2018 Australian Open- Day 1 Highlights
Venus Williams & Sloan Stephens the casualties in a busy day of Australian Open action
The first day of Australian Open action saw plenty of shocks, a number of seeded players crashing out in the first round.
The headline in the women’s draw was Venus Williams who was upstaged in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 by Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. It’s the first time that Venus has not qualified for the second round of the Australian open since 1997, and the two time runner crashed out at the hands of the 20-year old Bencic who had previously teamed up with compatriot Rodger Federer to win the mixed doubles in Perth.
US Open Champion Sloan Stephens will also not be progressing to the second round, following her shock defeat by world number 34 Zhang Shuai. Stephens was up a set and serving for the match at 5-4 before Zhang spectacularly came back to take the match 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-2, in just under two hours.
Caroline Wozniacki made an encouraging start to her Australian Open women's singles campaign on Monday, getting the better of Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2,6-3. The Dane is the second seed and will be encouraged with a number of seeded players eliminated in the first round today.
Whilst in the men’s draw, British number two Kyle Edmund got the better of US Open finalist Kevin Anderson 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4. Edmund is the only British man in the main draw following the withdrawal of Andy Murray through injury. The victory over the 11th seeded Anderson is the 23-year-olds best ever result at a slam, previously it had been his win over 15th seed Richard Gasquet at the 2016 US Open.
Home favourite Nick Kyrgios cruised through to the second round with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 over Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva. The Canberra native has been tipped by many to do well this year and will look forward to the second round especially with no 8 seed Jock Sock already eliminated from his side of the draw.
Number one seed Rafa Nadal made light work of Victor Estrella Burgos, dropping only three matches in a comfortable 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over the player from the Dominican Republic. The Spaniard made a fine start in his bid to win only his second ever Australian open wrapping up a dominant win in just over an hour and a half. Nadal wasted no time in seizing control of Monday's clash at Melbourne Park as Burgos struggled to live with his array of forehands from beyond the baseline.
Full Results
Men's Singles
1st round
Malek Jaziri (TUN) bt Salvatore Caruso (ITA) 6-7 (2/7), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) bt Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-4
Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP x10) bt Jason Kubler (AUS) 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
Pablo Cuevas (URU x31) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 7-5
Gilles Muller (LUX x23) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 7-5, 6-4, 6-3
Ryan Harrison (USA) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA x11) 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3)
Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt John Isner (USA x16) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt Dennis Novak (AUT) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Andrey Rublev (RUS x30) bt David Ferrer (ESP) 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2
Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Alex Bolt (AUS) 6-7 (2/7), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Denis Shapovalov (CAN) bt Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x27) 6-3, 2-6, 6-0, 1-6, 6-2
Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Corentin Moutet (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Nicolás Jarry (CHI) 6-2, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3
John Millman (AUS) bt Borna Coric (CRO) 7-5, 6-4, 6-1
Damir Dzumhur (BIH x28) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-4
Diego Schwartzman (ARG x24) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 11-9
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Elias Ymer (SWE) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Marius Copil (ROM) 7-5, 6-4, 6-3
Marin Cilic (CRO x6) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5)
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) bt Yuki Bhambri (IND) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x17) bt Rogerio Dutra Silva (BRA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Víctor Estrella (DOM) 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Gerald Melzer (AUT) 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 7-6 (7/2)
Yuichi Sugita (JPN) bt Jack Sock (USA x8) 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-3
Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA x18) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (8/6)
Casper Ruud (NOR) bt Quentin Halys (FRA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 11-9
Joao Sousa (POR) bt Dustin Brown (GER) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x15) bt Kevin King (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-1
Women's singles
1st round
Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Wang Xinyu (CHN) 6-4, 6-2
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x7) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-1, 6-4
Duan Yingying (CHN) bt Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) 6-0, 6-1
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x19) bt Taylor Townsend (USA) 6-0, 7-5
Julia Goerges (GER x12) bt Sofia Kenin (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Petra Martic (CRO) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Zhang Shuai (CHN) bt Sloane Stephens (USA x13) 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 6-4, 7-5
Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Venus Williams (USA x5) 6-3, 7-5
Irina Begu (ROM) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x31) 3-6, 6-4, 8-6
Anett Kontaveit (EST x32) bt Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 6-4, 7-5
Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x24) 6-2, 6-2
Timea Babos (HUN) bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA x10) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) bt Alison Riske (USA) 2-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
Kiki Bertens (NED x30) bt Catherine Bellis (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2
Denisa Allertova (CZE) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-3, 6-0
Magda Linette (POL) bt Jennifer Brady (USA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Olivia Rogowska (AUS) bt Jaimee Fourlis (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE) 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4
Carla Suarez (ESP) bt Magdalena Frech (POL) 7-5, 6-3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x15) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Luksika Kumkhum (THA) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6-3, 7-5
Elise Mertens (BEL) bt Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) 6-2, 6-1
Darya Kasatkina (RUS x22) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-0, 6-3
Monica Puig (PUR) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-2
Nicole Gibbs (USA) bt Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 6-1, 6-1
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROM) 6-2, 6-3
Jana Fett (CRO) bt Misa Eguchi (JPN) 6-3, 6-2
Elina Svitolina (UKR x4) bt Ivana Jorovic (SRB) 6-3, 6-2
Marta Kostyuk (UKR) bt Peng Shuai (CHN x25) 6-2, 6-2
Daria Gavrilova (AUS x23) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 6-1, 6-1