Novak Djokovic survived an early scare in his quest for tennis history, advancing to the second round of the Australian Open on Monday alongside Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner.
However, Greek former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and home favourite Nick Kyrgios both fell at the first hurdle, with the volatile Australian exiting the tournament in visible pain and swearing.
In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff made swift progress, launching their bids to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka also advanced, defeating France’s Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In the night’s prime-time match on Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic lost the first set to 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy, but recovered to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The Serbian, seeking a record 25th Grand Slam singles title and an 11th Australian Open victory, was watched by his new coach, former rival Andy Murray, but remained stoic in his post-match comments.
“At the end, it was great, but I think he was the better player for a set and a half,” said Djokovic, 37.
Italian world number one Jannik Sinner followed suit, defeating Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1. Sinner, playing under a cloud after testing positive for traces of a steroid in March, was cleared by tennis authorities but is still facing an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which seeks a two-year ban. Despite this, Sinner received a warm reception and expressed his relief.
“I was curious to see how it would be, but I was happy about the crowd,” he said. Sinner has not lost a match since falling to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion but yet to win in Melbourne, overcame Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 7-5, 6-1. The 21-year-old Spaniard, eager to claim his first Australian Open title, remarked, “This is a tournament I really want to win one day, hopefully this year.”
In a disappointing turn for home fans, Kyrgios, who had only recently returned from an 18-month injury layoff, fell to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 7-6 (7/2). Kyrgios, clearly in pain during the match, sought treatment from physios and fired expletives at his coaching box.
Tsitsipas, the 11th seed, also suffered an early exit, losing 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to American Alex Michelsen. The Greek, who reached the Melbourne final in 2023, struggled against the 42nd-ranked Michelsen, and expressed frustration after the loss.
“It just sucks in a way that I’ll be hanging around for quite a while now before my next tournament comes,” Tsitsipas said.
In a dramatic match, two-time US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe vomited twice on court but managed to recover and defeat France’s Arthur Rinderknech in five sets.
Gauff sends warning
The women’s side saw few surprises, with world number three Coco Gauff making an early statement as she dispatched former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3 in just 80 minutes. Gauff, unbeaten so far this year after leading the U.S. to victory in the United Cup, said, “I knew it was going to be difficult, but I’m happy with how I played.”
World number two Iga Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner, defeated Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek’s best result in Melbourne was a semifinal finish in 2022. “For sure, it wasn’t an easy first round, so I’m happy that I’m through,” she said.
Seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula also cruised into the second round with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 win over Australia’s Maya Joint.
A notable early casualty was two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, who was defeated 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) by Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.
With plenty of action to come, the Australian Open continues to unfold with surprising results and exciting matchups ahead.
AFP
