MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic survived a scare in his quest for tennis history before following Carlos Alcaraz and defending champion Jannik Sinner into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.
But Greek former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and home favorite Nick Kyrgios both fell at the first hurdle, with the combustible Australian going out swearing and in pain.
In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff powered through with minimum fuss as they launched their bids to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Another winner was two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, who defeated France’s Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
On a blockbuster second day in Melbourne, Djokovic lost the first set to 107th-ranked American Nishesh Basavareddy in the prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena.
But the Serbian great, hoping to roll back the years and win an 11th Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam singles title, recovered to ease through 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
In front of new coach and former rival Andy Murray, Djokovic struggled to raise a smile in the immediate aftermath.
“At the end, it was great but I think he was the better player for a set and a half,” said the 37-year-old.
Italian world No. 1 Sinner was warmly welcomed on Rod Laver Arena before defeating Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
Sinner is playing under a cloud after twice testing positive for traces of a steroid in March.
He denies wrongdoing and was cleared by tennis authorities, but the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed and is seeking to ban him for up to two years.
“I was curious to see how it was. You never know what’s happening,” he said about the reception.
“I was happy about the crowd,” added Sinner, who has not tasted defeat since losing to Alcaraz in the Beijing final in October.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion but never a winner in Melbourne, had a couple of hairy moments before seeing off Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.
“This is a tournament I really want to win one day, hopefully this year,” said the 21-year-old Spaniard.
There was disappointment for home fans as the colorful but temperamental Kyrgios, only recently back from 18 months out with injury, lost 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.
Kyrgios spoke to physios multiple times in the second set after wincing in pain while serving and fired expletives at his coaching box.
The 11th-seeded Tsitsipas became the first major casualty when Alex Michelsen blasted past him 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
The 26-year-old Greek, who played Djokovic in the 2023 final at Melbourne Park, never looked comfortable against the 42nd-ranked American.
“It just sucks in a way that I’ll be hanging around for quite a while now before my next tournament comes in,” said Tsitsipas.
Two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe vomited twice on court before pulling through in five sets against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.
The women’s draw provided few upsets on day two.
Red-hot world No. 3 Gauff laid down a marker as she swept aside former Melbourne champion and fellow American Sofia Kenin.
Gauff is unbeaten this year after leading the US to United Cup glory and eased past the 2020 Australian Open winner 6-3, 6-3 in 80 minutes.
“I knew it was going to be difficult, but you know, I’m happy with how I played,” said Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion.
World No. 2 Swiatek defeated Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4 to get her tournament up and running.
The Pole has won five Grand Slams but her best performance at Melbourne Park is the semifinals in 2022.
“For sure it wasn’t an easy first round, so I’m happy that I’m through,” said Swiatek.
US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, the seventh-seeded American, blew away home player Maya Joint 6-3, 6-0.
Victoria Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, was a notable early loser as the Belarusian went down 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) to Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.
