Images from Day 3 of the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.
Alcaraz sinks gutsy Gasquet
Carlos Alcaraz made a winning return to the Australian Open on Tuesday but the Spanish second seed faced some early resistance from French veteran Richard Gasquet before cruising to a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 victory in the opening round.
The muscular 20-year-old, who skipped last year's tournament with a right leg issue, appeared overly exuberant at times as he sought quick progress at Melbourne Park but composed himself to grind down his seasoned opponent and blow him away.
"It's always great to play here in Australia, it's the third time that I'm playing here," said Alcaraz, who will meet Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.
"I didn't have a good run in the years that I've played here but I enjoyed it a lot today. I missed last year and felt really good playing here.
"I struggled a little bit in the first set with his game but every set I've been playing a bit better and in the end I was at a good level."
Gasquet looked like he had just taken a dip in the nearby Yarra river for much of the first set as Alcaraz made him sweat for points but the 37-year-old held firm and drew level at 3-3 in the tiebreak with a breathtaking backhand winner.
However, Alcaraz raised his level from there to go a set up and the floodgates opened as the Wimbledon champion racked up a 3-0 lead in the next before doubling his advantage in the match, showcasing a mix of explosive forehands and deft shots.
With Gasquet fading, Alcaraz stepped up another gear on a balmy evening on Rod Laver Arena for the early break in the third set and settled the contest on serve, finishing with a fiery ace out wide on his fifth match point.
Rybakina fights her way past Pliskova
Third seed Elena Rybakina made a slow start but shifted into top gear when it mattered to down tricky Czech Karolina Pliskova 7-6(6) 6-4 in the opening round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Broken to open the contest on Rod Laver Arena as her serve faltered and 6-3 down in the first-set tiebreak, Rybakina showed great fight to get back in the contest and finish it in two sets.
"It was a really tough match for me today, Karolina played really well," Rybakina said.
"But I'm really happy that I managed to win and survive the first set and in the second set it was a little better. I just want to enjoy it here and go as far I can."
The Kazakh admitted to being upset when scheduled on Court 13 for her opener last year when she was reigning Wimbledon champion but, after reaching last year's final, got primetime billing on Melbourne Park's main showcourt on Tuesday.
She came into the Grand Slam in fine form after thrashing Aryna Sabalenka, her vanquisher last year, to win one warm-up tournament in Brisbane before reaching the quarter-finals of another in Adelaide.
It took until the third game for her to even get a point on the board, however, as Pliskova broke the Kazakh to love to open the contest and then held her own serve in similar style.
Former world number one Pliskova has the weapons to hurt any player and for most of the first set was landing two first serves for every one Rybakina managed.
Despite the onslaught, Rybakina got the set back on serve at 2-2 and did enough to stay with the Czech until the tiebreak, where she saved three set points to wrestle back control before going 1-0 up at the first time of asking.
The world number three again pounced to break for 2-1 in the second set and looked like she might finish the contest on Pliskova's final service game only for the Czech to rally to save a match point.
Pliskova came up with a couple of fine winners to make the final game interesting but Rybakina would not be denied and moved on to a second-round contest against Anna Blinkova when the Czech went long with a forehand.
Azarenka battles into second round
Victoria Azarenka, who won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013, progressed with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Italy's Camila Giorgi.
Earlier, Brisbane International champion Grigor Dimitrov fought back from a set down to beat Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-2.
Swiatek suppresses Kenin challenge
World number one Iga Swiatek overcame a strong early challenge from former champion Sofia Kenin to reach the second round of the Australian Open with a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory in a high quality contest on Tuesday.
The Pole was forced to play her best tennis to see off her 41st-ranked opponent in a rematch of the 2020 French Open final and set up a clash against either another former champion in Angelique Kerber or 2022 finalist Danielle Collins.
"Really happy, it's not easy to play the first round, especially in the first Grand Slam of the season," Swiatek said in a courtside interview.
"It was not easy at the beginning to find my rhythm and I felt a little bit off. I feel like Sofia did everything to keep it that way.
"I'm happy that I managed to get my level up in the second set."
The match started in blazing sunshine and Kenin was soon playing with the strutting confidence that helped her clinch her only Grand Slam title on the same Rod Laver Arena court four years ago.
The 25-year-old American snatched an early break only to hand it back with successive double faults but again feasted on Swiatek's second serve for another break with a monster of a backhand down the line.
Swiatek has not won four Grand Slam titles without being able to problem-solve, however, and again put the set back on level terms at 5-5, had a set point at 6-5, and dominated the tiebreak.
Kenin, who has plumbed the depths since her 2020 Melbourne triumph and was ranked 235 in the world at the start of last season, maintained her level at the start of the second stanza and her clean-striking was soon causing Swiatek more problems.
The three-times French Open champion always seemed to have the cooler head in the clutch moments, however, and grabbed a break for 3-2 as a frustrated Kenin looked increasingly frequently to her box for answers.
Swiatek saved two break points in the next game before cruising to the finish line to reach the second round for the sixth straight year and keep alive her quest for a first Australian Open title.
Kerber loses to Collins
Three-times Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber bowed out in the first round after a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat by 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins.
German Kerber, who was making her return to Grand Slam action for the first time since the 2022 US Open following a maternity break, faded in the third set as Collins sprinted over the finish line.
The American next faces World No 1 Iga Swiatek.
Ruud cruises into second round
Eleventh-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud wasted little time in the oppressive heat, downing Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 on Tuesday (Australia time) at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
It took Ruud just over two hours to oust Ramos-Vinolas, who had just two aces to Ruud's 11. Ruud also saved all four break points he faced and won 34 of 41 first-service points.
Ruud called the Australian event his favorite of the Grand Slams, and he said he felt a quick start was important.
"It's warm out there (Tuesday), so I didn't want to spend too much time in the sun," he said.
Even with such taxing conditions, Ruud added that the atmosphere "makes it all worth it, with the crowd and how good Melbourne is as a city and the fans down here, so it's great to be back."
Other seeded players that won their matches on Tuesday included No. 19 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain and 32nd-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka. Both pulled off sweeps, with Norrie blanking Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 and Lehecka topping Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Lehecka finished with 33 winners in his victory, while Norrie tallied 30.
Tallon Griekspoor, a Dutch player seeded 28th, rallied to beat Russia's Roman Safiullin 2-6, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly four hours.
American Alex Michelsen knocked out Australian wild card James McCabe 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. French wild card Arthur Cazaux and countryman Arthur Fils also prevailed on Tuesday, as did qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.
