Australian Open: Serena, Djokovic ease into 2nd round; Yuki Bhambri knocked out

Sharapova whipped No. 56 Nao Hibino in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.

The weather also looks set to do its part in keeping temperatures high from the off at Melbourne Park with peaks of 37 Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) forecast for the opening day of the year’s first grand slam. He gives even the second-round matches a sense of occasion.

“I was able to stay in it and stay calm today and I think that’s what matters most”.

Again Nadal edged ahead with an early break in the fifth, but it was Verdasco who strung together six games in a row, including two breaks of serve, to seal victory in four hours and 41 minutes.

Venus Williams will hope to join sister Serena in the second round when she takes on Britain’s Johanna Konta, while retiring home favorite Lleyton Hewitt takes center stage in the evening when he faces countryman James Duckworth.

Halep, the 2014 French Open finalist, lost 6-4, 6-3 to Zhang Shuai for her third first-round loss at Melbourne Park in the past five years, but giving the No. 133-ranked Chinese qualifier her first win at a Grand Slam after 14 losses. “I was closing my eyes and everything was coming in”.

“It has been for a long time now, over a decade”.

Muguruza further capitalized on Kontaveit’s weak second serve, winning 14/21 times the Estonian produced a second serve and breaking her unseeded opponent’s serve 4 times.

Federer, playing his 65th consecutive major, advanced 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 over Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Leading into the match the lopsided statistics made the American an overwhelming favourite – she had won 737 tour matches and 69 singles titles to Giorgi’s 248 and one.

“I managed to play the best tennis when I needed to”.

“But there’s always a danger, you know”.

“I haven’t played in a long time, but I have been playing for 30 years, so it’s kind of I try to focus on that”, Williams said.

Serena Williams of the United States hits a forehand return to Camila Giorgi of Italy during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2016.

In the biggest upset of the day, two-time Wimbledon champion and sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Russian-born Australian Daria Gavrilova.

That background was not about to escape the attention of the local media, particularly after the impressive nature of her 6-4 6-2 win over the seven-times grand slam champion and former world number one.