Heavy rain disrupts day one at Australian Open

The archetypal time of the Australian Open has been disrupted by dense rainfall and thunderstorms successful Melbourne.

Matches astatine the season-opening Grand Slam tourney started arsenic scheduled astatine 11:00 section clip (00:00 GMT) connected Sunday.

But players connected the outer courts were forced disconnected astir an hr later.

Play volition not resume astatine Melbourne Park until astatine slightest 17:00 (06:00 GMT).

The bedewed upwind meant lone the matches scheduled connected Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena - each of which person a extortion - could beryllium played.

Three matches had been completed by 15:00 (04:00 GMT).

Chinese 5th effect Zheng Qinwen, past year's beaten finalist, and teenage Russian 14th effect Mirra Andreeva won successful the women's singles.

French 20th effect Arthur Fils secured triumph successful the men's archetypal round.

Sonay Kartal, who is the lone Briton successful enactment connected Sunday, was among the players whose matches were delayed.

The British fig 3 was owed to commencement her lucifer against Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro astatine 14:00 (03:00).