Australian Open, day 2 round-up: Murray, Raducanu among winners; Kyrgios sets up Medvedev battle

Former world number one Andy Murray turned back the clock in typically combative style and favourite Daniil Medvedev set up a blockbuster second-round showdown with Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

In the women’s draw, top-10 seeds Garbine Muguruza, Iga Swiatek and Anett Kontaveit all made comfortable starts to their Melbourne title charges, while Simona Halep and Aryna Sabalenka also won despite struggling with their serves.

Emma Raducanu, the US Open champion, was also victorious on her tournament debut but there was defeat at the first hurdle for her fellow 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez – the woman Raducanu beat in the Flushing Meadows decider.

Canada’s Fernandez, the 23rd seed, went down 6-4, 6-2 to Australian wildcard Maddison Inglis, to the delight of the home crowd.

After Sunday’s deportation of men’s defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic, the first Grand Slam of the year is now in full swing and many are eager to move on from the visa saga.

That is easier said than done and Tennis Australia (TA), organisers of the so-called “Happy Slam”, said in a statement Tuesday that they “deeply regret the impact” it has had on the other players.

“As the Australian tennis family, we recognise that recent events have been a significant distraction for everyone,” TA said, without mentioning Djokovic by name.

- ‘Couldn’t ask for more’ -

If it has been a distraction for Murray, he did not show it.

The 34-year-old, there as a wildcard, showed all the fighting qualities that made him a three-time Grand Slam champion.

His epic five-set victory over 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was hugely symbolic – the Briton departed Melbourne Park in 2019 not knowing if he would ever be back because of hip trouble.

But here he was, rolling back the years and heading into round two.

“It’s amazing to be back and winning a five-set battle like that, I couldn’t ask for any more,” said Murray.

There was no such problem for Russia’s Medvedev, the second seed and favourite to lift his second major, who made light work of 91st-ranked Henri Laaksonen on Rod Laver Arena, dismantling the Swiss 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

With Djokovic out of the picture and Roger Federer not in Melbourne because of injury, the draw has opened up for the 25-year-old Medvedev and Spanish great Rafael Nadal.

Medvedev, who lost last year’s final in Melbourne to Djokovic but then beat the Serbian in the US Open final in September, plays combustible but talented Australian showman Kyrgios in round two.

Another of the “Next Gen” young talents challenging the “Big Three” of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer is Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The fourth seed was a comfortable winner in three sets over practice partner Mikael Ymer to get his tournament up and running.

- Raducanu thrives -

In the women’s draw, Spanish world number three Muguruza, a finalist at Melbourne Park two years ago, eased past 77th-ranked Frenchwoman Clara Burel 6-3, 6-4.

There was also little trouble for Kontaveit, despite some early nerves, and Swiatek, but Romania’s Halep was far from comfortable.

The former number one laboured into round two 6-4, 6-3 after an error-strewn clash with Poland’s Magdalena Frech which saw 11 service breaks.

Second seed Sabalenka, who was reduced to tears and serving underarm in a disastrous lead-up to Melbourne, had Mark Philippoussis to thank after she revealed the Australian former world number eight helped iron out some of her serving problems.

She was far from perfect on her serve but survived to beat Storm Sanders 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

In the last action of the day, Raducanu ousted the American Sloane Stephens – a former US Open champion – 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in a performance that will make the Briton’s rivals sit up and take notice.

Collated results from Day 2 of the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Melbourne Park on Tuesday:

Men’s singles

1st round

Alex De Minaur (AUS x32) bt Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3

Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-5, 6-1

Kamil Majchrzak (POL) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-1, 6-1, 7-5

Andy Murray (SCO) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x21) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4

Taro Daniel (JPN) bt Marcelo Barrios (CHI) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-1

Alex Molcan (SVK) bt Roman Safiullin (RUS) 6-3, 7-6 (11/9), 5-7, 7-6 (8/6)

Steve Johnson (USA) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Jannik Sinner (ITA x11) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1

Roberto Bautista (ESP x15) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/0)

Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Marco Trungelliti (ARG) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Taylor Fritz (USA x20) bt Maximilian Marterer (GER) 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 6-2

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x26) bt Jiri Lehecka (CZE) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5

Andrey Rublev (RUS x5) bt Gianluca Mager (ITA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt Roberto Carballes (ESP) 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

Norbert Gombos (SVK) bt Timofey Skatov (KAZ) 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4

Marin Cilic (CRO x27) bt Emilio Gomez (ECU) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2

Diego Schwartzman (ARG x13) bt Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5

Christopher O’Connell (AUS) bt Hugo Gaston (FRA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-0, 4-6, 6-1

Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Ugo Humbert (FRA x29) 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3), 6-3

Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2

Daniil Medvedev (RUS x2) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)

Nick Kyrgios (AUS) bt Liam Broady (GBR) 6-4, 6-4, 6-3

Tomas Machac (CZE) bt Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2

Maxime Cressy (USA) bt John Isner (USA x22) 7-6 (7/2), 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4

Daniel Evans (GBR x24) bt David Goffin (BEL) 6-4, 6-3, 6-0

Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) bt Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Alejandro Davidovich (ESP) bt Alex Bolt (AUS) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x9) bt Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) 6-4, 0-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Benoit Paire (FRA) bt Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5

Sebastian Baez (ARG) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x4) bt Mikael Ymer (SWE) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3

Women’s singles

1st round

Clara Tauson (DEN) bt Astra Sharma (AUS) 6-3, 6-4

Ana Konjuh (CRO) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5

Danielle Collins (USA x27) bt Caroline Dolehide (USA) 6-1, 6-3

Anett Kontaveit (EST x6) bt Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 6-2, 6-3

Elise Mertens (BEL x19) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-4, 7-5

Irina Begu (ROM) bt Oceane Dodin (FRA) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3

Simona Halep (ROM x14) bt Magdalena Frech (POL) 6-4, 6-3

Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 6-3, 6-3

Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) bt Clara Burel (FRA) 6-3, 6-4

Iga Swiatek (POL x7) bt Harriet Dart (GBR) 6-3, 6-0

Rebecca Peterson (SWE) bt Daria Saville (AUS) 6-2, 6-3

Magda Linette (POL) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-4, 7-5

Darya Kasatkina (RUS x25) bt Stefanie Vögele (SUI) 6-3, 6-1

Sorana Cirstea (ROM) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x20) 6-2, 6-2

Kristina Kucova (SVK) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-3, 7-5

Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Robin Anderson (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x10) bt Anna Bondar (HUN) 6-2, 6-1

Hailey Baptiste (USA) bt Caroline Garcia (FRA) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3

Maddison Inglis (AUS) bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN x23) 6-4, 6-2

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE x31) bt Priscilla Hon (AUS) 6-2, 6-3

Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) bt Emina Bektas (USA) 7-5, 6-4

Wang Xinyu (CHN) bt Ann Li (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3

Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x2) bt Storm Sanders (AUS) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

Zhang Shuai (CHN) bt Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-3, 6-4

Elena Rybakina (KAZ x12) bt Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3), 6-1

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) bt Katie Volynets (USA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Danka Kovinic (MNE) bt Su-Jeong Jang (KOR) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4

Emma Raducanu (GBR x17) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-0, 2-6, 6-1

Tamara Zidansek (SLO x29) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10/8)

Heather Watson (GBR) bt Mayar Sherif (EGY) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2

Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Angelique Kerber (GER x16) 6-4, 6-3

Marie Bouzkova (CZE) bt Rebecca Marino (CAN) 6-1, 6-3