MELBOURNE, Australia – Iga Świątek knows she still has a lot to do in her bid to win a first Australian Open title and a career Grand Slam.
No. 2-ranked Świątek never felt comfortable in a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over No. 130 Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue in the first round on Monday night.
Novak Djokovic already has a record 10 titles in Australia from his 24 major championships and continues to set records.
He equaled two all-time tennis records to start in his 21st Australian Open and his 81st Grand Slam tournament, and added another milestone in the final evening match on Monday with his 100th win at Melbourne Park.
The 38-year-old Djokovic had a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 first-round victory over Pedro Martinez to become the first man to win 100 or more matches in three Grand Slam tournaments.
“I like the sound of it,” he said. “Centurion is quite nice.”
Swiatek won Wimbledon last year, along with her four French Open titles and her victory at the 2022 US Open, leaving the Australian Open as the only major missing from her collection. She reached the semi-finals twice.
Yuan swung freely and pulled off winners as she took a 5-3 lead, leaving Świątek to turn things around.
“I was a little rusty at first,” she said. “A lot of ups and downs, but overall I have some things to work on. I’ll just focus on that.”
From 5-3 down in the first inning, she held a service game at love to force Yuan to serve for the set. Świątek leveled again and in the tiebreak she remained calm and converted on her second set point.
“I started out a little tight. I had to get my legs moving. Go after my shots. Be brave with the decisions,” she said of the change. “It’s not difficult to win games when everything goes well. Today that wasn’t the case, but I was able to win.”
Świątek had a disrupted preparation for the first major of the year. He lost two singles matches at the United Cup, but helped Poland win the title for the first time.
One of those losses came against No. 3 Coco Gauff, who also had some trouble before beating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-3 in the opening match at Rod Laver Arena on Day 2.
Gauff has won two Grand Slam titles but, like Swiatek, has never progressed beyond the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
She had six double faults in the first set against Rakhimova, but found her range in the second. It’s not a new problem — she had a record 431 double faults last year — but it’s something Gauff is working on.
“I mean, it was only the first set,” Gauff said. “I had three doubles in the first game, and once I got through that game, I mean it was pretty much smooth sailing.”
No. No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, runner-up at the last two majors, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula won in straight sets and advanced along with No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, No. 17 Victoria Mboko and No. 25 Paula Badosa.
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 champion, had her fifth consecutive first-round exit at Melbourne Park after a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to compatriot Peyton Stearns, and No. 15 Emma Navarro lost in three sets to Magda Linette.
Priscilla Hon secured her first trip to the second round of her home major in six years and also helped her opponent Marina Stakusic leave the court in a wheelchair after the Canadian qualifier collapsed due to severe leg cramps.
Another Canadian player ended up cramping early, with No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrawing from his match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. Borges led 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 when Auger-Aliassime walked to the net to shake hands.
Stan Wawrinka started his farewell season at the Slams with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Laslo Djere. The 2014 champion announced last month that 2026 will be his final year on the elite tour.
“It’s my last year. It’s been too long since I come back!” he said. “The passion is still intact. Today was great. I’m so happy I won – I have the chance to play another one here.”
Three-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev defeated Jesper de Jong 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (2) to advance along with No. 6 Alex de Minaur, No. 12 Casper Ruud, No. 13 Andrey Rublev, No. 19 seed Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka.
A total of 101,696 fans flocked to Melbourne Park on Monday, surpassing Sunday’s daily record of 100,763.
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