Australian young gun Nick Kyrgios advanced to the second round as he dispatched Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in three straight sets on Monday night.
An impressively focused Kyrgios trashed the Spaniard 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in only one hour and 30 minutes in front of a cheering Australian crowd at Melbourne’s Hisense Arena.
The tournaments 29th seed displayed a combination of power and precision hitting an impressive amount of 37 winners that left Carreno Busta with little to do as the Australian eased into the second round.
The 20-year-old showcased his serve as he converted 71% (50/70) of his first serve winning an outstanding 74% (37/50) of the points.
Kyrgios was similarly deadly with his second serve as he collected 85% (17/20) of the points without committing double faults.
However, the 2015 controversial player lost his temper at the start of the second set as he dropped serve, which led to an audible obscenity that was heard by the chair umpire who granted him a code violation.
Yet Kyrgios put things back together and broke back to take the second set and subsequently the match.
A quarterfinalist in the 2015 edition, Kyrgios felt comfortable playing in front of his home crowd.
Kyrgios said, “I played him last year, and it was a tough match, I knew what I was going for today, that I had to play aggressive and serve well.
“I was actually pretty nervous coming out here today.
“I’m glad that I could get the win today, and it was really special to do it in my favorite court in the world.”
Kyrgios will head to the second round and play against world’s #41 Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, who defeated Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a two-hour clash.
Novak Djokovic
Unsurprisingly Djokovic dispatched young 19-year-old Hyeon Chung of South Korea 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in a two-hour match-up.
The defending champion reacted after the game and considered it was a nice start in his search for his 11th Grand Slam Title.
Djokovic said: “A nice opening match with real Australian summer conditions.
“It was pretty warm. But again, it was warm for us both. For this kind of conditions, you have to prepare yourself, expect the warm days like this and accept them.”
The top seed will now face Frenchmen Quentin Halys, who defeated Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in a grueling four-set brawl that endured for three hours and 20 minutes.
Roger Federer
The Swiss breezed into the second round as Nikoloz Basilashvili was no match for the 17 Grand Slam winner who sent off the Georgian in 72 minutes 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
The tournament’s third seed set a new record as he appeared in his 65th consecutive major starting the run back in 2000 at Melbourne Park.
Federer will now face Ukrainian Aleksander Dolgopolov, who defeated Ricardas Berankis in a four-set match up.
Monday 18 results
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] 6 6 6
Hyeon Chung (KOR) 3 2 4
Ivan Dodig (CRO) 4 7(7) 4 5
Q. Halys 6 6(4) 6 7
Filip Krajinovic (SRB) 2 1 retired
Denis Kudla (USA) 6 6
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6 6 (4) 4 6 (10)
Andreas Seppi (ITA) [28] 3 7 (7) 6 7 (12)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) [22] 6(4) 4 1 Retired
Federico Delbonis (ARG) 7(7) 6 2
Jiri Vesely (CZE) 6(8) 6 6 4 4
Renzo Olivo (ARG) 7(10) 2 1 6 6
Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 6 3 6 6
Inigo Cervantes (ESP) 4 6 1 4
Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7(7) 3 2 4
Gilles Simon (FRA) [14] 6(4) 6 6 6
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [9] 6 4 6 6
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 4 6 4 2
Omar Jasika (AUS) 6 3 6 6
Illya Marchenko (UKR) 4 6 0 4
Pablo Andujar (ESP) 7 4 6(5) 2
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 5 6 7(7) 6
Noah Rubin (USA) 7(7) 7(8) 7(7)
Benoit Paire (FRA) [17] 6(4) 6(6) 6(5)
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) [26] 6 6 6
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) 4 4 4
Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) 4 6(1) 6 1
Daniel Brands (GER) 6 7(7) 4 6
Austin Krajicek (USA) 6 6 6
Di Wu (CHN) 4 1 3
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 4 3 3
Kei Nishikori (JPN) [7] 6 6 6
Roger Federer (SUI) [3] 6 6 6
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 2 1 2
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 1 6 4 2
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 6 3 6 6
Jozef Kovalik (SVK) 4 6(1) 5
Marco Trungelliti (ARG) 6 7(7) 7
Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 3 6(8) 3
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [27] 6 7(10) 6
Dominic Thiem (AUT) [19] 6 7(8) 4 7(7)
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 2 6(6) 6 6(0)
Julien Benneteau (FRA) 3 7(7) 3 6(1)
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 6 6(5) 6 7(7)
Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6 6(4) 6 3 1
Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 1 7(7) 4 6 6
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6 3 4 4
David Goffin (BEL) [15] 3 6 6 6
Marin Cilic (CRO) [12] 6(4) 7 6 6
Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 7(7) 5 2 4
Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 6 6 6
Borna Coric (CRO) 2 2 3
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6(5) 4 6 6
Sam Querrey (USA) 7(7) 6 4 2 Retired
Martin Klizan (SVK) 2 3 6 6 2
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) [24] 6 6 4 2 6
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) [29] 6 7 6
Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) 2 5 2
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6(5) 1 4
Pablo Cuevas (URU) 7(7) 6 6
Robin Haase (NED) 6(4) 4 4
Mirza Basic (BIH) 7(7) 6 6
Yuki Bhambri (IND) 5 1 2
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [6] 7 6 6
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