Day one of Australian Open
Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka beats Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-2
Men's second seed Alexander Zverev wins 6-4 6-4 6-4 against Lucas Pouille
GB's Sonay Kartal beaten 6-1 7-6 (7-5) by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Heavy rain disrupts earlier play on outside courts at Melbourne Park
Kartal 1-0 Bouzas Maneiro*
Sonay Kartal has quite a lot of tape supporting her right knee but looks to be moving fine as she edges clear to 40-15 on serve.
A double-fault keeps the door open for Jessica Bouzas Maneiro but the Spaniard nets a backhand and that is the opening game for Kartal. Just the start she wanted.
*Kartal 0-0 Bouzas Maneiro
Warm-up over. The sun is out. It's show time!
Britain's Sonay Kartal will serve first as she gets her Australian Open debut under way.
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport in Melbourne
Finally! We are going to see some tennis on court five.
Enthusiastic cheers from the fans who have patiently waited all day as Kartal and Bouzas Maneiro go to the net for the coin toss.
Kartal has a beaming smile. She’s moments away from making her AO main-draw debut…
Kartal v Bouzas Maneiro
Leon Smith
GB Davis Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds
It has been a fantastic rise from Sonay.
I love the way she plays. She has got great determination, she moves very well, her game is built on being very robust on the court and she has got a good forehand.
Although she can play on all surfaces, she plays a little bit like a clay courter because she is strong and has good racket head speed.
She is a great competitor and can really stand up at this level.
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport in Melbourne
The sun is out and I can feel heat on my neck. But the court is not yet quite ready for action.
Sonay Kartal and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro are patiently waiting while the umpire and a ball boy dab the last few remaining wet patches with AO towels.
Image source, BBC SportThe players are just waiting for the ground staff to make sure every inch of the court is completely dry.
Nobody wants to risk suffering any unfortunate slips that could end their tournament before it really has the chance to start.
The good news is the sun is emerging from behind the clouds and hopefully it won't be long until both Sonay Kartal and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro are happy to begin.
Kartal v Bouzas Maneiro
Image source, Getty ImagesBritish 23-year-old Sonay Kartal begins her first Australian Open campaign against Spanish world number 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
This will be a first overseas major for the 87th-ranked Kartal, whose first three Slam appearances have all come at Wimbledon.
This time last year the Briton feared a health scare would disrupt her career, but she returned to action in time to reach the last 32 in a breakout performance at the All England Club.
"I had the worst start to a year which I could have imagined," she said.
"You don't really appreciate the feeling of being healthy until you're in that position of being in control of it. 100%, it changed my outlook."
The outdoor courts have dried and here comes Britain's Sonay Kartal now!
Image source, Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva said she now feels she "belongs" on the WTA Tour after a first-round win over Marie Bouzkova.
The 17-year-old, who made her Slam debut at the 2023 French Open, recorded a routine 6-3 6-3 win over her Czech opponent and plays Magda Linette or Moyuka Uchijima next.
Andreeva reached her first major singles semi-final at Roland Garros last year and has climbed to 15th in the world, but admitted to still feeling as though she was trying to prove herself last season.
"I would say that now I don't feel like I'm a new player on the tour. I feel like I'm here now," she said.
"Even when I was playing Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024, I was still trying to prove to people that I belong here, I'm going to play with you, and this is my place. I feel like now I do belong here at the end."
Image source, Getty ImagesLast year's women's runner-up Zheng Qinwen began her Australian Open bid with a straight-set win on a rain-disrupted first day in Melbourne.
Chinese fifth seed Zheng, beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final, won 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 against Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni under the roof on Rod Laver Arena.
The Olympic gold medallist said was annoyed about "stupid mistakes" she made when missing her first three set points, but progressed to the second round where she will face Laura Siegemund or Hailey Baptiste.
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport in Melbourne
The plastic poncho was the must-have fashion item at Melbourne Park earlier today...
Image source, BBC Sport
Image source, Getty ImagesJannik Sinner begins his Australian Open title defence against the backdrop of an ongoing doping controversy.
The Italian was cleared of wrongdoing after twice failing doping tests in March 2024, but he could face a ban of between one to two years after the World Anti Doping Agency took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Iga Swiatek is returning to Grand Slam action after serving a one-month doping suspension towards the end of last season, as she seeks to dethrone Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne.
While Sabalenka is aiming to become the first woman in 26 years to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, Novak Djokovic is bidding for a record-extending 11th title which would secure an outright-record 25th major.
The Serb, 37, will do so with the support of new coach Andy Murray in Melbourne, in a partnership which is sure tor receive plenty of attention over the coming days.
As for the Brits in action on the courts, the number ones Katie Boulter and Jack Draper will lead the nation's hopes, while former US Open winner Emma Raducanu looks to make a positive start to the year.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe good news is, play is scheduled to resume on the outside courts at 07:15 GMT, with Great Britain's Sonay Kartal among the players patiently waiting to get out there and get started.
Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport in Melbourne
Image source, BBC SportFor those stuck in the big UK freeze, enviously wishing you were in the Melbourne summer, it isn't all sun and warmth here.
The opening day of the AO has been disrupted by heavy rain and violent thunderstorms. The crashes were so loud that it literally made me jump in our digs.
Play was suspended on the outside courts at around 12pm local time (01:00 GMT) - about an hour after the action began.
Image source, BBC SportWhile it is, of course, significantly warmer in Melbourne than it is in the UK right now, it would be an understatement to say the weather has not been great so far on day one at the Australian Open.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain suspended play on all outdoor courts, and even caused our man on the ground Jonathan Jurejko a few scares...
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesThe first Grand Slam tournament of the year has arrived!
Well, it perhaps hasn't quite been the all-action start organisers would have hoped for, with rain disrupting the day one schedule.
But there's still plenty going on today at Melbourne Park - and lots to look forward to as the world's best begin their campaigns at the first major of the year.
Will Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner defend their titles? Can Andy Murray assist Novak Djokovic to a historic 25th major? Might one of the British players put on a show?
It's time to find out.
Image source, Getty Images