Australian Open: Tsitsipas, Medvedev start title quest with wins

Melbourne [Australia], January 16 : Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas started off his Australian Open campaign with a win over Quentin Halys in the opening round of the men's singles category on Monday.
Tsitsipas defeated Halys by 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6) and advanced to the second round. Carrying his United Cup form, where he went 4-0 during Greece' semifinal run, the 24-year-old put a stop to Halys resurgence in the third set to clinch a win in an exact time frame of two hours.
"It was challenging," Tsitsipas was quoted as saying by ATP after saving four set points during the third set before completing the win.
"He came up with some good tennis towards the end of the third set. I kind of lost my rhythm on the serve. I was not expecting to get broken twice, so I had to find ways to kind of get out of there, this difficult situation."
"I think my fighting spirit showed that towards the end. I was not going to give up and even though I faced difficult situations in the tie-break, being down in the score, I got some good crowd support and we came back and won this together," concluded the Greek player.
Having reached the Australian Open semis in 2019, 2021 and 2022, the 24-year-old aims to win his first-ever title of this grand slam event. He will meet wild card Rinky Hijikata, who battled back to beat Yannick Hanfmann 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 during the second round.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev also advanced to the second round after a thumping win over America's Marcos Giron on Monday.
Medvedev downed Giron 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 to start off his title quest with a bang, chasing a title in which he ended as runners-up back in 2021 and 2022. He hit 28 winners during his one hour, 36-minute clash with the American.
"I am really happy with the match," Medvedev said. "Marcos is a tough opponent, so to beat him with this score in the first round at a Slam is great. I am really happy with my level and I am looking forward to the next round."
This seventh-seed star will face Australia's John Millman, a wild card who defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3.
Earlier, top-seed Rafael Nadal won another nail-biting match at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Monday to begin his Australian Open title defence by defeating British rising star Jack Draper.
The Spaniard delivered in the crucial moments to secure a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory against 21-year-old debutante Jack Draper to reach the second round for the 17th time.
In a match with only left-handed players, Nadal won sets one and three with crucial, late breaks to make up for Draper's nearly 6-0 second-set lead. The Briton faced up against Nadal and outplayed him for periods of time before succumbing to the Spaniard's constant pressure.
Draper started to experience cramps and needed treatment during multiple changeovers as the Spaniard regained control of the match in the third set, locating his forehand from all parts of the court.
Early in the fourth set, both men played some of their finest tennis, with Draper collecting his fourth break to take the lead. But as Draper's health difficulties grew worse, Nadal won the final six games.
The inaugural ATP Head2Head encounter between the two players was briefly stopped early on by rain, and the play on the court seemed to reflect the match's stop-start nature as each player took turns controlling from the baseline. Draper quickly built a 4-0 lead in the second set thanks to his powerful forehand after barely losing the first set.
As Draper rallied from a set down to tie the third set, the outcome of the match was in doubt; however, Nadal did just enough to hold his opponent at bay and end any chance of an upset; the fourth set was never in doubt.
Playing for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam singles title, Nadal is seeking his third Australian Open crown (2009, 2022).
He will lock horns with Mackenzie McDonald in the second round after the American's 7-6(5), 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-7(10), 6-4 win against countryman Brandon Nakashima on Monday.