(Xinhua) China's Zheng Qinwen and women's two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka recorded battling first round wins, while men's second seed Alexander Zverev produced a commanding performance at the Australian Open on Sunday.

Storms wreaked havoc on the tournament's opening day, with heavy rain and thunder forcing outside matches to be suspended for more than six hours.

Matches had to be played indoors and under a retractable roof at the tournament's three main stadiums - the Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.

Fifth seed Zheng enjoyed being in the climate-controlled Rod Laver Arena, but was faced with a challenge from Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni before pulling out a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory in almost two hours.

(China Daily) Buyunchaokete faced a challenging combination of technical and psychological pressures in his Australian Open debut, ultimately losing in straight sets to Lebanon's Hady Habib on Sunday.

The 22-year-old, affectionately known as "Little Bu" by Chinese fans, expressed disappointment after his 6-7 (4), 4-6, 6-7 (6) defeat.

"Today, I felt I didn't reach my best level; he controlled the pace of the match throughout," Buyunchaokete said.

(Xinhua) Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen had a scratchy start on Sunday after a prolonged break from tennis before overpowering gritty Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni in straight sets on day one of the Australian Open.

The fifth seed started the first Grand Slam of the year with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory in almost two hours. The first round match was played under the closed roof of Rod Laver Arena due to heavy rain in Melbourne.

(Xinhua) Chinese snowboarder Yang Wenlong won his first-ever FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup victory on Saturday night, narrowly edging out Japan's Hasegawa Taiga.

In the men's event, Yang scored a total of 182.5 points, surpassing Hasegawa's 180.25 points to claim gold. Hasegawa's compatriot Kimura Kira rounded out the podium in third place with a score of 168.75.

The competition followed a three-run format, with the best two runs determining the final score.

(Xinhua) A total of 41 individuals, including prominent players of the board game Xiangqi, also known as Chinese chess, have been penalized for their involvement in cheating scandals, announced the sport's governing body in China on Sunday.

(Xinhua) Seven years after her debut at the Australian Open, Chinese player Wang Xinyu remains focused on the same goal of playing her best tennis.

Over the years, Wang, who currently ranks 37th, has competed at Melbourne Park four times, twice reaching the second round and twice exiting in the first. She will face Spain's 11th seed Paula Badosa in her opening-round match Sunday afternoon.

(Xinhua) Chinese tennis ace Zheng Qinwen said she hopes to start her new season on the right foot, aiming for a strong showing at the upcoming Australian Open.

The world No. 5, who finished runner-up in Melbourne last year, made her 2025 debut with a win over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in a charity match, before partnering Novak Djokovic to defeat Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka.

(Xinhua) China's Zheng Qinwen joined Novak Djokovic for a charity exhibition match at Melbourne Park on Thursday night ahead of the Australian Open.

Zheng and Djokovic beat Andy Murray, Djokovic's new coach, and Victoria Azarenka 4-3 in a single set Fast4 format match featuring four Olympic gold medalists at Rod Laver Arena.

The match was part of "A Night With Novak" -- a charity event organized by the 10-time Australian Open champion.

(Xinhua) Chinese players have been handed a favorable draw for the 2025 Australian Open, with most avoiding seeded players in the opening round.

Of the 10 Chinese players who have qualified for the men's and women's singles at the Australian Open, seven were on Thursday drawn against unseeded opponents in the first round.

Fifth seed Zheng Qinwen will open her tournament against a qualifier.

(China Daily) There seemed a touch of destiny when Zheng Qinwen made the Australian Open final last year a decade after trailblazing compatriot Li Na hoisted the women's trophy.

Zheng ended up crushed by nemesis Aryna Sabalenka in the decider but this year will hope to go one better and join Li as the second Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
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