Melbourne, Jan 20 (IANS) World No. 8 Ben Shelton overcame a dangerous opening-round draw of the Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park on Day 3 of the first Grand Slam of the year to defeat Ugo Humbert.Shelton clinched a victory in a two-hour-37-minute thriller as he achieved a hard-fought victory, 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5), over the French opponent to advance to the second round in Melbourne.Although the score indicates a straight-sets victory, the match was actually a tense battle …
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Melbourne, Jan 20 (IANS) Madison Keys survived an early scare against the unorthodox Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova at Rod Laver Arena to launch her Australian Open title defence on Tuesday.Despite trailing 4-0 in the first set and also in the first-set tiebreak, the World No. 9 Keys saved two set points and progressed with a 7-6(6), 6-1 first-round win.It was Oliynykova’s Grand Slam debut and also her first tour-level match. She had not played since an ITF event in Ecuador in early December …
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Novak Djokovic, the most successful player in the Grand Slams, marked a triumphant return to his most successful event at the Australian Open in Melbourneon Monday, adding another historic milestone with his 100th victory at the hard-court major. The former No. 1 in the ATP Rankings delivered a near-flawless display to defeat Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, sealing his 100th career victory at Melbourne Park. The former No. 1 in the ATP Rankings delivered a near-flawless di…
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) World No. 4 Novak Djokovic launched his bid for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title in emphatic fashion, defeating Spain’s Pedro Martinez in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open 2026 at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. The Serbian great showed his trademark control and efficiency to secure a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing comfortably into the second round and underlining his intent at a tournament where he has enjoyed unparalleled success.Djokovic, …
Melbourne, Jan 19 (IANS) Coco Gauff, the No. 3 seed, opened her Australian Open 2026 campaign with a straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 win over Kamilla Rakhimova at Rod Laver Arena on Monday.The victory marked the American youngsters’s 75th career Grand Slam match win and improved her first-round Slam record to 23–4. Despite serving struggles that included seven double faults, Gauff controlled the match, overcoming early pressure and closing it out in 1 hour and 39 minutes.“I try not to put so much pre…
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz opened his Australian Open campaign in commanding fashion, defeating Australia’s Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 in a first-round match at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Sunday.The top-seeded Spaniard needed just under two hours to outperform the home favourite, displaying his trademark blend of power, precision, and court coverage to take control of the contest. Alcaraz struck eight aces and committed only one double fault, underlining his ef…
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka began her bid for a fourth consecutive Australian Open final positively on Sunday, overcoming Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, who gave Sabalenka a tough challenge in the first set here at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park.The wild card certainly challenged herself against the highest-ranked opponent in her WTA Tour career, but the two-time Australian Open champion’s experience ultimately led to a 6-4, 6-1 victory, starting the night session.”…
Melbourne, Jan 18 (IANS) World Number 3 Alexander Zverev started his Australian Open campaign on a high note. The German tennis star shook off an early setback to produce a composed four-set win over Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in the first round at the Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. Zverev recovered after dropping the opening set in a tense tiebreak to register a 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory, advancing to the second round after asserting his authority with superior serving and baseline consistency.T…
Melbourne, Jan 17 (IANS) On Saturday night at the Australian Open, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter, and Ashleigh Barty entertained the crowd with a lively exhibition doubles match during the opening ceremony, sharing laughs throughout.Federer arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning and received a warm welcome from fans. The tennis icon later spoke about the Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry that has etched itself into the tennis landscape in a similar manner to Federer vs. …
Melbourne, Jan 14 (IANS) Amateur tennis player Jordan Smith produced a fairytale run at Melbourne Park, stunning reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and a host of top professionals to clinch the inaugural ‘1 Point Slam’ exhibition event, held four days ahead of the start of the 2026 Australian Open.The unique mixed-gender exhibition, hosted inside Rod Laver Arena, has a prize pool of AUD 1 million and brings together leading professionals and amateurs in a novel format where a si…