Rain dominated the onset of the Australian Open tennis tournament on Sunday in Melbourne.

Outdoor matches were halted after only 60 minutes in the morning, and they didn’t pick up again until the evening, over six hours later, leading to the postponement of eight out of 32 singles matches.

However, play continued inside at the Rod Laver Arena on three indoor courts, where Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus kicked off her quest for a third straight Australian Open title with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 win against American Sloane Stephens.

As the weather improved and the roof was opened, the world’s top seed quickly defeated the 2017 U.S. Open champion in just over an hour.

“I can’t say I played my absolute best, but I’m pleased to have won in straight sets,” commented the 26-year-old Sabalenka. “I enjoy playing here; it really feels like home.”

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who lost to Sabalenka in the previous year’s final, successfully moved on to the second round indoors, while men’s sixth seed Casper Ruud and former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori emerged victorious in five-set matches, avoiding the rainy conditions.

Men’s second seed Alexander Zverev began his pursuit of a first Grand Slam title with an impressive 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 2019 semifinalist Lucas Pouille to wrap up the evening.