Images from Day 2 of the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne on Monday
Gauff shakes off service woes to down Schmiedlova
IMAGE: Coco Gauff in action during her first round match against Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters
Fourth seed Coco Gauff made a slightly wobbly start to her Australian Open campaign on Monday before the American found her rhythm to defeat Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3 6-0 and reach the second round.
Gauff, the newest member of the Grand Slam champions club after her U.S. Open success last September, traded breaks freely with Schmiedlova after her opening service game and came up with a late hold to wrap up the first set.
IMAGE: Coco Gauff greets Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova after winning her first round match. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters
The 19-year-old stepped up a gear in the next set as Schmiedlova continued to struggle on serve and raced ahead 3-0 with a superb cross-court winner from the deep to draw loud cheers from fans on Rod Laver Arena.
Gauff was barely troubled from there as she served out the match, finishing it off with a neat backhand winner to set up a meeting with fellow American Caroline Dolehide in the next round.
Wonder shot helps Tsitsipas into second round in Melbourne
IMAGE: Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrates after winning his first round match against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters
Stefanos Tsitsipas produced an extraordinary, balletic shot at a clutch moment in his opening match at the Australian Open to help him past lucky loser Zizou Bergs and into the second round.
The Greek seventh seed had lost the opening set to the world number 129 on Rod Laver Arena but had grabbed a break point at the start of the second when his Belgian opponent sent the ball just over the net.
Tsitsipas raced in and reached over into the other side of the court to slap the ball off the ground towards the umpire and win the point, all the while somehow managing to avoid touching the net to avoid being penalised.
The crowd gasped and Bergs put his hand over his mouth in astonishment as Tsitsipas took the break and a 2-0 lead on his way to a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 victory.
“That shot was extraordinary, I don’t even know how I got that shot,” Tsitsipas said.
“I thought for a split second when he hit that underspin volley ‘that’s it, I’ll have to prepare for the next point’.”
“But I guess not wanting to give up and just giving it a try gave me the point that I believe turned around the match today.”
Tsitsipas was supposed to play Matteo Berrettini in the first round but the Italian withdrew with a foot injury on Sunday and he instead faced Bergs.
Seventh seed Vondrousova sent packing by Yastremska at Australian Open
IMAGE: Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska celebrates winning her first round match against Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/Reuters
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova crashed to a stunning defeat in the opening round of the Australian Open on Monday as Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska outclassed her 6-1 6-2.
Seventh seed Vondrousova, who arrived in Melbourne after a hip issue forced her to withdraw from the warm-up tournament in Adelaide, quickly found herself 5-0 down in the opening set as Yastremska sensed an opportunity for a big upset.
IMAGE: Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova looks dejected. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/Reuters
The 24-year-old Czech, who became the first unseeded woman to claim the All England title last year, got on the scoreboard late in the first set but the powerful Yastremska had built up far too much momentum and wrapped it up in style.
Yastremska, the world number 93 who reached the third round at Melbourne Park in 2019, secured the early break in the second set as her opponent continued to spray the errors and the 23-year-old held firm to seal the victory.