Australian Open Men’s Day 2

Jannik Sinner got bogged down in a pair of tiebreak sets before sprinting away in the third to begin his Australian Open title defence 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-1 over Nicolas Jarry on Monday.

The Italian world No. 1 needed two and three-quarter hours to prevail over the Chilean he defeated in Beijing last September.

The top seed absorbed 13 aces among 40 winners from the South American, with Sinner producing 24 of his own.

He finished on the first of three match points, with Jarry sending a return wide to end it.

“Today was a close one,” the winner said. “The first two sets could have gone either way.

“In the end I got some room to breathe after I broke him. I”m happy with how I handled the tough situations.  

“I like the hardcourt here, every day is different, I’m just glad to be around for the next round.

“This is the first official event of the year for me and I’m very, very happy.”

Sinner began the season by extending his 15-match win streak with his last loss coming to Carlos Alcaraz at Beijing.

“I like hard courts, I like these conditions – especially when it’s not that hot like today,” the winner said.

“I’m so happy how I’m trying to keep going (the streak) as much as
I can.”

He next faces an outsider in Aussie wildcard Tristan Schoolkate, who defeated Taro Daniel 6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-4. 

2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas who lost the final  here two years ago to Novak Djokovic, was bundled out as his current slump deepens.

It was the second straight major where the 26-year-old Greek lost in the opening stage after suffering the same fate at the US Open in August.

The 11th seed lost 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to unseeded American Alex Michelsen and lamented his continuing lack of form.

“I knew I was dealing with a pretty serious opponent (who defeated him before). I knew that things don’t suddenly change. 

“I knew I had to be on top of my game to try and win, but I had a very slow start.

“It wasn’t really the way I’m expecting it to work – that led to some frustration and insecurity.

“I didn’t have enough power in my shot today, so I ended up playing a bit more

and kind of having to work twice or three times more every single point to try to win it.”

Michelsen, ranked 41st, handed Tsitsipas his earliest loss here since 2018.

The American was joined in the second round by countryman Frances Tiafoe, a 7-6 (2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-3 winner over Arthur Rinderknech, a victory which took more than four hours during which the winner had to vomit on court.

James Duckworth clocked the first victory of the week for Aussie men with his 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline over Swiss Dominic Stricker. Fellow countryman James McCabe, a wild card, defeated Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

Main photo:- Jannik sinner winning first round match by ATPTour.com