Play was suspended until mid-afternoon due to steady rain, but when the action got underway, Zheng completed a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Zheng, who started her match on Tuesday evening, said the interruption made it tough for her. She said she had also felt unwell in the run-up to the clash.

Zheng reached the semifinals last week in a WTA event in Guangzhou in southern China, but caught a cold in the process.

"Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), I thought about withdrawing but the China Open is a tournament in my homeland so I thought I'd better keep trying," the world No. 30 said.

Zheng said her first-round victory over the 10th-ranked Pole would be a boost.

"To beat a top-ten player I think will give me more confidence and I hope I will end the year with a higher ranking," added Zheng, who reached a career-high of No. 27 in 2006.

Zheng became a national heroine, saying after her Wimbledon success, where she reached the semifinals, that she would donate her winnings in England to help survivors of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake that killed almost 70,000.

Zheng is from the Sichuan city of Chengdu, but she's not had time to return home.

"As a professional player I should finish my season first," Zheng said. "I have a few events after this and then I plan to go back and see what I can do for them."