Nadal wins hard-fought battle against Draper to begin his title defence

MELBOURNE: The 22-time Grand Slam champion, Spain's Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open first-round match against Britain's Jack Draper to kickstart his title defence here at Rod Laver Arena on Monday. The Spaniard registered a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over the 21-year-old Draper to earn his first win of the 2023 season.

Playing for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam singles titles, Nadal is seeking his third Australian Open Trophy. He will meet American Mackenzie McDonald, who won 7-6(5), 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-7(10), 6-4 against countryman Brandon Nakashima, in the second round on Wednesday.

"Winning the Australian Open last year was without one of the most emotional moments of my tennis career but unfortunately that passed. I have to keep working but I'm super happy to be back at Rod Laver Arena with the victory I needed. The last couple of months have not been easy for me but I hope this victory will help me," the defending champion Nadal said after the match.

Meanwhile Stefanos Tsitsipas is playing for a double prize at the Australian Open. The Greek started his campaign like a man on a mission on Monday at Melbourne Park, where he eased past Quentin Halys 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) to reach the Australian Open second round.

The 24-year-old Tsitsipas, who reached the semifinals at the opening Grand Slam of the season in 2019, 2021, and 2022, is chasing his maiden major crown. Should the third seed go all the way in Melbourne, he would also overtake the injured Carlos Alcaraz to become No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the first time.

He will meet home wild card Rinky Hijikata, who battled back to beat Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3, in the second round.

Italian 15th seed Jannik Sinner, a quarter-finalist last year, was the first man to reach the second round, rolling over Briton Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 on John Cain Arena. Polish 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz joined him with a 7-1(1), 6-2, 6-2 win over Spain's Pedro Martinez.

Also Read: Hockey World Cup: Netherlands, France register contrasting wins

Also Watch: