Greece's Olympic champion Eleftherios Petrounias topped rings qualification in Melbourne ©Getty Images

Greece's Olympic rings champion Eleftherios Petrounias topped qualification in the discipline as the International Gymnastics Federation World Cup opened in Melbourne.

The event in the Australian city offers qualification points for those looking to reach Tokyo 2020.

Rio 2016 gold medallist Petrounias, a three-time rings world champion, led the way at Melbourne Arena with a score of 15.058.

With the top eight on each apparatus going through, Britain's Commonwealth Games champion Courtney Tulloch ended second on 14.700.

Mahdi Ahmad Kohani of Iran was third best on 14.633.

In the women's vault, American Jade Carey topped the qualifiers as the team gold medallist from last year's World Championships tallied 15.049.

Japan's Shoko Miyata was second on 14.166 and France's Coline Devillard third on 14.050.

The US also headed the men's pommel horse thanks to Stephen Nedoroscik's score of 14.600.

World team gold medallist Jade Carey headed the women's vault qualification ©Getty Images
World team gold medallist Jade Carey headed the women's vault qualification ©Getty Images

Saeedreza Keikha of Iran was second-best, scoring 14.400 and Russia's world team champion Vladislav Polyashov followed him through with 14.300.

Russia's Kirill Prokopev led the way in the men's floor with his score of 15.000.

Sunghyun Ryu of South Korea ended second on 14.500 and Kazakhstan's Milad Karimi was the third-best qualifier on 14.433.

Another Russian was best in the women's uneven bars as European champion Anastasia Ilyankova scored 14.800.

Her team-mate Daria Spiridonova, an Olympic team silver medallist, finished behind her on 14.266 and Ukraine's Diana Varinska was third on 14.100.

Qualifying continues tomorrow in the men's vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar, and the women's balance beam and floor.

Finals will then be held over the next two days.