MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal defied his gloomy injury prognosis to crush Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, and reach the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
The Spanish great was not quite at his all-action, fist-pumping best but appeared unimpeded by his back problems as he posted an encouraging win over the 56th ranked Serb in the afternoon sunshine at Rod Laver Arena.
After closing out a tight second set, the second seed played like a man unburdened, racing to the finish line in a hail of winners before Djere conceded the match meekly with a double fault.
World number one Ash Barty doled out the dreaded 'double bagel' to Danka Kovinic in the first round, humiliating the error-prone Montenegrin 6-0, 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena.
Barty, looking to become the first homegrown champion at the Grand Slam since 1978, won the first 16 points of the one-sided contest and never looked back, wrapping up the win in 44 minutes.
Tsitsipas canters into the second round
Greek fifth seed StefanosTsitsipas served up a tennis masterclass to veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon during a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 thrashing to open his campaign.
The 2019 Melbourne Park semi-finalist barely broke sweat during the final match on Rod Laver Arena and did not face a breakpoint against the 36-year-old Simon, who is ranked 66th in the world.
In his first meeting with the former world number six, Tsitsipas broke Simon's serve twice in the first two sets and a further three times to ease into the second round.
The Greeks will next meet Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis, who breezed past Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
Russians Medvedev, Rublev advance
Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, battle-hardened after firing Russia to an ATP Cup triumph at Melbourne Park last week, both cruised into the second round in straight sets.
Seventh seed Rublev opened the day's action on John Cain Arena with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over YannickHanfmann before Medvedev, the fourth seed, dispensed with Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to extend his winning streak to 15 matches.
Medvedev won the ATP Finals after beating Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, and Dominic Thiem last November and continued his impressive form at the ATP Cup last week as Russia went unbeaten through the team event.
The 24-year-old raced through the first two sets against Pospisil on Margaret Court Arena but his Canadian opponent, who was one of 72 players confined strictly to their rooms during pre-tournament quarantine, proved more obdurate in the third.
It only delayed the inevitable, however, and Medvedev eased into a second-round meeting with Roberto CarballesBaena or Attila Balazs after an hour and 47 minutes.
Azarenka stunned by Pegula
Victoria Azarenka was dumped out of the Australian Open in the first round after a 7-5, 6-4 defeat by main draw debutant Jessica Pegula.
Belarusian Azarenka, who won her two Grand Slam titles in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013, started the stronger and looked to be in complete control, the 12th seed racing to a 5-2 lead in the first set.
However, things quickly fell apart as American Pegula, the world number 61, took the next five games to seal the set.
Azarenka's troubles continued in the second set and she took a medical timeout while trailing 4-2 after appearing to have trouble breathing. She returned to hold serve and followed that up with a break to draw level at 4-4, but Pegula broke straight back before serving out the match, sealing victory with an ace.
Emotional Kenin grinds
into second round
An anxious Sofia Kenin was in tears before launching her title defense at the Australian Open on Tuesday and again after completing an unconvincing 7-5, 6-4 win over local wildcard MaddisonInglis.
Fourth seed Kenin, who claimed her maiden Grand Slam at Melbourne Park last year in a major surprise, found the going tough against the world number 133 Australian on a glorious morning at Rod Laver Arena.
The Russian-born American was broken twice in the first set and slumped to an early 3-1 deficit before recovering. She later double-faulted on match-point before closing it out.
Kenin has always worn her heart on her sleeve and was candid about her emotions, saying she needed to get a grip of them if she hoped to go far in her title defense.
She will next play Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, who beat her in three sets in Rome in 2018, their only career meeting.
American teenager Coco Gauff said she felt right at home among her spectator contemporaries on the John Cain Arena court on Tuesday as she knocked out JilTeichmann 6-3, 6-2 to glide into the second round.
The recently renamed show court at Melbourne Park is sometimes called the "People's Court" as cheaper ticket prices make it accessible to a younger demographic, which can also make for a rowdier atmosphere.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, crowd numbers were again low on Tuesday but there were still enough youthful fans on hand to give the American a rousing cheer after a routine victory over her Swiss rival.
Konta retires due to injury
Briton Johanna Konta retired from her first-round match against Kaja Juvan of Slovenia due to injury while leading 6-4, 0-2.
Konta, seeded 13th at Melbourne Park, left the court for a medical timeout to get treatment on her abdomen when serving at 5-4 in the opening set. She came back to serve out the set but continued to struggle and lost the first two games of the second set before deciding she was unable to continue. Agencies