Melbourne: Djokovic got back to doing what he does best on Monday when he steamrollered Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-1 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in the opening round of the Australian Open. Dominic Thiem overcame an early wobble before overpowering Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(2) 6-2 6-3 to reach the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.
Third seed Thiem was broken twice in the first set and had to fight off a set point at 6-5 before rallying to take the tiebreak at Rod Laver Arena.
Naomi Osaka gave the Australian Open’s electronic line judges her seal of approval after advancing to the second round with a machine-like 6-1 6-2 demolition of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Monday.
Triple Grand Slam champion Osaka said it had taken time to get used to the system but would be happy for it to be adopted at other tournaments.
Serena past Laura Siegemund of Germany, 6-1, 6-1, on Rod Laver Arena to notch her opening-round win in Melbourne. The American superstar improved her nearly flawless record in first-round matches at Grand Slam events to an astounding 76-1.
Venus also notched a straight-set win early on Monday, ousting Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, 7-5, 6-2, on Margaret Court Arena.
Venus Williams and Flipkens had split their previous four meetings in a Williams rivalry, but this time around, the American legend collected a 92-minute win to defeat the former Top 20 player.