The big matches of the first round of Australian Open have come to an end and so here we bring you the results of the few big names from the men’s section. While Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic won their matches, there were also some surprises in the first Grand Slam of the year. India’s lone entry in the single’s section, Yuki Bhambri also lost his match.
Roger Federer
Second seeded Roger Federer began the defence of his Australian Open title with a straight sets victory over former Briton Aljaz Bedene on the Rod Laver Arena.
The 19-times grand slam champion started strongly and never allowed the world No 51 a look in as he rattled through his 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory in one hour and 39 minutes.
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Bedene, who is competing under the country of his birth Slovenia again, had never won an opening first-round match in Melbourne in six attempts heading into a maiden contest with Federer and rarely looked like changing that record this morning.
Rafael Nadal
Top seed Rafael Nadal answered doubts about his fitness in emphatic fashion as he began his Australian Open campaign with a thumping win over Victor Estrella Burgos.
The world No 1 came into the tournament without having played a warm-up event following knee problems at the end of last season.
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But he was anything but rusty as he raced to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win in just an hour and 34 minutes.
Veteran Estrella Burgos was not expected to provide too much of a challenge to Nadal and so it proved. The 37-year-old from the Dominican Republic earned a rousing reception when, after a long game, he broke the Nadal serve to avoid losing the second set to love.
Novak Djokovic
If Nadal had anything to do with rust, just imagine about Novak Djokoivc! The Serbian had been out since Wimbledon.
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Djokovic made a successful return from injury on his favourite stage as the six-time Australian Open winner breezed past Donald Young 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
Stan Wawrinka
Ninth seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland looked in some pain and produced rusty performance to get past Ričardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(2) to enter the second round. Like Djokovic, Wawrinka too is playing his first match since Wimbledon.
Other than the four out of ‘Big Four plus one’, local boy Nick Kyrgios, rising talent Alexander Zverev, fifth seed Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and 19th seed Tomas Berdych also sailed into the next round in Melbourne Park. Elder Zverev, Mischa, retired when down a set and 1-4 while 11th seed Kevin Anderson, 16th seed John Isner, 8th seed Jack Sock, India’s Yuki Bhambri and 20th seeded Roberto Bautista Agut lost their matches.