Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic breezed through to the second round while women’s No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur had a shaky start amid searing heat at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Scorching weather on day two of competition forced the roof to be closed on the major courts, as temperatures in Melbourne reached 38 degrees celsius.
Play was halted on the outdoor courts and later suspended due to rain with a number of matches rescheduled for day three.
In the men’s draw, 35-year-old Djokovic of Serbia made a winning start on his favored Rod Laver Arena with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 victory against Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain.
With his left leg strapped, Djokovic showed no ill effects of his hamstring niggle as he moved around the court crisply to justify his strong title favoritism.
He was pushed at times during the opening two sets before overwhelming the Spaniard with aggressive shot-making and strong serving.
“It was very pleasing how I played in the third set. I didn’t give him much chance to breathe from the back of the court and I served very well,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic made his return after controversially being deported from Australia last year because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Backed by a strong contingent of Serbian fans, Djokovic was warmly embraced by the crowd as he made his first steps towards a record-extending 10th Australian Open title.
Second seed Casper Ruud of Norway overcame a third set hiccup to down Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-3.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev of Russia swept aside 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to storm into the second round.
It continued a downturn for the Austrian, who was sidelined for a significant period over the last two seasons due to a wrist injury.
Former world number one Andy Murray of Britain wound back the clock to produce a trademark gritty 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6) victory over 13th seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy.
Murray, a five-time finalist at Melbourne Park, claimed the first two sets before weathering a fightback from the Italian.
But he prevailed in a thrilling deciding tiebreak, where he saved one match point, to claim an epic win in four hours and 49 minutes.
Former world number two Alexander Zverev of Germany and eighth seed Taylor Fritz of the United States survived scares to win their opening matches.
In the women’s part, Jabeur of Tunisia made a nervous start as she strives for an elusive Grand Slam trophy.
The Tunisian who was last year’s Wimbledon and US Open runner-up began her campaign with a 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 victory over Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia.
But her performance was marred by 49 unforced errors although she finished strongly to take out the contest in two hours and 17 minutes.
“I just tried to be more patient. It’s a tough sport and you definitely don’t want to play three sets here,” Jabeur said.
Fourth seed Caroline Garcia of France routed Canadian qualifier Katherine Sebov 6-3, 6-0 in 65 minutes, while fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus also enjoyed a comfortable victory after beating the Czech Republic’s Tereza Martincova 6-1, 6-4.
After a stirring opening day, there was disappointment for China with Zhang Zhizhen losing a five-set thriller to American Ben Shelton.
Zhang levelled the match after a strong fourth set before Shelton prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (4).
Wang Xiyu was no match for former world number one Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic, who won 6-1, 6-3.
Top seeds Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek headline round two action on Wednesday.
China’s Wang Xinyu has a tough task against 10th seed Madison Keys from the United States, while 17-year-old Shang Juncheng faces American Frances Tiafoe.
