Jabeur shocked, contenders through as rain hits Melbourne

MELBOURNE :Ons Jabeur made a humbling early exit at the hands of teenager Mirra Andreeva but title contenders Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner both got safely through their second-round contests at an Australian Open disrupted by rain on Wednesday.

Tunisian sixth seed Jabeur could hardly blame the conditions for her defeat given the one-sided nature of her stunning 6-0 6-2 drubbing at the hands of 16-year-old Russian Andreeva on Rod Laver Arena.

"It was probably my best match," said Andreeva, who still has to find time for school work along with her training.

"The first set I didn't expect that I would play this good. The second set was also not bad. It was an amazing match. I'm super happy with the level that I showed today on the court."

Brazilian 10th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia had little trouble in her second-round encounter with a talented teen, easing past another 16-year-old Russian, Alina Korneeva, 6-1 6-2.

Reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka puts her title on the line against a third 16-year-old in Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova in the evening session on Rod Laver Arena.

The wet weather prevented the start of play on the outer courts for more than three hours but the more high-profile matches continued under closed roofs on the showcourts.

Sinner was delighted that the inclement weather forced the roof of Margaret Court Arena to be closed for his match against Jesper de Jong.

The fourth seed, who skipped all the warm-up tournaments this year, hit a rich vein of form at the end of last season on indoor courts and dominated the Dutch qualifier 6-2 6-2 6-2.

"Roof closed, it's a little bit different. I love the conditions," Sinner said.

"I played really well. I served good, returned also well, so it was a good match today. Now let's