Osaka, Nadal, Barty through; Gauff out

MELBOURNE, Jan 17: Rafael Nadal launched his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 trouncing of American Marcos Giron on Monday to reach the second round of the Australian Open.

With Djokovic sent packing by Australian authorities and Roger Federer absent, Nadal can snatch the men's all-time Slam record outright by claiming the title at Melbourne Park.

The only former champion left in the draw, the Spanish great started superbly at a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena, breaking world number 66 Giron five times for the match and thrashing 34 winners past the outclassed American.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka overcame an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Colombian Camila Osorio to reach the second round by winning 6-3, 6-3.

The Japanese former world number one looked all business as she raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set but a first hold of serve invigorated Osorio, who then started chasing down everything Osaka threw at her.

Osaka needed to save two break points to hold serve for the first set and faced two more in the second stanza before overpowering the inexperienced world number 50 with her aggressive shots from the baseline.

World number one Ash Barty launched her Australian Open campaign with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko.

The home hero has been in rollicking form this season, capturing the Adelaide International title in the leadup, and carried it into her twilight match against the hapless Tsurenko at Rod Laver Arena.

Barty squandered two match points that would have handed Tsurenko the dreaded double-bagel and another two as she served for the match, but the Australian finally sealed it with a booming serve down the 'T'.

Barty will play Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti for a place in the third round.

American teenager Coco Gauff crashed out of the Australian Open in the opening round after an error-strewn performance against China's Wang Qiang as the 18th seed lost 6-4, 6-2.

Gauff shot to fame as a 15-year-old when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2019 on her Grand Slam debut. She also reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park in 2020 before making the French Open quarter-finals last year.

The 17-year-old Gauff made 38 unforced errors to lose in 73 minutes against the 110th-ranked Chinese, who knocked Serena Williams out of the Australian Open two years ago to reach the fourth round.

American Madison Keys relied on her big serve on key points to beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 7-6(2), 7-5 on John Cain Arena.

Former US Open runner-up Keys, who won her first trophy since 2019 at the Adelaide International 2 warm-up tournament last week, struggled to gain the upper hand in the contest before sealing the opening set in a tiebreak with her eighth ace.

In a see-sawing second set, American Kenin conceded a decisive break to allow her opponent to go up 6-5 and, although she saved two match-points, was unable to prevent Keys closing out the victory on her serve.

Kenin has won her only Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park and has otherwise struggled to raise her game at majors, losing to Keys in straight sets in their last encounter at the US Open three years ago.

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, along with No.4 seed of the Czech Republic, Barbora Krejcikova reached the second round, scoring easy victories.

Azarenka, the Australian Open champion in 2012 and 2013, eased to her maiden win in six years here with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Hungary's Panna Udvardy, while Krejcikova, the winner of the singles and doubles titles at Roland Garros last year, needed just over an hour to secure her second-round spot at the expense of Andrea Petkovic of Germany, 6-2, 6-0.

Spanish teenager and last year's US Open quarterfinalist Carlos Alcaraz lived up to his status as a first-time Grand Slam seed as the world No. 31 scored a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Chilean qualifier Alejando Tabilo on Day One.

The 18-year-old Alcaraz's first serves proved too much for the 24-year-old Tabilo, who was making his second Grand Slam main-draw appearance, as the Spaniard put his game on full display after an offseason spent on improving his skills.

Alcaraz will take on Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who defeated Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-1. One step further, No. 7 seed from Italy Matteo Berrettini looms as a potential third-round opponent.

Less than a fortnight after helping Canada win the ATP Cup, Denis Shapovalov survived a first-round matchup against Croatia's Laslo Djere. After being two points away from a fifth set, the Canadian advanced in four, 7-6(3), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3). Djere had an opportunity to serve for both the first and fourth sets, but each time the No. 14 Canadian seed denied him.

Next up for the Canadian is South Korea's Soonwoo Kwon, who edged past Holger Rune of Denmark 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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