There was no easing into a title defense for Novak Djokovic, starting his Australian Open against the man who upset Rafael Nadal last year in the first round.
He lifted when he needed to the most yesterday, holding off Fernando Verdasco in a 71-minute, momentum-swinging second set before winning 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. There were glares, stares and frustrated outbursts from both players who met in a tense semi-final earlier this month in Doha, where Djokovic won after saving five match points.
“When I saw the draw, I thought to myself, this is going to be the only match I’m going to focus on,” said Djokovic, aiming to be the first man to win seven Australian titles. “If he’s on, you never know.”
Photo: AP
Another six-time champion had a tough first round, with Serena Williams needing to produce some of her best tennis to get far enough ahead against Belinda Bencic that a late lapse was not a real worry.
After starting her quest for a record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-3 first-round win, Williams walked into her news conference wearing a black shirt with the word “Equality” printed across the front.
It was still before midnight on Monday in the US, where the holiday in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr was nearly ending.
“With today being Martin Luther King Day, it’s important to spread the message of equality,” Williams said. “Something he talked about a lot and he tried to spread a lot, is equality and rights for everyone.”
Asked if she was concerned about the future of equality in the US, Williams declined to get into specifics, but said the issue is “a concern for just everyone in general.”
“We want to make sure we always continue to move forward and always have the opportunity to have equal rights for all,” she said.
For five games in the second set, Williams played almost flawless tennis. Then came the rustiness that tends to follow a lengthy layoff.
Williams, after three double-faults — including one on match point — and “some errors on key points,” held on to improve her record in the first round of Grand Slam tournaments to 65-1.
Nadal, also on the comeback from a couple of months on the sidelines following the US Open with an injured left wrist, had a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Florian Mayer to go one better than he did in last year’s Australian Open.
“Great. I’m happy to do an interview with you. Last year, I didn’t have the chance!” Nadal said in his on-court interview. “Very happy this year.”
Third-seeded Milos Raonic, who reached the semi-finals in Australia last year and the final at Wimbledon, opened with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Dustin Brown.
On a day when the temperature reached almost 38°C, No. 11 David Goffin was pushed all the way before beating 19-year-old qualifier Reilly Opelka — who was making his Grand Slam debut — 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Also advancing were No. 8 Dominc Thiem, No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 18 Richard Gasquet, No. 24 Alexander Zverev, No. 25 Gilles Simon and No. 32 Philipp Kohlschreiber.
US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova following her title win at the Brisbane International with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Johanna Konta, a surprise semi-finalist in her debut at the Australian Open last year, last week won the Apia International Sydney and opened in Melbourne with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Kirsten Flipkens.
Lucie Safarova beat Yanina Wickmayer 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 and is to play Williams next.
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced after leading 6-3, 2-0, when Italy’s Karin Knapp retired due to a right knee injury.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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