Swiatek overcomes rust to advance

 

 

IGA Swiatek knows she has plenty to work on in her bid for a first Australian Open title anda career Grand Slam. The No 2-ranked Swiatek never got comfortable in a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over No 130-ranked Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue in the first round on Monday night. After winning Wimbledon last year to go with her four French Open titles and her victory at the 2022 US Open, the Australian Open is the only major missing from her collection.She has twice reached the semi-finals. Yuan was swinging freely and rifling winners as she took a 5-3 lead, and Swiatek had to switch things up. “I was a bit rusty at the beginning,” she said.

 

“Many ups and downs,but overall I have some stuff to work on. I’ll just focus on that.” From 5-3 down in the first, she held a service game at love to force Yuan to serve for the set. Swiatek broke back to level and then, in the tie-breaker, she remained composed and converted on her second set point. “I started a bit tight. I needed to get my legs moving. Go after my shots. Be brave with the decisions,” she said of the change up. “It wasn’t perfect, but that’s why I’m happy,” added Swiatek, who has only ever lost once in the first round at a major. “It’s not hard to win matches when everything is going well.

 

Today it wasn’t, but I was able to win.” Swiatek had a disrupted preparation for the year’s first major, losing two singles matches at the United Cup but helping Poland win the title for the first time. One of those losses was to No 3 Coco Gauff, who also had some struggleson Monday before beating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena. Gauff has won two Grand Slam titles but, like Swiatek, has never gone past the semi-finals at Melbourne Park. She had six double-faultsin the first set against Rakhimova, but found her range in the second.

 

It’s not a new issue— she had a tour high 431 double-faults last year — butis something Gauff is working on. Novak beats Martinez WORLD No 4 Novak Djokovic launched his bid for a record extending 25th Grand Slam title in emphatic fashion, defeating Spain’s Pedro Martinez in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open 2026 at Rod Laver Arena .

 

The Serbian great showed his trademark control and efficiency to secure a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing comfortably into the second round and underlining his intent at a tournament where he has enjoyed unparalleled success. Djokovic, who is chasing history in Melbourne,was dominant from the start, using his precision serving and relentless baseline consistency to keep Martinez under constant pressure. The Spaniard struggled to gain a foothold in the match as Djokovic dictated play across all three sets.