzkova.
In this Australian Open, Mira Andreeva is ranked as the 14th seed, sharing the same 1/8th quarter with Sabalenka and the same 1/4th quarter with Zheng Qinwen. Whether advancing to the quarterfinals or aiming for the semifinals, Mira Andreeva faces significant challenges.
Mira Andreeva's first-round opponent was Buzkova, ranked 42nd in the world. In the first set, Mira Andreeva started with a break, followed by Buzkova breaking back in the second game. By the seventh game, Mira Andreeva broke again, securing consecutive holds and breaks in the eighth and ninth games to win the first set 6-3.
In the second set, both players engaged in a series of breaks, with Mira Andreeva breaking three times and Buzkova twice. In the ninth game, Mira Andreeva reached her match-winning serve, successfully holding serve to win the second set 6-3, defeating Buzkova 2-0 overall. She earned a prize of 200,000 Australian dollars (approximately 900,000 RMB) and 70 points.
Due to heavy rain interrupting other Australian Open matches, Mira Andreeva and Buzkova's match ended earliest, making Mira Andreeva the first player to advance in this year's Australian Open. According to the draw, Mira Andreeva's next opponent will be the winner between Rinat and Uchimura Natsuki.
If Mira Andreeva maintains stable performance, she should be able to advance to the round of 16, where her likely opponent would be defending champion Sabalenka.
In last year's French Open women's singles quarterfinals, Mira Andreeva made a 2-1 comeback to eliminate Sabalenka, reaching the French Open women's singles semifinals for the first time in her career. This Australian Open also presents an opportunity to challenge Sabalenka, with Zheng Qinwen waiting to assist.
In a current focus match, Zheng Qinwen faces Toudoni. In the first set, Zheng Qinwen led 5-3 but was overtaken by Toudoni with three consecutive wins to lead 6-5. In the crucial twelfth game, Zheng Qinwen struggled to hold serve, leveling the score to 6-6. Both players went into a tiebreak, which Zheng Qinwen ultimately won 7-3.
In the second set, Zheng Qinwen finally found her rhythm, leading 3-0 at the start and eventually winning 6-1, advancing to the second round with a total score of 2-0. This is also her fourth consecutive year reaching at least the second round of the Australian Open.