Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka prolonged her Australian Open successful streak to fifteen matches on a rain-soaked opening day at Melbourne Park.
Lower than an hour of play was attainable on the skin courts earlier than an enormous thunderstorm hit Melbourne Park, sending spectators working for canopy and inflicting a delay of greater than six hours.
The matches continued as scheduled on the three coated courts, and Sabalenka opened the night time session on Rod Laver Enviornment with a 6-3 6-2 victory over former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
Whereas it was a troublesome draw on paper, Stephens has slipped to 81 within the rankings and, barring a mini revival from the American when she gained three video games in a row after dropping the primary 4, this was easy crusing for Sabalenka, who gained her first main championship at Melbourne Park in 2023, then added one other final January, earlier than elevating her whole to a few Slam trophies on the US Open in September.
The final girl to win the Australian Open three years in a row was Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
“I am super happy to be back,” Sabalenka stated. “I love this place.”
She added: “It was a tough match, always tough matches against her. Not that I played my best probably but I was glad I was able to close this match in straight sets.”
Sabalenka celebrated victory with an on-court dance with presenter Jelena Dokic
The participant Sabalenka beat within the remaining final yr, fifth seed Qinwen Zheng, additionally safely reached spherical two.
The 22-year-old from China, who went on to win Olympic gold in Paris, didn’t have issues all her personal approach towards Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni however battled to a 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 victory.
Zheng seemed in full management serving for the set at 5-4 and main 40-0 just for Todoni to win 5 factors in a row.
The Romanian then held three set factors with Zheng serving at 5-6 however couldn’t take any of them and issues had been snug for the fifth seed thereafter.
“The first match is always not easy,” stated Zheng in her on-court interview. “She’s playing really good but I was doing a bit stupid mistakes at 5-4 40-0, I don’t know what happened there.”
Mirra Andreeva grew to become the primary participant to maneuver into the second spherical after the 17-year-old beat Czech Marie Bouzkova
Teenager Mirra Andreeva could possibly be an element come the latter phases of the match and she or he started strongly with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Marie Bouzkova.
However twenty ninth seed Linda Noskova, who upset Iga Swiatek on her method to the quarter-finals final yr, fell to a 5-7 6-3 6-4 loss towards gifted Dane Clara Tauson.
Brit Kartal falls brief on Australian Open debut
Sonay Kartal (proper) has risen quickly up the rankings throughout the second half of final season, successful a primary WTA Tour title in Tunisia and breaking into the highest 100
Sonay Kartal’s comeback fell brief as her Melbourne debut led to defeat to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
British No 3 Kartal rose quickly up the rankings throughout the second half of final season, successful a primary WTA Tour title in Tunisia and breaking into the highest 100.
That earned her a spot in the primary attract Melbourne, and she or he was the one British participant in motion on a rain-soaked opening day, with the competition lastly getting underneath approach three and a half hours after its scheduled slot.
Kartal was blown away within the opening set however recovered from 3-0 down within the second set to power a tie-break earlier than dropping out 6-1 7-6 (7-5).
Within the second sport, each gamers thought a Bouzas Maneiro serve had been referred to as out, solely to ultimately realise that the decision had come from a neighbouring court docket.
With line calls now automated and no line judges on the court docket, it may be troublesome for gamers to find out the place the decision has come from.
“They all sound the same,” stated Kartal. “I was like, ‘God’. I think on ours the sound of his voice was male, so I was just listening out for the male voice instead of the female voice.”
She added: “I’ll bounce back from this. I’ve got plenty more chances and good matches that are coming up pretty soon.”
Kartal was the one British participant in motion on the opening day, with Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley and Jodie Burrage all on account of start their campaigns on Monday.
Habib places Lebanon on the map
Hady Habib’s history-making run on the Australian Open will proceed after the primary man to characterize Lebanon in a Grand Slam singles match within the Open period grew to become the primary to win a match
Lebanese qualifier Hady Habib broke new floor for the strife-torn nation as he beat China’s Bu Yunchaokete 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 7-6 (8-6).
The world No 219 grew to become his nation’s first participant to win a males’s singles most important draw match at a Grand Slam within the skilled period and soaked up wild cheers from a rowdy crowd packing the small terraces on Melbourne Park’s Courtroom 13.
With followers chanting his identify, the Texas-born 26-year-old raised his racket on the crowd and held up a Lebanese flag after claiming the decisive tie-break.
Greater than one million individuals in Lebanon had been displaced following Israel’s invasion of the nation in October after simmering hostilities for a yr ignited by the battle in Gaza. A ceasefire was agreed in late November however the future stays unsure.
“This is probably one of the best days of my career, honestly. It’s such an incredible feeling to get this win – not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis,” stated Habib. “It’s a huge win, especially what we’ve been going through as a country. It’s just nice to get this win for Lebanon and for the people.”
“I just wanted to represent the country that I’ve lived in, and been a part of the tennis culture. It’s a decision I made at a young age,” he stated. “Just gives me the motivation to keep going. To play for a small country is something special for me.”
Habib gained three matches in qualifying to succeed in the primary draw
He represented Lebanon on the Paris Olympics and have become the nation’s first participant to win an occasion on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour in Chile final yr.
Habib will tackle 14th seed Ugo Humbert within the second spherical on Wednesday.
Ruud survives scare
Casper Ruud survived a serious scare to keep away from an opening-round loss
Within the males’s singles, sixth seed Casper Ruud survived a serious scare to keep away from a primary opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 4 years in the past.
The Norwegian was twice pegged again by Spaniard Jaume Munar however proved too robust within the deciding set to assert a 6-3 1-6 7-5 2-6 6-1 victory.
Ruud introduced his engagement to Maria Galligani in November and his fiancee was watching on.
When the Norwegian was requested if he was extra nervous whereas enjoying Rafael Nadal within the French Open remaining or asking his girlfriend to marry him, he visibly tensed up, stuttering in his on-court interview at Rod Laver Enviornment.
“The pulse got up there when you’re about to go down on your knees, it was a great moment. I’m nervous now when you ask me about it,” a smiling Ruud stated.
“I’ll never forget playing Rafa in a Slam final, but for sure I’ll also never forget going down on my knee to Maria. It was a beautiful moment, I think it was a bigger moment.
“There’s a number of different younger guys [in the locker room] which have been in relationships for a very long time, so I am type of teasing them. I hope for his or her girlfriends that they step up sooner or later!”
Additionally prevailing in a fifth was Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori, who got here from two units right down to beat Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 4-6 6-7 (7-4) 7-5 6-2 6-3 for simply his second Grand Slam victory since 2021.
The 35-year-old former US Open finalist has been dogged by accidents lately however, after saving two match factors within the third, he prolonged his five-set file to an outstanding 29 wins from 37 matches, coming by means of in 4 hours and 6 minutes.
Nishikori has fairly the popularity for successful in matches that go the space, and he stated: “Even after the match, everybody, a couple of players, was joking to me, ‘another five sets’.
“It is good to have that file as a result of I all the time have good confidence, and gamers know that I’ve file. It is good stress for them if I’ve that.”
Alexander Zverev performed the ultimate match of the night time session and eased to victory
Second seed Alexander Zverev barely wanted to get out of third gear because the German cruised previous Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4 6-4.
Zverev claimed his twenty sixth win, equalling Tommy Haas (26) for the second-most of any German on the occasion within the Open Period, behind solely Boris Becker (29).
What’s arising on Sky Sports activities Tennis?
- ABN AMRO Open Rotterdam (ATP 500) – 3-9 February
- Dallas Open (ATP 500) – 3-9 February
- Delray Seaside Open (ATP 250) – 10-16 February
- IEB+ Argentina Open (ATP 250) – 10-16 February
- Open 13 Provence (ATP 250) – 10-16 February
- Transylvania Open (WTA 250) – 3-9 February
- Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open (WTA 500) – 3-8 February
- Qatar TotalEnergies Open (WTA 1000) – 9-15 February
- Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships (WTA 1000) – 16-22 February
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