Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime survives 1st-round battle at Australian Open
The Canadian Press | Posted: January 18, 2022 4:44 AM | Last Updated: January 18, 2022
Fernandez, Marino make quick exits
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime is moving on to the second round at the Australian Open after beating Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 0-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
This is the third appearance in Melbourne for the ninth-seeded 21-year-old from Montreal.
He made it to the fourth round of last year's Australian Open before losing to Russian Aslan Karatsev.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime wins 5-set match:
Earlier in the day, fellow Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez once again came up short at the tournament.
Fernandez lost to Australian wild card entry Maddison Inglis 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday in the first round of the Grand Slam tournament.
It's the third straight year that the 19-year-old Fernandez, who was runner-up to Emma Raducanu at last year's U.S Open, has lost in round one at Melbourne Park.
Ranked No. 24 in the world, Fernandez had 30 unforced errors and only eight winners, and was broken three times.
The Laval, Que., native saved two match points before Ingis, who is ranked 133rd, served out 6-4, 6-2 on the court dubbed 1573 Arena.
For Inglis, it was a first win in a Grand Slam main draw. She lost in the first round at last year's Australian Open to then defending champion Sofia Kenin.
Also Tuesday, Vancouver's Rebecca Marino lost to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-3.
WATCH | Fernandez loses to Inglis at Australian Open:
The Laval, Que., native saved two match points before Ingis, who is ranked 133rd, served out 6-4, 6-2.
For Inglis, it was a first win in a Grand Slam main draw. She lost in the first round at last year's Australian Open to then defending champion Sofia Kenin.
WATCH | Marino ousted in straight sets:
U.S. Open champ Raducanu beats Stephens
Emma Raducanu has beaten Sloane Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in a seesawing first-round match between U.S. Open champions.
The No. 17-seeded Raducanu won the first set in 17 minutes and seemed to be in complete control of her debut main draw match at Melbourne Park.
But Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open winner, converted her fifth break point chance to open the second set in a 12-minute game that finished on a pair of double-faults from Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open winner.
Two early service breaks gave Raducanu a 5-0 lead and she served it out to finish in 1 3/4 hours. It was her first win of 2022.
Raducanu will play No. 98-ranked Danka Kovinic in the next round.
Medvedev easily advances to 2nd round
Title favorite Daniil Medvedev has moved into the second round with a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Henri Laaksonen, extending his Grand Slam winning streak to eight matches.
That includes his victory in the U.S. Open final last September, a result that denied top-ranked Novak Djokovic a calendar-year Grand Slam.
"I'm feeling great . . . hopefully I can show some good signs here throughout the two weeks," No. 2-seeded Medvedev said. "I like pressure."
Medvedev is bidding to become the first Russian man to win the Australian Open title since Marat Safin, who beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final in 2005.
Murray wins 1st Aussie match since 2017
Five-time finalist Andy Murray needed a tough five-setter over a player he beat last week to register his first win in an Australian Open match since 2017.
Murray beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 to move into the second round.
Murray also fended off Basilashvili last week in a three-hour three setter on the way to the final in a Sydney tuneup event.
In another tough five-setter, Maxime Cressy beat fellow American and 22nd-seeded John Isner 7-6 (2), 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-4.