Rafael Nadal's injured back didn't slow down his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title on Tuesday, as women's World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty romped to a 6-0, 6-0 'double bagel' at the Australian Open.
On a day when women's champion Sofia Kenin also reached round two, but two-time winner Victoria Azarenka lost after breathing problems, Nadal and Barty were the headline acts.
Spanish great Nadal, who pulled out of the ATP Cup with a back problem, beat Serbia's Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-1.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev, meanwhile, extended his winning streak to 15 matches with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Canada's Vasek Pospisil.
Just having fun
Barty later outclassed Montenegro's Danka Kovinic, losing only 10 points as she raced into round two in just 44 minutes. With the win Barty, last year's semifinalist who sat out most of the 2020 season, ramped up hopes of a first Australian women's winner in 43 years.
Women's champion Kenin was less convincing during her 7-5, 6-4 win against Australian Maddison Inglis.
But there were distressing scenes as an ailing Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, went out to Jessica Pegula.
Azarenka, who was one of the players locked down in hard quarantine pre-tournament and not allowed out of her room for 14 days, began to suffer in the second set.
The 2020 US Open runner-up was seen gasping and using an inhaler, and then looked close to collapse on court. After a medical time-out she played on but lost 7-5, 6-4.
PTI adds:
Too hot to handle
India's Sumit Nagal, meanwhile, exited with a first-round defeat, struggling to cope with the power-packed game of Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis.
Nagal’s challenge deflated as Berankis’ powerful groundstrokes proved too good for the Indian. The verdict 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 10 minutes. Nagal had lost to the World No. 72 in last week's tune-up event too.
Results
Men's singles
1st round
Andrey Rublev (RUS x7) bt Yannick Hanfmann (GER) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
Thiago Monteiro (BRA) bt Andrej Martin (SVK) 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 6-2
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Li Tu (AUS) 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA x31) bt Sam Querrey (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
Casper Ruud (NOR x24) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3, 6-3, 2-1 ret
Tommy Paul (USA) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 6-4, 7-6 (7/0), 6-4
Christopher O'Connell (AUS) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Radu Albot (MDA) bt Roberto Bautista (ESP x12) 6-7 (1/7), 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt David Goffin (BEL x13) 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Mikael Torpegaard (DEN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Borna Coric (CRO x22) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Filip Krajinovic (SRB x28) bt Robin Haase (NED) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Quentin Halys (FRA) 6-4, 7-5, 7-5
Roberto Carballes (ESP) bt Attila Balazs (HUN) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Daniil Medvedev (RUS x4) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x5) bt Gilles Simon (FRA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-1
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) bt Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) bt Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL x26) 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Karen Khachanov (RUS x19) bt Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt Sumit Nagal (IND) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Tomas Machac (CZE) bt Mario Vilella (ESP) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-0, 3-0 ret
Matteo Berrettini (ITA x9) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 7-6 (11/9), 7-5, 6-3
Fabio Fognini (ITA x16) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Salvatore Caruso (ITA) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (URU) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Alex De Minaur (AUS x21) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 7-5, 6-1, 6-1
Cameron Norrie (GBR) bt Daniel Evans (GBR x30) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Roman Safiullin (RUS) bt Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Michael Mmoh (USA) bt Viktor Troicki (SRB) 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
Women's singles
1st round
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x1) bt Danka Kovinic (MNE) 6-0, 6-0
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) bt Saisai Zheng (CHN) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS x29) bt Martina Trevisan (ITA) 6-3, 6-4
Anett Kontaveit (EST x21) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 7-5, 6-2
Heather Watson (GBR) bt Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3)
Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Francesca Jones (GBR) 6-4, 6-1
Olga Danilovic (SRB) bt Petra Martic (CRO x16) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Belinda Bencic (SUI x11) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-2, 6-2
Lin Zhu (CHN) bt Whitney Osuigwe (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Elise Mertens (BEL x18) bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 6-1, 6-3
Karolina Muchova (CZE x25) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 7-5, 6-2
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Danielle Collins (USA) bt Ana Bogdan (ROU) 6-3, 6-1
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) bt Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 6-0, 6-2
Sofia Kenin (USA x4) bt Maddison Inglis (AUS) 7-5, 6-4
Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-3, 6-1
Nadia Podoroska (ARG) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Donna Vekic (CRO x28) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jennifer Brady (USA x22) bt Aliona Bolsova (ESP) 6-1, 6-3
Madison Brengle (USA) bt Arina Rodionova (AUS) 6-1, 6-2
Mayar Sherif (EGY) bt Chloe Paquet (FRA) 7-5, 7-5
Kaja Juvan (SLO) bt Johanna Konta (GBR x13) 4-6, 2-0 ret
Jessica Pegula (USA) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR x12) 7-5, 6-4
Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Destanee Aiava (AUS) 6-4, 6-4
Nao Hibino (JPN) bt Astra Sharma (AUS) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE x20) 6-2, 0-6, 6-3
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ x26) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Clara Burel (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Coco Gauff (USA) bt Jil Teichmann (SUI) 6-3, 6-2
Elina Svitolina (UKR x5) bt Marie Bouzkova (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Garbine Muguruza (ESP x14) bt Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 6-4, 6-0
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) bt Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5
Ann Li (USA) bt Shuai Zhang (CHN x31) 6-2, 6-0