Australian Open 2021 day 1 live: Novak Djokovic easily wins first-round match; Nick Kyrgios wins in straight sets;
No 1 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic has easily won his first-round match against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.
- Bolt from the blue, Millman falls
- Williams sisters’ inspiration from Brady
- Potential flashpoint for Djokovic-Kyrgios feud
- Aussies in action on day one
Welcome to our rolling coverage of day one of the 2021 Australian Open. Follow the latest from Melbourne Park below.
Agencies 10.15pm: Djokovic through to second round
Defending champion Novak Djokovic blasted past Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in emphatic fashion on Monday to ominously kick off his bid for an unprecedented ninth Australian Open title.
The Serbian world number one, who clinched his 17th Grand Slam in last year’s gripping final at Melbourne Park against Dominic Thiem, wasted little energy in the 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 romp in just 91 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
The writing was on the wall with the pair meeting 13 times before and the Serb winning them all, with Chardy failing to take a single set.
Djokovic, chasing an 18th Slam crown to close in on the 20 held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, has likened his relationship with the Australian Open to “a love affair”.
And he clearly enjoyed himself, dishing up a masterclass for the socially-distanced fans in the stadium.
“It feels great, so great to see people back in the stadium,” he said. “I’m really glad to see a lot of people actually — this is the most I’ve seen on a tennis court in 12 months.
“Sometimes we take these things (crowds) for granted, but very very grateful to see you all.”
The 33-year-old broke Chardy in the opening game and was never troubled, racing through the set in 32 minutes, with the Frenchman winning just two points off the Serb’s service game.
It was similar scenario in a lopsided second set, which only lasted 22 minutes, as Chardy struggled to cope with the ferocity of Djokovic’s serving, which routinely clocked in at more than 200 kph (124 mph).
Chardy, who made the semi-finals of the warm-up Murray River Open tournament, surrendered meekly, with Djokovic winning the match with his ninth ace.
The Serb has won a record eight times in Melbourne, the scene of his maiden Grand Slam triumph in 2008, and is unbeaten on the famous blue courts since his shock defeat by South Korea’s Hyeon Chung in the 2018 round of 16.
He next faces American Frances Tiafoe in a tricky side of the draw with 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka and former world number three Milos Raonic potential obstacles en route to the quarter-finals.
“It’s the first time I will face him, he’s definitely one of the up and coming American tennis players,” Djokovic said of Tiafoe. “I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”
Agencies 9.15pm: Kyrgios wins in straight sets
A typically vocal Nick Kyrgios made a winning start to his home Grand Slam Monday, cruising past Portugese qualifier Frederico Ferreira Silva in straight sets and winning one point with a tweener.
The volatile Kyrgios, who reached the Australian Open’s round of 16 last year, is targeting a maiden Slam title with quarter-finals in Melbourne and at Wimbledon his best showings so far.
He mostly kept his cool in the impressive 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 drubbing against an opponent ranked 184, but it didn’t start well.
The unseeded Kyrgios was broken on his opening service game and the on-court microphone picked him up saying to his box: “Are you awake? You’re saying one thing for two games.” In the next game a frustrated Kyrgios yelled: “Tell your girlfriend to get out of my box.”
But he settled down and composed himself to break back then break again to wrap up the first set.
He picked up an early break in the second set and, with his serve firing, raced through the match, treating the crowd to a successful tweener shot between his legs as Ferreira Silva served to stay in the contest.
“It was special,” he said of his first Grand Slam match in a year in front of a noisy crowd but reduced-capacity crowd at John Cain Arena.
“It felt normal to be honest, you guys were going nuts and it as good to see.”
Despite the straight-sets win, Kyrgios said it was far from his best tennis. “Honestly, it was pretty average. I haven’t played a Grand Slam match in over a year and I was definitely nervous,” he said.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to produce anywhere near my best tennis. I’m just happy I got through ultimately.”
Kyrgios struggled with a left knee injury at the Murray River Open last week, and was on the verge of pulling out of a match against Borna Coric.
He wasn’t wearing any strapping Monday but received treatment at the end of the second set.
Kyrgios suffered a wrist injury at the Acapulco Open in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic brought his season to a halt.
He next plays 29th seed Ugo Humbert of France with the prospect of a third round clash against third seed Dominic Thiem.
Agencies 9.05pm: Halep eases injury fears in straight-sets win
A fit and firing Simona Halep started her bid for a first Australian Open title with an easy victory over Australian wildcard Lizette Cabrera on Monday.
The number two seed required strapping and was hampered by a lower back injury in the warm-up Gippsland Trophy, but moved with ease in the 6-2, 6-1 romp in 59 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
“I feel good, my body is fit,” said the Romanian, who hit 14 winners. “It feels great to be back in Melbourne.”
Halep, whose seven-year streak in the top 10 is the longest active run among women, broke serve in the opening game and then overwhelmed 23-year-old Cabrera, who has been unable to win a match at her home Slam in four attempts.
Halep, 29, is seeking a maiden triumph at Melbourne Park having fallen short to Caroline Wozniacki in the 2018 decider.
She was left stunned last year after a straight-sets loss to Garbine Muguruza in the semi-finals.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam winner, will once again be out to dash Australian hopes when she mets Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round on Wednesday.
Agencies 8.55pm: Japan’s Nishikori ‘kind of happy’ despite falling at first hurdle
Japanese spearhead Kei Nishikori felt he played some of his best tennis since elbow surgery in 2019 on Monday, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent a first-round defeat at the Australian Open.
Nishikori, a four-time quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park who has slid down the rankings to 41, was outlasted by Spain’s Pablo Carreno-Busta 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.
The 31-year-old, who is now fit and healthy, had been hoping for a good showing at the opening Grand Slam of the year as he attempts to return to the top 10. He reached a career-high ranking of four in 2015.
“Well, tough because I thought I was playing well but Carreno was playing better today,” said Nishikori, who missed most of last season recovering from the injury.
“I thought I was playing pretty high level. For me, I played, I think, one of the best tennis so far, including last year after coming back.
“I was kind of happy the way I’m playing with this level, but still not enough to beat this guy.”
Carreno Busta came into the clash after solid preparations at the ATP Cup, where he won two singles matches and lost one.
Another Spaniard, Pedro Martinez, piled more misery on Japan by beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to end the Japanese number two’s campaign.
Will Swanton 8.30pm: You never know what you get with Tomic
Bernard Tomic’s father, John, was in attendance, for a 3-6 6-1 4-1 (walkover) win. His first win at a major since Wimbledon in 2018. What a turn-up for the books. A walkover was at short odds, but not in favour of Tomic!
The first set was ho-hum. Dispiriting. Sugita ran the big-boned Australian side to side until the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist had nothing left in his underdone legs.
Sugita simply had to keep doing what he was doing. Which wasn’t much. But he became nervous. Played timidly. Errors snuck in. Tomic pounced. His body language improved. I’ve got Sugita! I’ve got him by the throat!
What a mystery Tomic has become. He’s into the second round of a major.
Agencies 7.50pm: You cannot be serious: electronic line judges make Grand Slam debut
The days of tennis players arguing whether balls are in or out could be coming to a close, after the smooth introduction of electronic line judging at the Australian Open on Monday.
Line calls have been at the centre of many a tennis conflagration, from John McEnroe’s “You cannot be serious” rant at Wimbledon in 1981 to Martina Hingis’s meltdown in the 1999 French Open final.
But the coronavirus pandemic has prompted a major change, with human judges replaced by ball-tracking cameras to reduce the number of people on site at Melbourne Park.
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka were among the players to give their seal of approval as the electronic system made its Grand Slam debut.
The cameras are set up along each line and automatically announce their decisions in real time, with a recorded human voice calling “out”, “fault” and “foot fault”.
“It’s interesting, It’s definitely different,” said 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams after powering into the second round.
“I’m loving it here, so... I just needed to adapt, and now I’m adapted to it. I think it’s for the best.
She added: “I think it’s not too much that can be wrong.
“I think there can be some close calls that you can check, but I think it’s good.”
The electronic calls feature pre-recorded voices of Australia’s front-line workers in the country’s pandemic response such as firefighters and other emergency response personnel.
“I feel like for me, it saves me the trouble of attempting to challenge or thinking about did they call it correctly or not,” said Osaka.
“It actually gets me really focused. I don’t mind it at all. “For me, I feel like if they do want to continue this way, I actually have no complaints about it because I think that there’s a lot of arguments that aren’t going to happen because of this technology.”
US Open champion Dominic Thiem was another supporter, saying he found it easier with no scope for human error.
“No offence at all, but there are just no mistakes happening, and that’s really good in my opinion because if the electronic call’s out, the ball is out, so there’s no room for mistakes at all,” said Thiem.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction.”
But veteran Venus Williams was more reticent about its long-term future, suggesting she prefered having humans on court.
“I think the linespeople are also pretty accurate, too. They’re usually right on the money, so, it could be interesting to see where this goes,” said the 40-year-old.
AFP 7pm: Andreescu in tears after winning return from 15-month layoff
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu burst into tears Monday after a tough three-set victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu in the Australian Open marked a much-anticipated return from a year-plus injury.
The eighth seed was forced to save three break points in the seventh game of the deciding set before prevailing 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 against the Romanian in two hours and two minutes.
She capped her comeback in style with a 27th winner as she wiped away tears. “It means a lot to win. It was all worth it. I never gave,” said the emotional Canadian.
“I really do believe in my capabilities and I’m looking forward to my next match.” Andreescu, 20, was set to make her comeback as top seed in the warm-up Grampians Trophy, but pulled out as a precautionary measure after spending 14 days in hard lockdown after arriving in Australia.
She had not played a competitive match since suffering a left knee injury at the WTA Finals in October 2019, halting her rapid rise after a stunning straights victory over Serena Williams in the final at Flushing Meadows that year.
She plays Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan in the second round.
Adrian McMurray 6.20pm: Big names still to come on day one
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic headline tonight’s night session. The Australian will take on Portuguese qualifier Frederico Ferreira Silva. The eight-time Australian Open champion meanwhile will begin his title defence against Jeremy Chardy on Rod Laver Arena.
Australian wildcard Lizette Cabrera will play under the bright lights of centre court as she faces the No 2 seed Simona Halep. Meanwhile out on Court 8, Bernard Tomic is still to face Japan’s Yuichi Sugita.
Liam Twomey 6.01pm: Another Aussie through to round two
Aussie James Duckworth has won through to the second round here at Melbourne Park after upsetting Damir Dzumhur in straight sets.
While Duckworth was ranked higher leading into this year’s Open, Dzumhur is one of the toughest players on the tour.
His career high is 23 and he has three ATP titles to his name.
But none of that mattered today, with Duckworth winning 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Michael Randall 5.37pm: Sascha snaps, then wins
He didn’t have it all his own way, but German six-seed Alexander Zverev has booked his place in the second round with victory over plucky American Marcos Giron.
Giron had Zverev on the back foot early on, forcing him to work for every point and conceding nothing as he stole the first set from the 23-year-old.
Zverev needed to find a spark and failing to capitalise on a second set point at 5-4 up was the catalyst.
He exploded in a fit of rage and destroyed his racquet on the court.
That propelled him into action and he closed it out 7-6(5) 6-3 6-2.
Adrian McMurray 5.10pm: Thiem through
Dominic Thiem powered through to the second round with victory over Mikhail Kukushkin on Rod Laver Arena. The 7-6(7-2) 6-2 6-3 result was a fair reflection of what happened on court, but the contest was certainly a lot closer during the early stages before the Austrian took control late.
It was hard work, but Dominic Thiem prevails in straight sets - 7⃣6⃣, 6⃣-2⃣, 6⃣3⃣!
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
Last year's runner up is through! 🇦🇹💪
WATCH: @9Gem
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf#9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/5cHQC5VO2r
Michael Randall 4.55pm: Kerber blames exit on quarantine
Angelique Kerber isn’t the player who won the 2016 Australian Open, but the former World No.1 says she would like a do-over on her decision to come to Melbourne during the pandemic.
Who could blame her.
After spending two weeks in lockdown, the 25th-ranked German was bundled out of the Open in just 70 minutes of lacklustre tennis, hammered by American Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-4.
“I was really trying to staying positive and doing the best out of the two-week situation but, of course, you feel it, especially if you play a real match where it counts and you play the first matches in a Grand Slam, also against an opponent who doesn’t stay in the hard lockdown,” Kerber lamented after the match.
“When I’m looking back, of course I was not planned, the two weeks hard quarantine.
“I don’t know, maybe if I knew that before to stay really two weeks in the hard quarantine without hitting a ball, maybe I would think twice about that (coming to Melbourne).
“But I was trying to take the motivation also for this tournament because it’s one of my favourite tournaments.
“Of course, I knew that we play with a little bit of fans, which is always such a different than playing with no fans.
“It makes tennis playing much more fun to play out there. So that was my motivation.
But, of course, if I knew the real situation before my trip, I would think maybe twice to come here.”
Russell Gould 4.12pm: Bolt makes Aus Open presence
Alex Bolt defied a huge rankings differential and urged on by a small but vocal crowd became the first Australia male in to the second round at the Australian Open.
The South Australian entered the first Grand Slam of the year with good victories under his belt in the lead up and took the form in to Melbourne Park to record a four-set victory over Slovakian Norbert Gombos.
Bolt, ranked 174 in the world, won the opening five games of the match against the 89th rank Gombos, in just 20 minutes in a blistering opening.
He took the opening two sets 6-2, and a third set rally from the Slovakian only momentarily halted Bolt’s dominance as the Aussie took the fourth 6-3.
It’s the third time in a row that Bolt, 28, has made it to at least the second round at Melbourne Park and he let out a huge roar when the final shot from Gombos sailed long and wide.
Bolt hit Melbourne park with two three-set wins at the Murray River Open, including one over countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis and was only stopped by top seed Stan Wawrinka
The wildcard entry, who won 6-2,6-2, 4-6, 6-3, will play either No.18 seed Grigor Dimitrov or 2014 US Open champ Marin Cilic from Croatia in the second round on Wednesday.
Angelica Snowden 4.05pm: ‘Ghost town’: Crowds sparse at Aus Open
A few dedicated fans turned up for day one of the Australian Open in Melbourne, but the international tennis event has opened with a lacklustre crowd – a far cry from the typical opening day fanfare.
The Birrarung Marr – an inner city park on the banks of the Yarra river which leads to the precinct entrance – is normally packed with tennis fans who travelled from interstate and overseas to watch the grand slam event.
But this year it was virtually deserted thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer than 50 people in the fast-moving queue to enter Garden Square at 10am.
Tennis fan and Melbourne local Tami Worthington said she had seen shopping centres with more people than Garden Square, just outside Margaret Court arena.
“At the moment it doesn’t seem that busy … it feels strange because it’s an international event,” the 30-year-old said.
Adrian McMurray 3.23pm: Bolt from the blue, Millman falls in five
Mixed news for the Aussie men on day one. Wildcard Alex Bolt is through to the second round after beating Norbert Gombos 6-2 6-2 4-6 6-3. Bolt, ranked 174th in the world, gets the better of the 30-year-old World No 89 in 2hr 14min.
BOLT! âš¡ï¸ ðŸ”¥ 💯@abolt15 is the first Aussie through to the second round of #AO2021, with a 6-2 6-2 4-6 6-3 win over Norbert Gombos.#GoAussies pic.twitter.com/1HG92FExCe
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) February 8, 2021
There was no joy for Australia’s marathon man however, Moutet beating Millman 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 3-6 6-2 6-3 in an incredible 3hr 45min.
Good news for Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic though, as she beats Japan’s Misaki Doi 6-2 6-1.
We’ve lost another seed: Gael Monfils has fallen to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-4 7-5 3-6 6-3. That’s the 10th seed gone.
Adrian McMurray 2.45pm: Upset as Millman battles on
Boilover! Pera has beaten Kerber 6-0 6-4 in 1hr 10min. That’s the 23rd seed gone, and the first big upset today.
Millman and Moutet have now been on the court for over 3hr 30min, the Australian up 3-2 in the fifth and deciding set.
Aussie wildcard Alex Bolt leads 6-2 6-2 4-6 2-0 over Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos.
Third seed Dominic Thiem is on Rod Laver Arena, up 4-3 in the first against Mikhail Kukushkin.
Courtney Walsh 1.55pm: Williams sisters’ inspiration from Brady
When it comes to superhuman performances from ageing athletes, Tom Brady was not the only legend to deliver in style on Monday.
The sporting world is rightly in awe of the 43-year-old, who was on the way to securing a seventh Super Bowl triumph and first for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida.
But a couple of Americans legends in the dotage of their careers also produced mighty fine performances in Melbourne on Monday.
Venus Williams is three years his junior. But it is worth noting that by the time Brady debuted with the New England Patriots in 2001, she owned a Wimbledon and US Open crown. She produced a quality 7-5 6-2 triumph over Kirsten Flipkens.
Her superstar sister Serena also had the first of 23 grand slam singles titles to her name. Their longevity is incredible and they remain more than capable of making a deep run at Melbourne Park over the next fortnight.
.@serenawilliams was happy to hear about Tampa!@Buccaneers |#SBLV | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/4g6qzjJ6f0
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 8, 2021
Serena Williams, who was a dominant 6-1 6-1 victor over Laura Siegemund, was keen to dash off the court to watch Brady wrap up the Super Bowl.
“Tom Brady is in my age group. It is exciting. Actually, he is above my age group, what was I thinking?” she said.
“He is amazing to be competing at, for us, one of the biggest championships in the world at 43 is unheard of. It is super inspiring for me at my ripe young age of 30-something.”
Williams, who is seeking to level Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles, was pleased with the way she started.
“This is a good start. Definitely vintage ‘Rena. It is definitely good. I think I am pretty good at pacing myself in a grand slam,” she said.
“This is amazing. Last year was very crazy for the world and to be able to do what I love and to be able to come out and compete in a grand slam after the last 12 months is pretty crazy.”
Adrian McMurray 1.52pm: Serena joins Venus in the second round
Serena Williams is through to the second round following her dominant 6-1 6-1 win over Siegemund in 56min.
“This is amazing. To do what I love and come out and compete, it makes me appreciate it even more (after the events of 2020),” she says post-match.
A swift win â°@serenawilliams defeats Siegemund, 6-1, 6-1.#AO2021pic.twitter.com/Ksqs0XBwCj
— wta (@WTA) February 8, 2021
She says Tom Brady’s Super Bowl efforts are inspiring. She flexes to the crowd and rushes off the court to catch the end of the match.
Stan Wawrinka is through to the second round as well after beating Portugal’s Pedro Sousa 6-3 6-2 6-4. Pretty routine for the 2014 champion.
Adrian McMurray 1.41pm: Upset on the cards
What’s going on with Angelique Kerber? The No 23 seed is in real trouble, trailing America’s Bernarda Pera 0-6 0-3 after just 36 minutes. Big upset on the cards at Margaret Court Arena.
Millman meanwhile has hit the front against Moutet, leading 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 after taking the third. The match has passed 2hr 30min … Moutet has been frustrated all match.
â—BLOW UPâ—
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
Moutet exploded against John Millman, attempting to stomp a hole through his racquet during a 2nd-set meltdown.💥🤯
WATCH: @Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf#9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/A549mm1Bkx
Russell Gould 1.24pm: Aussie Birrell out
Kimberley Birrell avoided making what would have been an inglorious and hasty exit from the Australian Open.
But a 22-minute opening set 6-0 demolition at the hands of Canadian Rebecca Marino still proved too much to overcome as the young Aussie became the first local to lose in the first round.
Birrell, from the Gold Coast, staved off six match-pints and needed treatment on her foot through the second set but still took it to a tie-breaker.
She served for the set at 9-8 but after battling for more than 80 minutes in the second-set, Birrell eventually lost the tie-breaker 11-9.
Birrell has only recently returned to the tour after spending 18 months on the sidelines recovering from two bouts of elbow surgery.
Adrian McMurray 1.19pm: Millman battles back, Serena flying
Millman has battled back against Moutet, winning the second in a tie-break. Moutet is up in the third however, the Frenchman leading 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 3-2.
Serena Williams isn’t being troubled by Siegemund, winning the first set 6-1. She's wearing a pretty slick looking one-legged catsuit as well.
Venus, meanwhile is through to the second round with a 7-5 6-2 win over Flipkens in just over 90 minutes.
Courtney Walsh 12.58pm: Djokovic-Kyrgios rivalry moves to the practice courts
The Australian Open ticket offering the spiciest viewing at Melbourne Park on Monday might well be in the area that allows access to the practice courts.
Between 5pm and 5.30pm, two of the sports biggest rivals in Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios will practice within about 30 minutes of each other ahead of their night matches.
The Australian will be on Court 21 for 30 minutes with the world No 1 has booked Court 19 for an hour.
One feels for Simona Halep, who plays Australian Lizzie Cabrera on Rod Laver Arena on Monday night, given she will be stuck between the feuding parties on Court 20.
Djokovic, the eight-time Australian Open champion, made it clear on Sunday that while he respected the Canberran’s talent on the court, that was as far as his admiration extended.
“Off the court, I don’t have much respect for him, to be honest. That’s where I’ll close it,” the eight-time Australian Open champion said.
The Djoker’s view is scarcely surprising given the Australian has labelled him “a tool” and an “albatross” at different times over the past year when scathing of the Serbian’s behaviour during the pandemic.
Adrian McMurray 12.28pm: ‘I’m here to have fun’: Osaka cruises through to second round
Osaka is through to the second round and she did it quite comfortably, dispatching of Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-2.
“I was really nervous coming into this match, I just wanted to play well,” Osaka says after her win.
“Thank you everyone for coming. I’m just really happy to see people in the stands, it’s been lonely in New York.
“In NY it was definitely a bit strange … here, hopefully I do well, but I’m here to have fun.
“Physically I think everyone’s body is shocked coming in and playing matches so quickly … But all in all, I think everyone’s just happy to be here.”
The No.3 seed @naomiosaka moves on! ðŸ‘
— wta (@WTA) February 8, 2021
She defeats Pavlyuchenkova, 6-1, 6-2.#AO2021 pic.twitter.com/vyWGPOYaLD
Even in these times of increased hygiene, Osaka’s still handed a pen to sign the broadcast camera lens with. I guess it wouldn’t be tennis without it.
Millman meanwhile is hanging in there in the second set, it’s currently 4-all.
Serena Williams is up next on centre court, taking on German Laura Siegemund. Her sister Venus meanwhile is up 7-5 4-1 over Belgiun Kirsten Flipkens on Margaret Court Arena.
Courtney Walsh 12.10pm: Aussies in action on day one
Adrian McMurray 12.01pm: Millman down, Osaka doing it easy
John Millman is in strife after losing the first set of his first round match against France’s Corentin Moutet 4-6. We’ll keep an eye on Court 3. Meanwhile Osaka is in a comfortable position after winning the first set 6-1, now up 2-1 in the second.
Moutet takes the first set!🇫🇷
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 8, 2021
The higher-ranked Aussie Johh Millman stumbles in the opener, but there's still a long way to go!🎾
WATCH: @Channel9
STREAM: https://t.co/ykPpc0k2wf#9WWOS #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/rb7nR7Cy1c
Adrian McMurray 11.10am: Play begins in 2021 Australian Open
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the opening day of the 2021 Australian Open! It hasn’t been an easy run in for anyone involved with the tournament but it’s happening, and the first players have stepped out onto the court. Third seed Naomi Osaka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are first out onto Rod Laver Arena, but you can follow the other scores from around Melbourne Park in the scoreboard above.
Courtney Walsh 10.45am: Barty sleeps soundly, but not Tiley
Ash Barty slept soundly after enjoying the perfect Australian Open preparation leading into her bid to end a local drought dating back to Chris O’Neil’s success in 1978.
Fresh from a year away, the Australian champion returned to the tour with splendour this week and pocketed a wombat for a win over Spanish star Garbine Muguruza on Sunday.
That’s right. A wombat. After her 7-6 (3) 6-4 win over the dual-major champion, Barty was presented with a carved wood wombat to celebrate her triumph in the Yarra Valley Classic.
Given the world No 1’s Indigenous heritage, it might become her most treasured keepsake, even though she does possess a Roland Garros trophy.
“Obviously when you talk about how the trophy is made, (it is) a very touching tribute to my heritage, and (it is) very cool to have some indigenous art, pure art, as a trophy,” she said.
That may change if Barty can sustain her streak for another seven singles matches to claim the Daphne Ackhurst Memorial Cup awarded to the Australian Open champion.
“I’ve eaten my brussels sprouts (and) done everything to put myself in a position that I can go out there and perform at the best level I can,” she said.
If the most important woman in Australian tennis is sleeping well, her male counterpart Craig Tiley is not.
The Australian Open tournament director has spent months collaborating with governments, tennis tours and the world’s highest-profile players to ensure the event proceeds in 2021.
The criticism from some quarters has been immense and scares including the positive test last week by a worker at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which had been a quarantine hotel for players, alarming. Revelations on Sunday night that another Melbourne hotel quarantine worker had tested positive didn’t help.
Will Swanton 10.30am: The enduring legends who just know how to win
The Australian Open will start with a bang. Her name is Serena Williams. She and Novak Djokovic will headline the Melbourne Park schedule on the same day as Tom Brady throws his old bones into another Super Bowl. Bang, bang. Some people just know how to win.
Before we dive into the masked major, let’s marvel at the Sydney Sixers’ triumph in the BBL final on Saturday evening and in particular, the success of 37-year-old Dan Christian under appropriately Pink and purple skies at the pretty little thing called the SCG.
Christian is a veritable spring chicken compared to the 43-year-old Brady, and drinking from the fountain of youth compared to the 39-year-old Williams, but he’s still a veteran with a Methuselah-scale beard to prove it. No one knows how to win tournaments like Christian, the Tom Brady of T20, and his fingerprints were all over the Sixers’ 27-run triumph that landed him a ninth career triumph. Bang, bang, bang.
Men of honour – Sinner and Cahill face an uncertain future, no?
Jannik Sinner and his Australian supercoach Darren Cahill, revered globally but under-appreciated locally, were the epitome of gracious victors. But a CAS hearing in April looms.
‘Among most educated’: Tiley rejects Bogan Slam tag
There was no shortage of drama at the AO. TA boss Craig Tiley addresses Alexander Zverev’s heckler, overloaded, raucous crowds and will we see the GOAT of Melbourne Park return?