MELBOURNE: Jannik Sinner dropped just three games and spent little over an hour on Rod Laver Arena to get his bid for an Australian Open three-peat started.
The No 2 ranked Sinner was leading 6-2, 6-1 when Hugo Gaston suddenly retired from their match Tuesday night with an undisclosed injury.
"I saw that he was not serving with a very high pace in the second set," Sinner said, but "it's not the way you want to win the match."
It was an anti-climatic way to finish his first competitive match on the center court at Melbourne Park since his victory 12 months ago over Alexander Zverev to clinch back-to-back Australian titles.
He's aiming to become the fourth player to win three consecutive men's titles at the Australian Open.
Madison Keys had a tougher start to her title defense, struggling early against the offbeat style of Oleksandra Oliynykova before advancing 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Ninth-seeded Keys, playing in her 50th Grand Slam tournament, trailed 4-0 before she rallied to force a tiebreaker against the Ukrainian.
"Obviously I was very nervous at the start," Keys said. "As nervous as I was . . . I'm really glad to be back, and that I got through that match."
Statement made, win for Osaka
Naomi Osaka made a statement even before unleashing her famed power during a hard-fought first-round win at Australian Open.
In what might have been the most eye-catching outfit ever entering a tennis court, the two-time tournament winner donned a white topped-hat with white umbrella, veil and floor-length gown with a butterfly theme as she stepped onto Rod Laver Arena.
The US-based Japanese star backed up the striking outfit with her play, dispatching an impressive Antonia Ruzic 6-3 3-6 6-4 under the lights. Ruzic led with a break at 4-3 in the decider.
Poonacha-Isaro pair bows out
India's Niki Poonacha and his Thai partner Pruchya Isaro exited the men's doubles event at the Australian Open after suffering a narrow straight sets defeat against Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar in the first-round, here on Tuesday.
The Indo-Thai wild card pair lost 6-7(3) 5-7 to the Spanish pair in one hour and 51 minutes at court 14.
There was not much to separate between the two pairs but Poonacha and Isaro could convert only one of the three break chances and dropped their serve twice in the match.