MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff had a little difficulty adjusting to the sun at one end of Rod Laver Arena and dropped an early service game but quickly settled into a rhythm to start her Australian Open a 6-3, 6-3 win today over 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.

Third-seeded Gauff won the title at the WTA Finals last November and started this season by helping the U.S. to victory at the United Cup last week, a run that gives her a chance to move atop the rankings.

The 2023 U.S. Open champion is wearing a Marvel-inspired bodysuit and skirt at Melbourne Park and she’s radiating confidence and calm.

“I knew going in it was going to be difficult, but you know I’m happy with how I played,” she said of the 1-hour, 20-minute win over Kenin, who at No. 81 is a much tougher opponent than her ranking suggests.

“I mean (I) could serve better, but like on that side I was struggling to see the ball,” Guaff said, pointing to one baseline on the main show court that was bathed in sun. “So I’m just happy that I was able to manage through that.”

Gauff went into her opening round on a streak of winning 33 matches against players ranked outside the Top 50, dating to a loss to Kenin at Wimbledon 2023.

Gauff, who had five aces and four double-faults in her first two service games, lifted her tempo, started taking the ball earlier and won four of the next five games. She finished the match with 12 aces and nine double-faults, and saved seven of the eight breakpoints she faced. She also had 28 winners, including two rifling backhands on key points in the second set, and 13 unforced errors.

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen made the most of the indoor conditions under a roof at Rod Laver Arena to advance to the second round in straight sets Sunday while it poured with rain outside.

In her first match on Melbourne Park’s main court since her loss in last year’s final to Aryna Sabalekna, Zheng advanced 7-6 (3), 6-1 over 20-year-old qualifier Anca Todoni.

It was cool in the climate-controlled environs of the marquee stadium but it wasn’t without some discomfort for Zheng.

The fifth-seeded Zheng wasted three set points from 40-love before dropping the 10th game. Then she had to save a set point before going to a tiebreaker, where Zheng regained her momentum.

In the second set, Todoni needed a medical timeout for treatment on her lower back after three games but it only slowed down Zheng’s push for victory by a few minutes. In the end, she finished in just under two hours.

Zheng’s run to the final at Melbourne Park last year made her a household name in China, and her gold medal at the Paris Olympics has only elevated her status — and the pressure she faces now every time she walks on court.

“Of course, the (fans) start to be more and more pressure, but at the same time they are pushing me to become a better person and better athlete,” she said in a post-match TV interview. “And I think I deal good with the pressure and I like to play with the pressure.”

Zheng and Todoni had just finished the pre-match formalities when play was delayed by a few minutes so that the roof could be closed. It was one of three matches that continued under cover.

The Australian Open runs over 15 days, with organizers adding an extra Sunday for the second year running to allow first-round matches to be more evenly spread.

The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva was the first player to reach the second round, advancing 6-3, 6-3 over Marie Bouzkova on John Cain Arena.

After a trade of breaks and a tough hold, Andreeva broke for a 4-3 lead and was serving in the eighth game when the roof had to be closed on their court.

She dominated in the indoor conditions. After closing out the win, she walked over to her coach Conchita Martinez at the side of the court, grabbed a towel and dried off.

“I’m very happy today that I played on a stadium with a roof,” Andreeva said.