Meersman won the 176-kilometre stage between Saint-Maurice and Renens, in the Lausanne suburbs, in a sprint finish from Italy's Giacomo Nizzolo and Roberto Ferrari.
"It was a difficult day but the team did excellent work," said 27-year-old Meersman.
"It was especially difficult in the final 500 metres, but I rediscovered my good legs and they got me the victory," added Meersman, who came into the race in form having won two stages on last month's Tour of Catalonia.
Froome holds on to the overall lead after winning Tuesday's prologue.
Thursday's second stage will be a 190.3km ride north from Prilly to Granges.
Froome is hoping to win the five-stage race, which concludes on Sunday, as he steps up his preparations for this summer's Tour de France.
The two previous winners of this race, Australia's Cadel Evans (2011) and Froome's Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins last year went on to win the Tour de France.
CYCLING
Froome maintains lead in Tour de Romandie
Belgium's Gianni Meersman, of the Omega Pharma team, won the first stage of the Tour de Romandie cycling race in Switzerland on Wednesday, but Britain's race favourite Chris Froome remained in the overall lead.
CYCLING
Swiss rider dies after fall into ravine on Tour of Switzerland
Swiss rider Gino Maeder has died from the injuries he sustained when he plunged into a ravine during a stage of the Tour of Switzerland, his team Bahrain-Victorious said on Friday.
Maeder, 26, fell during a high-speed descent on the fifth stage between Fiesch and La Punt on Thursday, after an exhausting day marked by three ascents over 2,000 metres altitude.
He had been found “lifeless in the water” of a ravine below the road, “immediately resuscitated then transported to the hospital in Chur by air”, organisers said.
But the next day, “Gino lost his battle to recover from the serious injuries he sustained,” Bahrain-Victorious said in a statement.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we must announce the passing of Gino Mäder,” his team wrote in a statement.
“On Friday June 16th, following a very serious fall during the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse, Gino lost his fight to recover from the serious injuries he had suffered. Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Gino’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.”
“Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30am we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team,” the team said in a statement.
🙏🏻 Gino, thank you for the light, the joy, and the laughs you brought us all, we will miss you as a rider and as a person.
❤️ Today and every day, we ride for you, Gino.
🔗 https://t.co/CSx5BsWfRz pic.twitter.com/caBmfmWwyg
— Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) June 16, 2023
Maeder had enjoyed a strong start to the season, finishing fifth in the Paris-Nice race.
American rider Magnus Sheffield also fell on the same descent from Albula, during the most difficult stage of the race with multiple climbs. The Ineos-Grenadiers rider was hospitalised with “bruises and concussion,” organisers said.
On Thursday, world champion Remco Evenepoel criticised the decision to compete on such a dangerous road.
“While a summit finish would have been perfectly possible, it wasn’t a good decision to let us finish down this dangerous descent,” the Belgian wrote on Twitter.
“As riders, we should also think about the risks we take going down a mountain.”
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