Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA
So, Nadal into the second round, where he will face Mackenzie McDonald, who was an earlier winner over his American compatriot Brandon Nakashima. That’s all for this liveblog, but look out for another one, which is about to fire up and take you through the first night session of the 2023 Australian Open! Cheerio.
Nadal wins fourth set, defeats Draper 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1!
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 Draper (* denotes server) Draper refuses to die! Unable to leap and lunge, he stands and delivers instead. He claws his way to deuce with some sweet swipes that even Nadal smiles at. Gusty effort, young man! But Nadal waits and watches and when the moment presents itself, he seizes it. He snaps deuce in style and, with a final coup de grace, holds hands aloft in victory. The crowd roar. Their champion is still in it. Draper shuffles into the shadows, broken but better for the experience, and Nadal swaggers into the second round. Again.
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Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 5-1 Draper* (* denotes server) It’s been a brave effort by Jack Draper but the end looks nigh now. He has run himself to a standstill today and shown glimpses of his best – a massive serve, majestic groundstrokes and grit when the chips are down – but he’s been bettered by a master tactician with a mighty heart. Despite Nadal’s wretched form coming into the tournament and scratchy effort today, the defending champion has found a way. He will now serve for the match.
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 4-1 Draper (* denotes server) Draper is done. Game Nadal.
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 3-1 Draper* (* denotes server) Draper serving to stay in it. But he’s on the slide and Nadal is on the rise. Errors have dried up for both players as they outrun physical ailments but the points are getting longer and the older man’s class is showing as Draper impetuously chases big winners and fails. After a long rally at deuce Draper actually concedes the last point. His body simply couldn’t go for the lunge and when he whomps the last point long, it looks dire. A second break for Nadal.
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 2-1 Draper (* denotes server) Finally an easy game for Nadal. He takes tit without dropping a point and regains the lead in this set and it’s an evermore desperate Draper under the pump. Seems it’s been a good day for Australia’s men with both comeback kid Jason Kubler winning his first ever round one game and veteran John Millman also advancing to round two.
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 1-1 Draper* (* denotes server) Once again Jack Draper has burst from the blocks and put this match back in the balance. The youngster refuses to give in – to Nadal, to cramps, to the heat of Melbourne Park and the pressure of centre court. Nadal is in a weird mood today, nowhere near his best but conjuring enough class to outwit, and perhaps outlast, his rival. The second game is vivid proof of his brilliance. Draper bears down hard after his break but Nadal nimbly unpicks each tiny flaw as it flares. The champion breaks back!
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 0-1 Draper (* denotes server) Nadal serves for ascendency in this fourth set. He’s found a second wind in the later stages of this match and a stretch volley to win the third point proves it in spades. Draper digs deep to take the next rally long but Nadal peels back the years to unfurl a laser-sharp shot down the line and win it. Draper takes the next two points to get it to deuce. The Englishman has changed his gear and is now sporting a loud blue tee with thunderbolts all over it. It doesn’t look like Saville Row but the wardrobe change has nonetheless given him a boost. He earns a break point but can’t convert. When Nadal volleys wide Draper gets another. This one he converts. It’s Draper with the break!
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 Draper (* denotes server) Rafael Nadal seizes the slenderest of moments again, halts another Jack Draper comeback and takes the third set 6-4 to go 2-1 ahead. Can the defending AO champion close it out? Or will Draper stage another comeback as he did in the second set where he emerged with guns blazing to wrestle back the initiative. If that happened here it would be the first time since 1997 a defending champion has been squashed in the first round.
Nadal wins the third set, leads 2-1!
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 Draper* (* denotes server) Draper serves to stay in the set. But with the scoreline in his favour Nadal is forcing the issue. It works too, as a hard Nadal drive to the baseline catches Draper off balance. He sends it skyward to yield the point then booms a forehand long to give Nadal a double sniff. But the champion nets a wide volley to give one back then sprays another to render us level. He wins the next though and it’s suddenly break point. The crowd roar but Draper saves set point with an ace down the middle, just his third of the game. Then he draws ahead when Nadal slips behind the baseline. Draper whips a Nadal return wide for deuce and Nadal punishes him on the next, as a long rally ends with Nadal swatting a volley home. Another sharp Rafa volley seals it. Game, break and third set to Rafael Nadal.
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Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 5-4 Draper (* denotes server) More Nadal mistakes. This time it’s a drive down the line that goes an inch awry. He wins it back with a javelin serve to the corner of the box. Nadal is landing 62% of first serves and winning 81% whereas Draper is hitting 39% of his first serves and winning 73%. That stat could be the difference in the long run. Nadal holds serve again here and will now try and turn up the ante to break Draper and steal this strange third set.
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 4-4 Draper* (* denotes server) Suddenly Draper is back! Maybe it’s the cramps subsiding. Perhaps it’s the uncommon error rate of his rival. Either way, he’s serving to get level and back pounding them down at plus-166kph. Nadal scoots around a backhand to deliver a sweet forehand winner but Draper powers one past him. That accursed Draper drop shot undoes the good work though. But he gets lucky. Nadal muffs a drop of his own to deliver us 4-4.
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Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 4-3 Draper (* denotes server) Nadal’s fist-pump is back! This time it’s an ace that draws it out. Until now Rafa has been conserving his energy but that was a killing blow worthy of celebration. But, as has been the way all day, Nadal follows the sublime with the ridiculous, netting two straight to give Draper a sniff at 15-30. Then he skews the next wide. Very strange play! Even Nadal is incredulous. He’s now two break points in arrears and saves one when Draper goes long. But Draper can outlast opponents too. When the next rally hits double figures it’s Nadal who loses his nerve first. Error Nadal! Break Draper!
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 4-2 Draper* (* denotes server) One trainer per leg for Jack Draper. As Nadal takes the rallies longer, Draper’s younger hamstrings are tightening up. But he hippity-hops out for the sixth game of the third set and tries to get his serving radar realigned. The two fight out a fabulous second point, each player outside the rails and slugging the balls crosscourt at safety-pin angles. Draper’s power wins the rally for him this time and Nadal’s rusty returns gift him the next two points and the game. Draper is hanging on. Has he the energy to break back?
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 4-1 Draper (* denotes server) Now it’s Jack Draper in trouble! Both players have injury concerns and pain management issues but Rafael Nadal has managed his better so far and broken Draper in the fourth to regain his grip on the match. Nadal has gone back to the old way, settling in to long rallies and waiting for his less-experienced opponent to make mistakes. It’s working. Draper’s error rate is climbing and as the match hits the four-hour mark and Nadal takes the game, it’s the defending champion now looking the better.
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 3-1 Draper *(* denotes server) Jack Draper appears to be cramping from the waist down and the neck up. Nadal isn’t yet back to his fist-pumping pomp but there’s a steely look in his eye that will Draper and his camp worried. Key game here and after one rally apiece, Nadal uncorks a sublime drop shot to get 30-15 ahead. When Draper clangs another misfired smash into the grandstand the Briton’s head drops and he signals for the trainer to warmup. Both players are groaning with the exertion of their groundstrokes now. Neither player looks 100% physically and it’s down to an arm wrestle. Errors are mounting on both sides of the court as each great shot is undone by a mishit. The game claws to a second deuce before Draper double-faults. He’s lost 8% power from his major weapon but he’s finding one percenters wherever he can. At deuce the two go toe-to-toe at the net with five volleys in six seconds before Nadal pulls one wide. But Draper nets the next and double faults again. Break.
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 2-1 Draper (* denotes server) Nadal muffs a backhand volley! That looked awful. Rafa now has 27 unforced errors for the match and his problems are mounting as the 21-year-old Draper slowly overpowers him. However, with two break points in his skyrocket, the folly of youth strikes again. Draper nets an easy passing shot then wallops a cross court forehand way wide of the tramlines. Those rookie errors will be smelling salts for Nadal. If there’s anyone who knows how to psychologically dismantle a young man on the rise, it’s him. As if to hammer that point, Nadal spears a winner down the line to go 2-1 up.
Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 1-1 Draper* (* denotes server) Magnificent point. Draper drilled the serve and Nadal whipped it back with interest. But the big Englishman moved forward and leaned into the next two and Nadal was soon on his heels. The veteran is short on patience and seems to be adopting a guns-blazing approach that was heavily criticised in his lead-in games. There Nadal chased the points and tried to finish them early rather than outlast and out-finesse his opponent as is usually his way. It led to a much higher than usual error count and a dud run of messy defeats to younger opponents. That pattern continues here as Draper takes his first service game with ease to level up in the third.
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 Draper (* denotes server) As this round one match enters its third hour, the first games of this third set become all-important. With pep in his step, Gatorade in his gut and a bit more air in his lungs, Nadal successfully serves out the first to get the upper hand. How will Draper respond on serve?
Draper wins the second set!
Nadal* 7-5, 2-6 Draper (* denotes server) This match all hangs on what comes next. Can Rafael Nadal find gas in the tank and enough old wiles to get back in this match? Or will the heavy march of Father Time echo from the footsteps of future star Jack Draper? Nadal appeared to be conferring with his coach in the break. The instruction appeared to be to deliver more “power through the core”. I’ve seen Nadal shirtless and his core work looks sufficient to me.
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Nadal* 7-5, 2-5 Draper (* denotes server) Physically Nadal appears to be waning but mentally we know he will fight to the last. The crowd know it too. They deliver a rousing cheer to the two-time Australian Open winner as he banishes the errors to get to 40-0. Over 70 per cent of Nadal’s serves have gone down the T in this match but Draper’s return rate has improved dramatically in this second set and the champion is having to look elsewhere for points. Nadal takes this game but the second set looks lost…
Nadal 7-5, 1-5 Draper* (* denotes server) Another Nadal mistake! This time an easy forehand he drills into the middle of the net. Draper is 30-0 up in an instant and there’s signs perhaps that Nadal may be conserving energy for a third set revival. Or maybe that’s just what he wants Jack Draper to suspect? Draper takes it easily and will now try and break Nadal a third time to snatch the second set.
Nadal* 7-5, 1-4 Draper (* denotes server) Jack Draper has Rafael Nadal on the ropes! Suddenly the winner of 22 grand slam titles looks every inch his 37 years. Maybe it’s me but that bald spot of Rafa’s is getting more pronounced by the minute and his body language is a garble of broken English and pidgin Spanish. Draper has been virtually flawless in this second set and he takes Nadal to deuce yet again in this fifth game. The mistakes keep coming for the top seed. This is very un-Rafa-like behaviour. Sure, he’s been a tad ragged coming into this tournament, losing six of his last seven matches (including gazumpings by Australian Alex de Minaur and Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the United Cup) but a first round exit in his 2022 title defence is now dawning as a terrible reality. Draper knows there’s blood in the water and is swinging for the fences. He loses the last two points rather than Nadal winning them to gift his rival a game.
Nadal 7-5, 0-4* Draper (* denotes server) As if the Kyrgios news isn’t enough to dampen spirits we’ve got more rain in the Draper-Nadal duel. A good chance to read more on the Kyrgios withdrawal courtesy of our own Emma Kemp…
Nadal 7-5, 0-4* Draper (* denotes server) There’s a low murmur around the court now and it’s got nothing to do with Draper v Nadal. It’s the news that Nick Kyrgios has just withdrawn from the Australian Open with a knee injury. Apparently he didn’t pull up well from his exhibition match with Novak Djokovic on Friday night and the pain of this lateral meniscus tear has intensified since. It’s now a case of preventing further injury (although surely the Australian Open organisers can’t take too many more body blows). According to Kyrgios’s physiotherapist, he’ll now go back to Canberra for surgery and return to the court in a few months time. That ends Kyrgios’s hopes of a deep run in the singles draw and also ends any chance of joining good mate Thanasi Kokkinakis (AKA the Special Ks) in defending their 2022 doubles crown. Meanwhile Jack Draper has won another service game to go 4-0 ahead.
Nadal* 7-5, 0-3 Draper (* denotes server) That light vapour has revived Rafael Nadal. He’s gone up a gear to combat the charge of his 20-year-old rival. There seems a bit more ‘pop’ on his shots in this third game. Draper is a young buck on the up and, with a head full of steam and a break in his pocket, looks dangerous. Can the Spaniard snuff out this comeback before it’s too late? Draper is having none of it. There’s a fantastic rally of heavy baseline shots and this time it’s Nadal who blinks first, going long and then falling short on the next as Draper bangs it into the corner and earn a second break. Huge momentum shift here.
Nadal 7-5, 0-2 Draper* (* denotes server) We have light rain at Melbourne Park and the players have sauntered under cover to wait it out. Bad timing for Draper who has fought back from that first set implosion to build a two game lead. This shower doesn’t look serious though. Any rain drop hitting the scorch of this court can’t last long. Court officials are conferring and it looks like we’re back.
Nadal 7-5, 0-2 Draper* (* denotes server) Early break to Draper and it’s game on! Nadal suddenly looks nervy (it happens when you’ve earned over $130m in career prize-money, I hear). At 20, Draper is a millionaire only once over though and he wins this second game to love without any stress to extend his lead.
Nadal* 7-5, 0-1 Draper (* denotes server) It was game for game, point for point. Until Nadal dug deep into his bag of tricks and broke the Englishman in that 12th game of the set. On those final few points Nadal chased the ball like a dog does a meat wagon. And those old legs served him well as they have done over 92 title wins. Jack Draper has rebounded impressively in this first game of the second set though. He’s taken the first game to deuce on Nadal’s serve with some enterprising stroke play (and no drop shots!). Nadal wins advantage but Draper’s slicing cuts his opponent to the quick and when Rafa hits the strings skew-whiff on the next Draper gets his revenge, winning the last point and breaking.
Nadal wins first set 7-5!
Nadal 7-5 Draper* (* denotes server) Draper had his first chance to break Nadal there but botched it with the exuberance of youth. He double down on the dumb after sending Nadal spiralling off court with a big serve. Why did he go to the drop shot again when a ruthless swipe sufficed? Nadal saw it and swooped to take it to 15-30. Heat rising for Draper but it cools when the Spaniard goes just wide on the next. Nadal doesn’t make the same mistake twice though. He stabs it past Draper, taking it to 30-40 and bringing up set point. Trouble brewing… and it blows up for the Briton as Nadal sends him back and forth, left and right before pulling the trigger on a forehand that’s too fast and too far for Draper. That’s game, break, set Nadal!
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Nadal* 6-5 Draper (* denotes server) Nadal didn’t get a look-in on that last Draper service game but he coolly takes the opening points of this eleventh game, smashing the second into the bleachers on the bounce. There was murderous intent in that shot. Just as well Jack had turned his back and moved onto the next point. 40-0 to Nadal with no sign of exhaustion or frayed nerves. But then Nadal gives one back with a wide ball and Draper seizes on the mistake, staying in a rally and then chancing his hand with a backhand down the line. Shot! It unnerves Nadal into netting the next point and falling back to deuce. Draper is anxious to capitalise. Too anxious. He uncoils a winner that instead thuds into the net. Draper’s next return skims the seagulls. Window closed.
Nadal 5-5 Draper* (* denotes server) Jack Draper is sweating now. The temperature on court is cresting 30 degrees and he’s got Rafael Nadal breathing down his neck. The ball kids respond, towelling off the exertions from a centre court spotted in perspiration. Neale Fraser, Australia’s former Davis Cup captain, a noted big server in his playing days is cheering for an upset by the looks. Draper responds to the support, taking the game without dropping a point.
Nadal* 5-4 Draper (* denotes server) Vintage Nadal! That was a fine return by Draper. The ball shot back at the Spaniard’s feet but he skipped out of the way, squared his hips and barrelled it into the corner with superb precision. There’s a Draper challenge to the next Nadal point but it arrives to late for the umpire to acknowledge and act on. Rafa races to 40-0 but Draper fights hard on the final point, both men carving big angled shots from the baseline. It’s Draper who blinks first though, sending the 11th shot long. Another game to love for Nadal and the screws about to turn on the British hope as he fights to stay in the set.
Nadal 4-4 Draper* (* denotes server) Everything going to serve but not according to plan. Nadal is complaining his racquet has gone MIA! Some over-zealous official or the cheekiest fan of the tournament so far? Nadal apologises to Draper for the bizarre delay and it’s all smiles but the momentum is broken. Will it show? It hasn’t affected Draper. He blasts a new ball past Nadal on the first but undoes the good work by lobbing the second long. Another ace keeps him ascendent though. Those long levers are box office. It’s the gamesmanship letting him down, as shown on the next point where he feathers a drop shot Nadal reaches on the run. He gets it back but Nadal is waiting. Bang! Suddenly he’s a break point down and trouble looms. But he saves it with another huge serve that kicks too much for Nadal to control, gets it to deuce. Then takes the advantage, and ultimately the game, when Nadal mishits twice in succession. Now that’s a phrase you don’t hear often…
Nadal* 4-3 Draper (* denotes server) Lovely touch by the top seed! Nadal sent a soft drop shot over the net and Draper rushed in and scooped it up nicely only to send it to the most lethal forehand in the game. Wrong option Jack, and it gets the punishment it deserved. Nadal gets to 40-0 but double faults. Any glimmer of a break vanishes fast though when Draper overhits an open court. Bad miss.
Nadal 3-3* Draper (* denotes server) Nadal hasn’t shown any sign of nerves yet but there’s an uncharacteristic framer to start this game. He’ll settle into this game as usual. Draper looks settled already. The big left-hander cannons Nadal’s return down the line to take it to 40-0. Nadal returns the dose from a tighter angle on the next but a big Draper serve on the last point gets us square again.
Nadal* 3-2 Draper (* denotes server) Nadal nets his first serve, lets the second but lands the third. It starts a fabulous rally, Nadal spearing balls to the corners but Draper using every inch of his big frame to dig them out and return with interest. After four cross court daggers it’s too much for the young man and Nadal takes the opening point. Draper wins the second though. He’s trying to take the Spaniards serve early, an attacking ploy that isn’t foolproof so far but may pay dividends later in the game. Nothing much he can do when Nadal is jagging cross court bullets and serving aces on the last to edge ahead again.
Nadal 2-2 Draper* (* denotes server) So far so good for the Spaniard. Despite losing six of his last seven matches, the top seed looks crisp and confident. It’s enough to unleash his first fist pump of the day as he coaxes Draper to the net in this first point of the game and uncoils and viciously top-spinning return down the line to earn a break point. Draper doesn’t panic though. He leans into his major weapon, the serve, and he wins the next three points and closes it out with an ace. Great boost for Draper. he knows there’s a big sniff of an upset if he plays to his potential and Nadal’s recent rocky form rears its ugly head afresh.
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Nadal* 2-1 Draper (* denotes server) Nadal has been highly critical of the balls being used in this tournament and they do appear to be bouncing big on the players, requiring each to take them on the rise and roll high shoulders at them. Both opening points here go to rallies in this third game but Nadal’s court positioning is better. He wins both opening rallies and then draws Draper into the net for the third point. Positive move from the Englishman but it’s a trap. Rafa rips it cross court to take the point in style and, soon after, claims the game.
Nadal 1-1 Draper* (* denotes server) Strong start from the champ. How will the youngster respond? The serve is his weapon and his first rips down the line, too fast for Nadal. The second is an ace, belted down from Draper’s six-foot-four frame, but he lobs long in a short rally for the third point. The Briton takes the fourth too after a 14-shot rally and wins the game with a brave thunderbolt up the guts. Too fast for Nadal. We’re all square.
Nadal* 1-0 Draper (* denotes server) Players commence battle. Rafa in familiar white bandanna and yolk-orange shirt. Draper in white T, sky-blue sneakers and a baseball cap reversed, a clear homage to hometown hero Lleyton Hewitt. Rafa’s first serve goes down the middle and Draper’s reply balloons off the frame. The second goes wide and Draper nets it. There’s a 12 shot rally for the third point, the ball bouncing high but Rafa takes the point and then the game to love.
Thanks Mike, Angus here. An early twist then. Draper won the toss but, despite boasting one of the best serves in the game, has elected to receive. A touch of nerves from the British world No 40? Or some chutzpah to throwing down the cudgel down to the defending champion? We’re about to find out… play about to begin.
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Nadal’s training top and shoes match the colour of the blue court, but once he peels his top off, he’s in a bright orange playing shirt. Draper is in Wimbledon-appropriate all white, with just a splash of colour in his sweatband and cap. Here’s the toss: Draper wins and elects to receive first.
Righto, with that, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of my colleague Angus Fontaine who will take you through the match. Cheerio for now.
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Good afternoon, tennis fans. Welcome to our round one clash between Rafael Nadal and Jack Draper. Players are on court and there’s voluminous support all round from a packed centre court at Rod Laver Arena. Despite the furnace-like heat the combatants will have a quick warm up and then we’ll get to the action.
The players are spotted in the bowels of Rod Laver Arena. Nadal, as always, is doing his best impersonation of a Duracell bunny, a bundle of energy, in constant motion as he gears up for his first test of this Australian Open. Draper looks focused. After the long walk past the names of former champions etched onto the walls of the tunnel, out they come into the stadium, to rapturous applause. Draper first, and then Nadal.
Some useful factoids about Rafael Nadal, courtesy of AAP:
Age: 36
Ranking: 2
Plays: left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US134,529,921
Career titles: 92
Grand slam titles: 22 (Australian Open 2009, 2022; French Open 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022; Wimbledon 2008, 2010; US Open 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Australian Open win-loss record: 76-15
Best Australian Open results: champion 2009, 2022; runner-up 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019
Men’s tennis’ most prolific grand slam title winner is defending his crown in Melbourne for the first time in 13 years after cashing in on Novak Djokovic’s absence 12 months ago. Elevated to top seed following the withdrawal of injured world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
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While we wait, Emma Raducanu has also made it safely through to the second round. Here’s what our man on the ground Tumaini Carayol thought:
“After moving timidly in the early exchanges, Raducanu progressively improved throughout her time on court and she finished her Australian Open first round match on top of the baseline, completely outmatching Tamara Korpatsch of Germany as she comfortably moved into the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 win.”
Tumaini’s full report of that one is incoming, hang tight.
Emma Raducanu moves into the Australian Open second round with a 6-3 6-2 win over Tamara Korpatsch.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) January 16, 2023
Raducanu looked tentative with her ankle early on, but improved as the match wore on. Moved decently and outmatched an underpowered Korpatsch from the baseline. Good performance. pic.twitter.com/INbX1LIUZC
Maria Sakkari, the Greek No 6 seed, has indeed wrapped up a straight-sets win over Yuan Yue of China, 6-1, 6,4, so the 2009 and 2022 men’s champion Rafael Nadal will be up soon enough on Rod Laver. The in-form Jack Draper is his opponent. Tumaini Carayol had this to say about the clash:
The US duo Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are also through to the second round. Pegula, the world No 3, was the first player to post victory earlier this morning at Melbourne Park – a routine 6-0, 6-1 victory over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian – while seventh seeded Gauff needed seven match points in the final game of her opener to see off Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-1, 6-4.
A couple of big results to bring you up to speed with, then. First, a big one with a local flavour – rising star Olivia Gadecki, who is being mentored by none other than Ash Barty at this Open, won her first main draw grand slam match 7-5, 6-1 against teenage qualifier Polina Kudermetova. The 20-year-old was lost for words earlier, after becoming the first Australian into the second round of this year’s tournament.
“I actually can’t believe it. Wow, I’m speechless,” Gadecki said. “It’s such an amazing crowd, my home slam, my first-ever main-draw grand slam win. I mean, a girl can only dream.”
Emma Kemp’s report is on its way, stay tuned for more details.
Weather update: According to our woman on the ground, Emma Kemp, it’s “hot af” in Melbourne today. Emma, this is for the liveblog, have you any more printable details? “The mercury says 25C but with with humidity feels closer to 30, which means on court it will feel a few degrees hotter than that,” she elaborates. “It’s meant to hit 29 in an hour or so.” Right you are, hot af.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the 2023 Australian Open. The tennis on day one is already under way at a steaming Melbourne Park, with the men’s No 1 and defending champion Rafael Nadal due on court shortly for his potential banana-skin opener against the rising star of British tennis, Jack Draper.
The preceding women’s match between Yuan Yue and Maria Sakkari is in the second set, with sixth seeded Sakari currently leading 4-3, so there’s a chance Nadal and Draper will get their encounter up and running pretty much on time – they are officially up “not before 2:30pm” on Rod Laver Arena. It’s currently 2:06pm local time.
I’ll give an update on already-banked results on the opening day of action in a tick, but for now, remember you can get in touch on this email address with thoughts on this match, the tournament in general or any other (tennis-related) business.
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