Grand Slam tennis has kicked off at the Australian Open and there has been no shortage of excitement during the opening round Down Under.
Several players arrived in Melbourne with new hardware in their trophy cases as Czech Jiri Lehecka (Adelaide), Toronto-born Alejandro Tabilo of Chile (Auckland), Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko (Adelaide), and American Emma Navarro (Hobart) were all crowned singles champions last week. In fact, three of the four winners, Lehecka, Tabilo, and Navarro captured the first Tour titles of their respective careers.
Marquee Opening Round Match Ups
The first few days of the Australian Open have been highlighted by tightly contested matches between notable names in the opening round.
READ: ATP POWER RANKINGS: DJOKOVIC EYEING MORE HISTORY AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime needed five thrilling sets to get past former world no. 3 Dominic Thiem, Caroline Garcia was at the top of her game in an impressive straight sets victory over Naomi Osaka, and Frances Tiafoe got past Borna Coric in an entertaining four-set contest.
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Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Barbora Krejcikova, and Beatriz Haddad Maia escaped stiff tests out of the gate. And we’re just getting started with plenty more potential popcorn matches potentially on tap as the tournament progresses including a possible third round meeting between Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev as well as a looming round three clash between Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup hero Leylah Annie Fernandez and reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff.
All the pre-tournament favourites remain in contention for the first Major up for grabs in 2024 so there’s no doubt it’s Christmas in January for tennis fans and you won’t miss any of the action Down Under thanks to the comprehensive coverage provided by TSN and RDS.
