Top-ranked Iga Swiatek within the first spherical of the Australian Open on Tuesday confronted an early problem to her title aspirations however managed to beat former champion Sofia Kenin with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory.
Despite Kenin, the 2020 winner, serving for the primary set at 5-4, she could not safe it, and Swiatek claimed the set within the tiebreaker. The No. 1 seed then broke Kenin within the fifth sport of the second set, securing the win.
“Really happy,” mentioned Swiatek, who hit 30 winners. “It wasn’t straightforward to search out my rhythm. I felt a bit of bit off, and Sofia did every thing to maintain it that means, enormous respect to her. I managed to get my degree up within the second set.”
The Polish participant is making an attempt to win her fifth Grand Slam title however her first in Melbourne.
She’ll face one other robust second-round match towards 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins, who beat 2016 champion Angelique Kerber 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
“A tough little bracket that we have!” Collins said of the first two rounds. “I used to be like, ‘wow, I get really great draws now. But if you’re making an attempt to win a Grand Slam, you sort of must beat everybody.”
Kerber was considered one of three previous Australian champions making their returns to Melbourne Park for the primary time as moms. She joined four-time main winner Naomi Osaka as a first-round exit. Caroline Wozniacki, the 2018 winner, has reached the second spherical.
Victoria Azarenka, the winner in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013, received a hard-hitting contest with Camila Giorgi of Italy, advancing 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. No. 11-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, the previous French Open champion, beat Kimberley Birrell 7-6 (5), 6-1.
“Right into the tournament, right, playing against Camila, we know how dangerous she can be,” 18th-seeded Azarenka said. “I really feel like I didn’t play my finest tennis at present, however I’m completely satisfied I used to be capable of finding my means round.”
Earlier, Sloane Stephens picked up her first win on the Australian Open since 2019 when she beat wild-card entry Olivia Gadecki 6-3, 6-1. The 30-year-old American, who received the U.S. Open in 2017, received 5 straight video games from 2-0 down within the opening set and eased by means of the second to clinch victory in slightly below an hour.
“Pleased with the way I played,” said Stephens, who reached the semifinals of the event in 2013 but has lost in the first round in seven of her past eight visits to Melbourne. “I’ve been working rather a lot on making the opponents play. I believe that’s one thing I had bought away from. Pleased with the win.”
In males’s outcomes, Eleventh-seeded Casper Ruud beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, and Cameron Norrie defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 13 seed, beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal earned his second Grand Slam essential draw win with an upset victory over Thirty first-seeded Alexander Bublik, profitable 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5).
Men’s second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz started his title bid later Tuesday. Alcaraz, final yr’s Wimbledon winner, performed Richard Gasquet within the final match of the night time session on Rod Laver Arena.
Source: www.dailysabah.com