Day 1 Wrap: Djokovic and Rublev made to work hard, Sabalenka ruthless in 1st round

Listen to Story There was plenty of drama on the opening day of the Australian Open as the season's first Grand Slam began on Sunday for the first time in the modern era, tallying to a 15 day tournament. Defending champion Novak Djokovic was made to work hard by an 18 year old while 2nd seed Aryna Sabalenka got off to a ruthless start, nearly double bageling her opponent in the women's singles first round.

Injury woes persisted for Matteo Berrettini as he pulled out before playing his first round match while the likes of Andrey Rublev and Frances Tieafoe were also made to take the longer route to the second round on a day when less fancied stars impressed in Melbourne. Novak Djokovic brought out the warrior mentality as early as the opening round.

The Serb fought back after losing the second set and being a breakdown in the third to beat 18 year old Dino Prizmic of Croatia 6 2, 6 7 (5), 6 3, 6 4 in 4 hours and a minute in the men's singles first round. It was the longest first round match for Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam match and only the second time he lost a set in his last 17 first round matches at the Australian Open.

Dino Prizmic lit up Melbourne Park in the evening session, showcasing his ability to take on the best in the business without being overawed by the sense of occasion. In his maiden Grand Slam appearance, Prizmic made it to the main draw via the qualifiers and put on a show at the biggest of all stages after drawing the 24 time Grand Slam champion.

Frances Tiafoe was also made to work hard. The American 17th seed overcame Croatian Borna Coric 6 3 7 6(7) 2 6 6 3. Aryna Sabalenka had to wait until close to midnight to kick off her title defence but the ruthless world number two made quick work of teary German qualifier Ella Seidel with a 6 0 6 1 victory on the Grand Slam's opening Sunday.

With fans on Rod Laver Arena still catching their breath after defending men's champion Novak Djokovic got past teenager Dino Prizmic in a four hour marathon, Sabalenka shrugged off the 11.41 p.m. start to overwhelm her 18 year old German opponent. The powerful second seed from Belarus wasted little time in asserting herself as she raced to a 5 0 lead in the opening set which she wrapped up in 22 only minutes with a couple of cool backhand volleys at the net.

Maria Sakkari said that she was happy after snapping her streak of three losses on the trot in the first round of Grand Slams. On Sunday, January 13, Sakkari beat Japan's Nao Hibino 6 4, 6 1 at the Rod Laver Arena. Last year, Sakkari did not make the best of starts after making a third round exit from the hard court tournament.

Thereafter, Sakkari lost to Karolina Muchova, Marta Kosytuk and Rebeka Masarova in the first rounds of the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open respectively. No.4 seed Jannik Sinner was incredible in his first round match after he defeated the Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp. He won the match 6 4, 7 5, 6 3 in two hours and 34 minutes.

Sinner made all the difference by winning five breaks of serve. Upon his opening victory, the Italian was sure to acknowledge the ‘Carota Boys’, a traveling fan group of players who have made quite a presence on social media. The Italian fan group consists of people dressed up as carrots and following the player for his games across different venues.

During the post match press conference, Sinner made sure to appreciate the support of the Carota Boys and expressed how surprised he was when he found them in Australia. Barbora Krejcikova had to fight hard in her Australian Open 2024 Round 1 match against Japan's Mai Hontama before she rallied back from a set down to win 2 6, 6 4, 6 3 at the Margaret Court Arena.

Krejcikova, also the 2021 French Open champion, took a medical timeout in the third set after she sustained a foot injury, but she managed to get the job done. Canada’s Leylah Fernandez was put under pressure by 17 year old Sara Bejlek, who came into the main draw after not dropping a single set in the qualifiers.

The opening set went into a tie break where Fernandez somehow managed to hold her nerve. In the second set, Fernandez put forth her A game to survive. The youngster won four breaks of serve to get the better of her teenage opponent. The Canadian star will now lock horns with Alycia Parks, who defeated Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 2 6, 6 2, 6 4 in the first round.

Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the second round of the ongoing 2024 Australian Open, following Magda Linette’s retirement at Melbourne Park. Wozniacki set the pace in her first Melbourne Park match since 2020, securing a decisive lead of 6 2, 2 0 before Linette had to abandon the match after only 55 minutes of play.

Taylor Fritz, ranked 12th in the world, made a crucial comeback from behind against Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta. The five set thriller ended 4 6, 6 3, 3 6, 6 2, 6 4 in Fritz's favor, seeing him advance into the second round. A worrying moment saw Fritz receive early match treatment after an unfortunate roll of his left ankle.

Additionally, Fritz found it difficult to penetrate Diaz Acosta's serve due to the latter's deep court returning stance, managing to win only 66% of the first serve points in the match..