Remember the 2023 edition of the Australian Open when Day 3 was massively hit by scorching heat and then constant rain in Melbourne? Well, the weather ghosts seem to have resurfaced this season. Day 1 of the Australian Open 2025 has matches featuring the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Qinwen Zheng, Mirra Andreeva, and Casper Ruud. But the weather has already begun to play spoilsport. And it’s not looking good for fans eager to witness a lot of on-court action. Coco Gauff’s ex-trainer and former ATP pro has predicted the same!

Brad Gilbert took to X on the early morning of Sunday, January 12, giving his take on the hourly weather forecast down under. “Melbourne, Australia Hourly Weather Forecast | Weather Underground still getting used to Sunday start ⁦@AustralianOpen going to be tricky weather day this afternoon” he wrote. As if Gilbert’s reaction wasn’t enough to draw clouds of disappointment for Day 1, the official ATP website made it a certainty. 

“Torrential rain and lightning have halted play on all outdoor courts on Day 1 of the Australian Open in Melbourne.” read the report. Per Wunderground’s report for Melbourne, on Sunday, there’s a 100 percent chance of heavy rain. While the action is continuing at the John Cain Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and Rod Laver Arena, outdoor matches on other courts have been suspended. It’s the situation as of this writing.

Speaking of anticipated encounters, however, fans need not worry regarding the face-off between Norway’s Casper Ruud and Spain’s Jaume Munar. The No.6 seed leads Munar 2-1 in h2h encounters. On the other hand, 2018 ATP Finals winner and World No.2 Alexander Zverev is set to go against French wildcard Lucas Pouille. The German had a good season last year with a 69-21 singles record. Not to mention his deep run at the 2024 French Open and the SF round of the ATP Finals in Turin.

Moreover, some of the early matches have already witnessed exciting results on Day 1!

17-year-old tennis sensation Mirra Andreeva enters the second round of Australian Open 2025

Facing Czechia’s Marie Bouzkova, the 2025 Brisbane International semifinalist showed her grit. At the John Cain Arena, she fumbled on various instances while committing 27 unforced errors. But the teenage sensation compensated them with strong forehand strokes and fine movement, covering the court on most occasions. Mirra Andreeva hit 27 winners and 1 ace in the match.

After winning the first set 6-3, she was seen losing grip of the contest. As a result, she got furious as well. She lost the next game while leading the second set, 4-2. In frustration, Andreeva threw her racket with brute force on the ground. But she made a strong return, winning the set 6-3 and moving into the second round.

Following her victory, Andreeva decided to give a shoutout to her coach and WTA icon Conchita Martinez. The former Wimbledon champion joined her team last season as a trainer. In nine months of their partnership, the young player has shown massive improvement. In June 2024, she became the youngest player, in almost 30 years, to reach a Grand Slam SF round at the Roland Garros. Moreover, she’s reached a career-best singles ranking of 15 lately.

“With her, I kind of became closer to fearless,” she said of Martinez in a post-match interview as reported by Tennis. com on Sunday. “For example, before I would never go to play a volley on match point. Here, I decided, ‘Why not?’ Against Marie, I was so tired and she was putting every ball back. I was like, ‘Come on, what is this?” She explained. “So, I decided to just go in front and try to finish by myself. I thought, ‘Well, I’m serving, so if it doesn’t work, I’ll try to have another chance.’ I just decided to go for it and it worked.” She concluded.

It will be intriguing to see if she carries her momentum from the first round onto the next. Do you think she will make a deep run at the Australian Open 2025?