Rafael Nadal marked his return to competitive play on Monday night with a devastating blend of power tennis and excellent movement at the Australian Open. The World No. 1, competing for the first time since appearing at the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2017, swept past Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in just one hour and 34 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. “It was a positive start with a good result,” said Nadal. “I started with positive feelings - that's [the] most important thing for me now. Of course, there are things to improve, but the things that I need to improve, matches will give me. Victories are the most important thing now.” The 31-year-old...
Denis Shapovalov emerged victorious in the only first-round match between #NextGenATP players at the Australian Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(5) on Monday. After early losses at both the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and the ASB Classic in Auckland, Shapovalov dispatched Tsitsipas in one hour and 56 minutes to notch his first career win at the tournament. The Canadian hit 33 winners to his opponent’s 11 and broke serve on five occasions. And for the second time in as many Grand Slams, Shapovalov will face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the No. 15 seed, who cruised past American qualifier Kevin King 6-4, 6-4, 6-1. Tsonga took advantage of five of 15 break chances while saving all five opportunities held against...
Jack Sock suffered a shock exit at the Australian Open on Monday as Yuichi Sugita booked his place in the second round 6-1, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3. Competing as the first American top-eight seed at a Grand Slam championship since Mardy Fish (Australian Open 2012), Sock struggled to reach the heights which saw him triumph at the Rolex Paris Masters in November 2017. Sugita looked impressive throughout with a 75 and 60 per cent success rate on points behind his first and second serves respectively as he recorded his first career Top 10 win (1-5 lifetime). The Japanese No. 2 has now reached the second round at three consecutive Grand Slam events and will face Ivo Karlovic, who dispatched on Laslo...
Third seed Grigor Dimitrov made a strong start to his 2018 Australian Open campaign, dismissing Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 on Monday at Melbourne Park. The Bulgarian finished 2017 by winning the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals in London, where he beat David Goffin. After another strong effort at the ATP Training Camp in Monte-Carlo in December, Dimitrov opened his 2018 season with a semi-final showing in Brisbane, and is now looking to win his first Grand Slam championship. He reached the semi-finals in Melbourne last year, losing a heart-breaking five-set contest against Rafael Nadal. "It's still early in the tournament," said Dimitrov. "I just had to come out and just play my...
It did not take long for a classic to unfold at the 2018 Australian Open. And if the rest of the fortnight lives up to how it has begun, fans around the world are in for a treat. World No. 49 Kyle Edmund recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the fifth set to spring an early upset against the No. 11 seed Kevin Anderson, withstanding 35 aces in his 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory that lasted three hours, 59 minutes. "It was a really good result for me," said Edmund. "[There are] so many positive reasons - just getting through a tough match like that [against] a quality player... Just the overall thought [is a] personal satisfaction, the hours...
