Last year’s men’s singles runner-up Dominic Thiem eased into the second round of the Australian Open by securing a straight-sets win over Mikhail Kukushkin on Monday.
US Open and ATP Finals champion Thiem, beaten at the final hurdle in Melbourne last season as Novak Djokovic won a record-extending eighth title, got off to a perfect start in his bid to go one better at the year’s first Grand Slam this year, requiring two hours and 42 minutes to defeat his Kazakh opponent 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-3.
Kukushkin twice broke the world No. 3’s serve in the first set, the second break giving the world No. 90 a 5-6 lead. But Thiem levelled the frame to force a tiebreak, which he took relatively comfortably. The Austrian was broken again early in the second set in Rod Laver Arena but responded well and never looked back.
Elsewhere in the first round, Alexander Zverev – runner-up to Thiem in New York in September – fought back to overcome Marcos Giron in four sets.
READ MORE: Unique Australian Open begins in Melbourne
Zverev, 23, surrendered the first set to the American 7-6 (8) in a lengthy tiebreak, but the world No. 6 fared better when the second frame went to a breaker, levelling the match. The German then tightened up to see out a 7-6 (8) 6-7 (5) 3-6 2-6 victory without giving up any more breaks of serve.
Meanwhile, 2014 Aussie Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka achieved a straightforward 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory over Portugal’s Pedro Sousa.
Twenty-year-old 20th seed Felix Auger Aliassime eased to a 6-2 6-4 6-2 straight-sets win against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe of Germany.
Fifteenth seed Pablo Carreno Busta defeated 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori 7-5 7-6 (4) 6-2, and eighteenth seed Diego Schwartzman saw off 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-4 6-2 7-6 (5).
Milos Raonic, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2016, was a 6-3 6-3 6-2 winner against Federico Coria of Argentina, while 10th seed Gael Monfils crashed out in five sets, losing to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3 4-6 5-7 6-3 3-6 in 3 hours and 49 minutes.
“I lost, I have zero confidence, I played badly,” Frenchman Monfils told reporters after the match, holding back tears as his losing run continued.
“I cannot serve, I make mistakes … I do not feel right and it shows.
“I know that I have lost a lot and it hurts me. I would like to wake up and tell myself that this nightmare is over, but I don’t know when it will stop.
“I have no confidence, I have no confidence.”
The first round continues on Tuesday.
Other Australian Open first-round results (men’s singles):
B Tomic def. Y Sugita 3-6 6-1 4-1 [W/O]
D Koepfer def. H Dellien 7-5 6-2 6-4
F Tiafoe def. S Travaglia 7-6 (5) 6-2 6-2
A Muller def. J Londero 4-6 6-3 6-0 6-3
J Vesely def. K Coppejans 4-6 6-3 7-6 (3) 3-6 3-6
U Humbert def. Y Uchiyama 6-3 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-3
J Duckworth def. D. Dzumhur 6-3 6-2 6-4
E Gerasimov def. B Paire 6-2 2-6 7-6 (5) 7-5
A Bublik def. A Bedene 6-4 7-5 5-7 6-4
M Kecmanovic def. K Majchrzak 6-2 6-4 6-3
A Karatsev def. G Mager 6-3 6-3 6-4
M Fucsovics def. M Polmans 4-6 6-3 6-1 7-6 (3) 6-3
P Martinez def. Y Nishioka 6-7 (3) 6-1 6-1 6-1
T Fritz def. A Ramos-Vinolas 7-6 (6) 3-6 6-2 7-6 (6)
A Bolt def. N Gombos 6-2 6-2 4-6 6-3
R Opelka def. Y Lu 6-3 7-6 (2) 6-3
C Moutet def. J Millman 6-4 6-7 (4) 3-6 6-2 6-3
A Mannarino def. D Novak 6-2 6-4 7-6 (2)
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