(Melbourne) Sloane Stephens (44)e) signed her first victory at the Australian Open tennis tournament since 2019 by defeating Australian Olivia Gadecki (120e) 6-3 and 6-1, Tuesday.
The 30-year-old American, who won the 2017 U.S. Open, won five straight games in the first round to erase a 2-0 deficit. She then easily got her hands on the second set to end the match in just under an hour.
“I’m very happy with the way I played,” said Stephens, who reached the semifinals in 2013 but lost in the first round in seven of her last eight appearances in Melbourne.
“I worked a lot to make my opponents play. I think it was something I had gotten away from. Satisfied with the victory. »
Stephens will face Daria Kasatkina (14e) in the second round.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek avoided in the first round the trap embodied by the American Sofia Kenin, crowned in Melbourne in 2020, but beaten 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 on Tuesday.
PHOTO ISSEI KATO, REUTERS
Iga Swiatek
Kenin (41e) nevertheless gave the Pole with four Grand Slam trophies a hard time: she led 3 games to 1, served to win the first set 5 games to 4, and, in total, forced her to scrap almost two hours for his entry into the running.
“It wasn’t easy to find my rhythm at the start, I had a little difficulty, I’m happy to have gotten through it and to have raised my level in the second round,” appreciated Swiatek.
The world No.1, until now at best a semi-finalist at the Australian Open (in 2022), will face in the second round either the German Angelique Kerber, ex-N. 1 in the world just back from maternity, the American Danielle Collins (62e), finalist in Melbourne in 2022.
Canadian Rebecca Marino (182e) will cross swords with Jessica Pegula (fifth).
On the men’s side, Arthur Fils, a 19-year-old French tennis hopeful, took his very first steps at the Australian Open by overcoming the Czech Jiri Vesely, a former top 40 who fell around 300e world place, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday.
Son played the first match of his career on the courts of Melbourne Park under the scorching Australian sun.
For almost two rounds, the young Frenchman was subjected to the rule of the thirty-year-old Czech, impressing in his service and in his first strikes.
But he managed to find the fault in the “money time” of the second round, shortly after Vesely, visibly suffering from the heat, called the doctor, who notably took his blood pressure.
Returned to a set everywhere, the 34e world player, accompanied by Sébastien Grosjean in Melbourne, then took definitive control of the match and won in less than three hours (2 h 44 min).
In the second round, Son will face the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (31e) or the Russian Roman Safiullin (36e).