Australian Open: Sinner kicks off title defence

THE first round of the Australian Open continues on Monday (13) at Melbourne Park where top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner seeks a third Grand Slam title while Novak Djokovic begins his quest for a record-extending 25th major.

World number one Sinner is playing under the cloud of a potential two-year ban due to his doping case while 37-year-old Djokovic, a 10-times champion in Melbourne, returns to his favourite hunting ground as the seventh seed.

Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek are also in action while four Australians, including Nick Kyrgios, will get their chance to shine on the showcourts.

Kyrgios returns to Grand Slam action for the first time in two years when the Australian takes on Briton Jacob Fearnley.

Kyrgios has been sidelined due to knee, foot and wrist problems and he returns to his home Slam as an unranked player, still struggling with an abdominal strain and 'niggles' that forced him to pull out of an exhibition event.

The 29-year-old spent some time in the broadcast booth during his break from the game but he is confident tennis has not left him behind.

"People are always going to say, 'Be realistic, you're not going to be the same'. I unfortunately don't have that mindset. I always have utmost confidence in my ability," said Kyrgios, whose best result in Melbourne was a quarter-final run in 2015.

"If I'm playing my style of tennis, my unpredictability, I have a chance against anyone."

The Australian Open marks Fearnley's second main draw appearance at a Grand Slam but he made his mark at his first at Wimbledon last year, winning his opening round match and then taking a set off Djokovic on centre court.

American third seed Gauff begins her campaign against compatriot and 2020 champion Kenin, whose career has nosedived since reaching a career-high number four in the world.

Kenin fell outside the top 200 due to a poor run of form and injuries before slowly making her way back into the top 100.

However, Gauff is still wary of the 26-year-old, who beat her en route to the 2020 title and holds a career 2-1 record over her.

"I lost to her at Wimbledon (in 2023). She's obviously a great player, she won this tournament," Gauff told reporters.

"I think she's a great mover, has great groundstrokes, pretty steady player, can play aggressive, also play really good defence. It's going to be a tough match ... I think it's good for me, though."

Japan's twice Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka faces Caroline Garcia in a repeat of last year's first-round match where the Frenchwoman advanced after a straight-sets win.

"New year, same draw... This is starting to be a classic," Garcia said on X, while Osaka thought her agent was joking when she was informed of the first-round match-up.

Osaka is not at 100 per cent after pulling out of her first WTA Tour final in almost three years in Auckland and the 27-year-old said the results of a scan on an abdominal injury were not "fantastic".

(Reuters)