After losing a set level within the second tiebreaker with an ill-conceived drop shot, Jannik Sinner regained focus shortly Monday and commenced his Australian Open title protection with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner in motion throughout his first spherical match.(REUTERS)
After all of the pre-tournament consideration on the 2024 doping circumstances of Sinner and long-time girls’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, each began the yr’s first Grand Slam event about the identical time on close by courts on Day 2.
High-ranked Sinner needed to grind for 2 lengthy, tiebreak units towards No. 35-ranked Jarry, a 29-year-old from Chile, earlier than hitting his stride within the third with two service breaks on Rod Laver Area.
“It was a very close one because the first sets, they can go both ways,” Sinner stated after extending his profitable streak to 16 matches relationship again to October, together with 14 consecutive straight-set victories. “Within the third set once I broke it the primary time, that gave me a bit little bit of room to breathe.
“I’m happy how I handled the very tough situation.”
Sinner has acquired document at Melbourne Park in that division. He rallied from two units down in final yr’s closing to beat Daniil Medvedev for his first Grand Slam title, coming off a semifinal upset of 10-time champion Novak Djokovic.
Whereas Sinner was deep into his match towards Jarry, Swiatek, a five-time main winner from Poland, fended off top-ranked doubles participant Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4 on John Cain Area.
Coco Gauff had a bit problem adjusting to the solar at one finish of Rod Laver Area in Monday’s first marquee match and dropped an early service recreation earlier than shortly settling right into a rhythm in a 6-3, 6-3 win over 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.
Third-seeded Gauff beat Swiatek to win the title on the WTA Finals final November and began this season by serving to the U.S. to victory on the United Cup final week, towards beating No. 2 Swiatek within the closing.
Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion is sporting a Marvel-inspired bodysuit and skirt at Melbourne Park and she or he’s radiating confidence and calm.
“I knew going in it was going to be difficult, but you know I’m happy with how I played,” she stated of the 1-hour, 20-minute win over Kenin, who at No. 81 is a a lot more durable opponent than her rating suggests.
“I mean (I) could serve better, but like on that side I was struggling to see the ball,” Guaff stated, pointing to 1 baseline on the principle present court docket that was bathed in solar. “So I’m just happy that I was able to manage through that.”
One other 20-year-old American, Alex Michelsen, produced the largest win of his younger profession with a 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 first-round upset of 2023 Australian runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Michelsen’s three booming service returns within the ninth recreation of the fourth set helped him earn a significant break towards the Eleventh-seeded Tsitsipas and, after shaking off jitters on his personal serve, he closed out for his first victory over a participant ranked within the prime 20 at a Grand Slam. No. 17 Frances Tiafoe superior in 5 units over Arthur Rinderknech of France.
Gauff went into her opening spherical on a streak of profitable 33 matches towards gamers ranked outdoors the High 50, relationship to a loss to Kenin at Wimbledon 2023.
It was powerful going early, with Gauff changing an early break earlier than Kenin acquired again on serve at 2-2, hitting deep floor strokes and getting good bounce off the laborious court docket.
However Gauff, who had 5 aces and 4 double-faults in her first two service video games, lifted her tempo, began taking the ball earlier and gained 4 of the following 5 video games. She completed the match with 12 aces and 9 double-faults, and saved seven of the eight breakpoints she confronted. She additionally had 28 winners, together with two rifling backhands on key factors within the second set, and 13 unforced errors.
The draw introduced one other powerful journey to Australia for Kenin. It was the third straight yr Kenin confronted a Grand Slam champion within the first spherical in Australia, and her fourth consecutive first-round exit right here.
Guaff will subsequent play Jodie Burrage of Britain. Additionally advancing from early matches had been No. 12 Diana Shnaider, No. 23 Magdalena Frech, No. 25 Liudmila Samsonova and No. 28 Elina Svitolina. Lucia Bronzetti of Italy ousted No. 21 Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion.
After a stop-start Day 1 on Sunday, together with greater than six hours of rain, Monday’s packed program was additionally set to function matches for Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.