Taiwanese interest in the singles at the first Grand Slam of the year ended yesterday after Hsieh Su-wei and Lu Yen-hsun both fell to straight-sets defeats on the second day of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
World No. 37 Hsieh fell to a comprehensive 6-1, 6-3 defeat to world No. 38 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in 1 hour, 18 minutes on Court 15 at Melbourne Park.
The Taiwanese No. 1 produced 28 unforced errors and won just 47 percent of points on her first serve, while Putintseva won 85 percent of points on her first serve and converted five of 10 break points to advance to a second-round clash with 26th seed Danielle Collins of the US, who defeated Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
Photo: Reuters
The defeat left Hsieh to concentrate on the women’s doubles, in which the Taiwanese and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic are the top seeds.
Lu, who had not played on the main tour since 2017, fell to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 defeat to French 10th seed Gael Monfils in 1 hour, 44 minutes at 1573 Arena.
Lu failed to convert any of the seven break points he created and hit 34 unforced errors.
Meanwhile, top seed Rafael Nadal turned on the style as he launched his bid for a record-equaling 20th major title, but falling star Maria Sharapova hit a career low.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios also cantered into the second round, but fourth seed Daniil Medvedev had to fight his way past American Frances Tiafoe in four sets.
Nadal, one shy of Roger Federer’s Grand Slam mark, dropped only five games as he swatted aside Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 in just more than two hours at a sunny Rod Laver Arena.
“It was a positive start,” said the reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion, wearing a bright pink singlet and matching trainers. “What you want in the first round is just to win and it’s better if it’s in straight sets.”
He joins Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic in round two as the Big Three look to tighten a stranglehold that has brought them all but one of the past 14 Australian Open titles.
Nadal, the first player to be world No. 1 in three different decades, is still thriving at 33, but it was a different story for five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova.
The 32-year-old, playing on a wild card as she wrestles with a shoulder injury, lost 3-6, 4-6 to Croatian 19th seed Donna Vekic, making her an opening-round loser at three straight Grand Slams for the first time.
The future looks uncertain for the former world No. 1, who won Wimbledon when she was just 17, but has not reached a Grand Slam final since she lifted the 2014 French Open trophy.
“I can speak about my struggles and the things that I’ve gone through with my shoulder, but it’s not really in my character to,” Sharapova said. “I was there, I put myself out there [playing]. As tough as it was, I finished the match — it wasn’t the way that I wanted.”
Britain’s Johanna Konta, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, also fell at the first hurdle as she battles to overcome a knee problem, losing 4-6, 2-6 to unseeded Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
On a bumper day of 88 first-round matches — as rain wiped out half of Monday’s schedule — former US Open champion Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic both moved safely through.
Italy’s Fabio Fognini, two sets down against the US’ Reilly Opelka when their match was suspended on Monday, returned to win it in five after a stormy encounter in which both players argued furiously with the umpire.
A new star emerged in 18-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, last year’s NextGen champion, who earned his first Grand Slam victory against Australia’s Max Purcell.
Australia’s Kyrgios, who has spearheaded fundraising efforts for the country’s deadly bushfire disaster, kept his notorious temper in check, despite being taken to two tiebreaks in a 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7-1) win over Lorenzo Sonego of Italy.
“I feel super-comfortable, you guys are the best,” Kyrgios told the crowd. “I feel the support… I am ready to go again.”
Medvedev, the narrow loser to Nadal in the US Open final in September last year, dropped the second set against Tiafoe before recovering to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem, who has reached the past two French Open finals, went through in straight sets against Adrian Mannarino, while 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka needed four to get past Damir Dzumhur.
There was disappointment for France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 finalist, when he had to retire with a back injury against Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
Air pollution from the bushfires disrupted the buildup to the year’s first Grand Slam, but after Monday’s heavy rain, the skies were clear and sunny yesterday.
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