Australian Open 2023 Day 2 wrap: Novak Djokovic charges to second round, Ons Jabeur, Any Murray survive scare

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Australian Open 2023: Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Caroline Garcia and other stars made impressive starts in round 1 of the hard-court tournament at Melbourne Park.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 17, 2023 20:35 IST

Australian Open 2023 Day 2: Djokovic charges to second round, Jabeur, Ruud survive scare. Courtesy: AP

By Sabyasachi Chowdhury: Day 2 of the Australian Open saw 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic start his campaign on an emphatic win. The Serbian defeated Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 at the Rod Laver Arena to extend his winning streak to 22 at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2019, 2020 and 2021, but missed out on the 2022 edition due to his issues with Covid vaccination status. He was happy to return to the Rod Laver Arena.

“The more you win on a certain court, the more comfortable you feel. I have been fortunate to win so many matches on this court, especially night matches. I would choose this [court] all night long,” Djokovic said after the match.

Britain’s Andy Murray was involved in a nerve-wracking match against Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (10-6) in a match that lasted nearly five hours. Murray also won his first match against a top-20 opponent in a Grand Slam since 2017.

“I will be feeling it this evening and tomorrow, but right now I’m unbelievably happy and proud of myself. I’ve been working to give myself the opportunity to perform in matches like this and against players like Matteo. It paid off tonight,” Murray said.

Jabeur, Ruud also through to Round 2

Ons Jabeur had an almighty scare after she lost the second set of her first round match against Tamara Zidansek. But the two-time Grand Slam finalist won the match 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-1 victory over the Slovenian.

Caroline Garcia and Aryna Sabalenka defeated Katherine Sebov and Tereza Martincova in straight sets. World No.3 Casper Ruud also started his campaign with a win over Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac. The no.2 seed won the match 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (7-5), 6-3).

Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic also made history. The 17-year-old became the youngest European player since Iga Swiatek to win a women’s singles draw in the Australian Open since 2019. Fruhvirtova beat Australia’s Jaimee Fourlis 6-0, 6-4.

Edited By:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published On:

Jan 17, 2023



Source: www.indiatoday.in

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