Rafael Nadal, Thiem cruise; Maria Sharapova, Konta lose

MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal hit the ground running at the Australian Open on Tuesday by hammering unseeded Bolivian Hugo Dellien 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 to reach the second round.

The top-seeded Spaniard has never lost to a player ranked as low as world number 72 Dellien at the year’s first Grand Slam and was never in danger on a sunbathed afternoon at Rod Laver Arena.

Bidding for his second title at Melbourne Park, and 20th Grand Slam trophy to match his great rival Roger Federer, Nadal was broken twice by the hard-working Dellien.

But the 33-year-old Mallorcan was virtually flawless in the final set and sealed the match with a crushing forehand winner to set up a second-round clash with either Federico Delbonis or Joao Sousa.

Sharapova vanquished by Vekic in first round

Former champion Maria Sharapova put up a mid-match fight before bowing out at the first hurdle beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Croatian Donna Vekic on Rod Laver Arena. The 32-year-old Russian was clearly still hampered by the shoulder injury that had restricted her to one previous competitive outing since her opening-round exit at last year’s US Open.

Vekic proved a formidable opponent on the court where Sharapova won the title in 2008 and the 19th seed raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set before the former world number one found a way to get back into the contest. Sharapova made Vekic work hard to close out the set and took a 4-1 lead in the second but was unable to maintain her momentum, losing the last five games to make her earliest exit from Melbourne Park since 2010.

Halep digs deep to win tense first round match

Simona Halep overcame a poor start and a fiery opponent to prevail 7-6(5), 6-1 over big-hitting American Jennifer Brady.

The Romanian fourth seed was broken in the very first game of the match and later took a nasty tumble during a punishing rally at 5-5 in the first set.

After a medical timeout, Halep began playing more aggressively, eventually edging out Brady in a tense tie-break to take the opening set.

A break early in the second set put Halep back in command and she clinched the match after 1 hour and 36 minutes.

British No 1 Konta loses at first hurdle

British number one Johanna Konta tumbled out in the first round with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Tunisia’s world number 78 Ons Jabeur.

The 12th seed, clearly not yet match fit on her return from a knee injury that cut short her 2019 season, went down in just over an hour on number one court in a match washed out on Monday by rain.

A semi-finalist at Melbourne Park four years ago and Roland Garros last year, Konta sprayed 19 unforced errors and struggled to hold her serve throughout the contest.

Pliskova gets good workout to advance

Second seed Karolina Pliskova romped through the first set before seeing off a determined Kristina Mladenovic in the second to earn a 6-1, 7-5 victory on Rod Laver Arena.

While the first set lasted only 25 minutes the 26-year-old Mladenovic stepped up her game in the second, the Frenchwoman moving Pliskova around the court more. But the Czech’s serve improved and after a wobble when she was broken for the first time she took the last three games and clinched the match in one hour, 24 minutes.

Thiem cruises through first round

Dominic Thiem opened his campaign with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 win over France’s Adrian Mannarino. Thiem sealed victory with his seventh ace after two hours and 21 minutes to set up a meeting with either Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Australian wildcard Alex Bolt.

‘Next Gen’ star Sinner makes successful Melbourne debut

Being labelled the ‘next big thing’ in men’s tennis can be a heavy burden for a teenager but Jannik Sinner wore the mantle lightly in winning his debut at the Australian Open.

The shaggy-haired 18-year-old, who won the ATP’s Next Gen championship in November, finished off Australian qualifier Max Purcell 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-4 on Court 7 after his victory march was stalled in the third set by torrential rain that halted play on outside courts on Monday.

Sinner, who hails from a German-speaking region in the Italian Alps, dealt with the rain break with the same minimum of fuss that he has in managing his rapid rise in tennis.

Bencic bandwagon rolls

into second round

The Belinda Bencic bandwagon is rolling again after her maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance at last year’s US Open, but given her extended run of injuries and dips in form the Swiss is reluctant to jump on board too quickly.

Bencic, who advanced to the second round at Melbourne Park with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Slovakia’s Anna Schmiedlova, knows only too well how quick hopes can be dashed. Agencies

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