Australian Open: Novak Djokovic through to second round at Melbourne Park
Updated
Novak Djokovic may have doused fears injury will cruel his Australian Open campaign after producing a clinical performance to move through to the second round at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic has not played an ATP World Tour event since Wimbledon last July because of an elbow injury, but the six-time Australian Open champion showed little sign of rust as he easily beat Donald Young 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
The former world number one, who slipped to a ranking of 14 as a result of his injury, contested the Kooyong Classic and Tie-Break Tens in Melbourne last week and he was relieved to open up with a solid hit-out in the first round.
"It's always great to be back on the court. There's no better place to start playing than here in Australia. I love playing here," said Djokovic, who is being coached by Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek in Melbourne.
"It's been a long period for me without any competition. First match after six months, you never know how you're going to start out of the blocks.
"I was so grateful I had this opportunity to be here because a month ago I didn't know because my elbow was not ready."
Djokovic was joined in the second round by another former winner, 2014 champion and ninth seed Stan Wawrinka, who advanced after a gruelling four-set encounter with the 141st-ranked Ricardas Berankis, winning 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev scrapped his way to a straight-sets win over Thomas Fabbiano.
The 20-year-old German started brightly against Fabbiano, who made it a contest in the second set before succumbing 6-1, 7-6, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.
Despite his promise and rapid climb up the rankings to world number four, Zverev has so far failed to go beyond the fourth round at a major.
Absent from the court since the season-ending championship in November, he started the year with a disappointing Hopman Cup campaign but said he was starting to find his groove.
"I was a little bit rusty," Zverev said.
"It was my first match back but I've been playing well in practice and I'm happy to get through."
Zverev was joined in the second round by Belgian seventh seed David Goffin, who outplayed another German in qualifier Matthias Bachinger 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Raonic makes shock early Melbourne exit
Canadian star Milos Raonic is out of the Australian Open, bowing out in a four-set loss to Slovakia's Lukas Lacko 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
Raonic, an Australian Open semi-finalist two years ago, won a tie-break to go one set up, only to lose three on the trot to Lacko, ranked some 63 places below him.
The 22nd-seeded Raonic, who reached a career-high ranking of number three in 2016, sent down 36 aces to Lacko's 19, but Lacko ground out the crucial points that mattered in a close-run contest.
"I'm not where I need to be at," Raonic said.
"I struggled physically, but thankfully not through injury. Just in terms of fitness and being prepared. I was just not sharp, not quick, not hitting hard or aggressive and couldn't dictate."
Another men's seed also fell as Fernando Verdasco axed Roberto Bautista Agut in a straight-sets win in an all-Spanish affair.
World number 40 Verdasco conjured up an early exit for the 20th-seeded Bautista Agut in a 6-1, 7-5, 7-5 victory.
Big-serving American Sam Querrey made short work of his opening-round match, thundering down 28 aces as he defeated Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
The number 13 seed did not face a single break point as he overpowered Lopez, winning 85 per cent of points on his first serve.
International men's results
- Novak Djokovic (SER) def Donald Young (USA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
- Stan Wawrinka (SUI) def Ricardas Berankis (LIT) 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6
- Alexander Zverev (GER) def Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 6-1, 7-6, 7-5
- David Goffin (BEL) def Matthias Bachinger (GER) 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
- Lukas Lacko (SVK) def Milos Raonic (CAN) 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6
- Fernando Verdasco (ESP) def Roberto Bautista Agut (SPA) 6-1, 7-5, 7-5
- Fabio Fognini (ITA) def Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
- Sam Querrey (USA) def Feliciano Lopez (SPA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) def Jared Donaldson (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
- Jiri Vesely (CZE) def Vaclav Safranek (CZE) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
- Adrian Mannarino (FRA) def Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
- Julien Benneteau (FRA) def Taro Daniel (JPN) 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Marton Fucsovics (HUN) def Radu Albot (MOL) 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
- Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) def Maximilian Marterer (GER) 6-0, 6-3, 6-4
ABC/AAP
Topics: tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia
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