Former World No 1 Andy Murray was playing his first match at the Australian Open since 2019 and had to show his trademark grit and determination to overcome Nikoloz Basilashvili in a thrilling five set encounter. The 34-year-old raced to the first set in just 23 minutes but was pegged back in the second by Basilashvili. The match went on to last almost four hours with the two-time Wimbledon Champion finally securing the victory 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4. The Brit will now play Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in the next round.
In the woman’s draw US Open Champion Emma Raducanu is through to the second round with a good victory against Sloane Stephens. The British No 1 was making her Australian Open debut and looked to be in total control after winning a dominant first set 6-0. However, her American opponent fought back to level the match in the second set before Raducanu secured a comfortable decider to run out victorious 6-0 2-6 6-1. The teenage star had plenty of support from the Melbourne crowd and will now play world number 98 Danka Kovinic in the second round.
“Andy Murray vs. Feliciano López US Open 2012” by karlnorling is licensed under CC BY 2.0.