MADRID, Jan. 20 (SportsFinding) –
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic and Japan's Naomi Osaka, defenders of the title, and other favorites such as Swiss Roger Federer, Australian Asleigh Barty and American Serena Williams met on Monday and passed the first round of the Australian Open, first 'Grand Slam 'of the season, with more work for Belgrade and for world number one.
'Nole' began the road to his eighth title at Melbourne Park, achieving his 900 professional victory against the German Jan-Lennard Struff, a rival who was able to snatch a set before falling into four sleeves 7-6 (5), 6 -2, 2-6, 6-1.
The world number two had a misleading premiere against a somewhat dangerous player with his service, but despite the fright of the third quarter, he ended up taking it with authority. Djokovic wasted a 'break' and serve to sentence the first set, but did not fail in the 'sudden death', and also reacted strongly when Struff was able to endorse three breaks to take the game to a quarter.
More facilities had in his debut the Swiss Roger Federer, third head of the series, which did not take an hour and a half to defeat the American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. 34 winners and a powerful serve, with only one broken ball awarded, were Basel's arguments.
In the men's team also passed another of those indicated as favorites, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, semifinalist in 2019 against Rafa Nadal and who could with the Italian Stefano Caruso by the fast track (6-0, 6-2, 6-3).
For its part, in the women's tournament, the world's number one and public favorite, Asleigh Barty, ran into a complicated premiere in which she had to overcome a sleeve to knock out the Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko. This surprised in the first set (7-5), but then could not do more than two games (6-1, 6-1).
The current champion, the Japanese Naomi Osaka, third head of the series, began her steady career against the Czech Marie Bouzkova (6-2, 6-4), although she was somewhat irregular (29 'winners' and 28 unforced errors), while the American Serena Williams, who is looking for her twenty-fourth 'big', coiled the Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-3. Less fortunate was his brother Venus who, as in the last Wimbledon, was surprised by his young compatriot Coco Gauff (7-6, 6-3).