Champion Jannik Sinner into Australian Open second round after Hugo Gaston retires

Jannik Sinner’s quest for a third successive ​Australian Open title began in ominous fashion on Tuesday as he dominated two sets before France’s Hugo Gaston abruptly retired in ‍a letdown for the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

In his first official match since beating Carlos Alcaraz for the ATP Finals crown ‍over two months ago, the Italian world number two stormed to a 6-2 6-1 lead in just over an hour, racking up 19 winners on the court he has ruled for two years.

Gaston took tablets after the first set, showing something was ‌amiss, but there was a rumble of surprise in the terraces when he crossed to Sinner’s side after the second set ⁠to offer a handshake and apologies.

After consoling the Frenchman as he sobbed under a towel on ‌his ​chair, ‍Sinner said he could see Gaston was not at his best but was very happy with his own game.

“I’ve put in many, many long days in the off-season trying to become a better tennis player,” he told reporters.

“But at the end ⁠of the day the most important part is to go on court and to enjoy, no? It’s ⁠very special to start the season in ⁠a night-session match here in a Grand Slam, the packed stadium, just trying to do your best.”

Sinner may have hoped for a bit more match practice after ‍his long off-season but barring his first service game, he barely looked like he needed it.

After finding himself 0-40 down, Sinner fired three aces in the next four points to cancel the early threat.

After breaking Gaston in the sixth game, he never looked back.

Though favourite to claim the title and his fifth Grand Slam crown overall, Sinner was beaten by arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz in the last major final at the US Open, and left Flushing Meadows determined ‌to add variation to his ‌game.

There was some evidence of that as Sinner carved up Gaston with a slew of angled drop shots.

He said he had also been working hard to improve his serve, ‌slowing his action and adjusting his ball toss, but it was still a work in progress.

“At times I still lose it. ⁠It’s not a shot I feel very safe with. But at the same time we are working on that,” he added.

Sinner will next face Australian James Duckworth for a place in the third round.

Gael Monfils bowed ​out of his 20th and final Australian Open with a mix of pain ‍and regret as he fell to an injury-hampered 6-7(3) 7-5 6-4 7-5 defeat in the first ‍round to local qualifier Dane Sweeny.

The 39-year-old Frenchman had flashes of his trademark flamboyance and somehow made a game of it despite being severely restricted in his movement amid ‌a heady atmosphere at Kia Arena.

“My journey started in 2003 with you guys, now we ⁠are in 2026 and somehow it’s the finish line. Thank you ‌so ​much ‍for this amazing ride, you guys have been unbelievable,” Monfils told the cheering fans who gave him a standing ovation.

“I’ve got a lot of great memories here ... I’ve been ⁠very lucky to play here for many years. Thank you very much.”

Madison Keys began her Australian Open title defence with a nervy 7-6(6) 6-1 ‍victory over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova. A year on from her triumph on the blue courts Down Under, Keys was in all kinds of trouble early on at ‌Rod Laver Arena in her opener against Oliynykova, who was appearing at a Grand Slam for the first time.

A double break down thanks to some untimely double faults, Keys ⁠trailed 4-0 before fighting back, drawing level at 4-4, but the American was dragged into a tiebreak where the unorthodox ‌Oliynykova ​caused ‍chaos with her deep, looping shots.

Oliynykova brought up two set points but Keys erased the deficit with some trademark big-hitting to eventually snatch a tense tiebreak, punctuating her escape with a roar.

The second set was much more routine as Keys closed out the victory to set up a second-round match against compatriot Ashlyn Krueger.

“It was ⁠incredible to walk out for the first time since walking off of the court a year ago,” a relieved Keys said. “Obviously I was ⁠very nervous at the start but I’m just so ⁠happy to be back and playing here."

Wildcard Taylah Preston gave home fans something to cheer by beating China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3 2-6 6-3 for her first Grand Slam match win but Maya Joint was unable to join her in the second ‌round, Australia’s number one losing 6-4 ‌6-4 to Tereza Valentova.

Former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez also exited after the 22nd seed lost 6-2 7-6(1) to Janice Tjen, who became the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years.

Click here to read article