The opening day of Grand Slam motion for 2023 contains a host of star names seeking to make an early assertion on the Australian Open. Top 10 stars Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev are all in motion, when a trio of residence favourites are additionally hoping to make their mark on Monday in Melbourne.
ATPTour.com appears to be like at a few of the greatest clashes on the Day 1 schedule.
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[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Jack Draper (GBR)
Defending champion and prime seed Nadal arrives at Melbourne Park in a relative droop by his personal lofty requirements. The Spaniard has misplaced six of his previous seven matches and faces a troublesome proposition first up in Melbourne in fast-rising Briton Jack Draper. Yet Nadal is aware of in addition to anybody the right way to rouse his finest stage at a Grand Slam — the 36-year-old is chasing a record-extending twenty third main title this fortnight in Australia.
“[It is] most likely one of many hardest first rounds attainable, being seeded,” acknowledged Nadal when requested concerning the Draper conflict. “[He is] younger, highly effective, rising very, very quick within the rankings, enjoying effectively… [It is] an enormous problem for me firstly to start out the event. Let’s see. I’m right here to simply give myself an opportunity.”
Draper reached his second ATP Tour semi-final final week on the Adelaide International 2 and the big-hitting lefty is taken into account one of many sport’s brightest prospects. With little to lose in his maiden ATP Head2Headvert assembly towards one of many greats of the game, the 21-year-old is able to relish the event when he steps out onto Rod Laver Arena.
“It’ll be wonderful to play on court docket with him, he’s a fantastic champion,” said Draper of Nadal. “[There are] loads of feelings clearly once I consider enjoying him… Whatever occurs, it’ll be an important day for me, nonetheless very younger in my profession, so it’s nice to have these type of experiences and publicity to enjoying somebody like Rafa on an enormous court docket like that.”
[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Quentin Halys (FRA)
There is a little bit additional on the road for World No. 4 Tsitsipas as he bids for his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Should he carry the trophy, the 24-year-old may also rise to No. 1 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the primary time.
If that’s to occur, although, Tsitsipas should begin by defeating Quentin Halys for the primary time in three makes an attempt. Although they’ve by no means confronted off in a tour-level match, Halys defeated the Greek in an ITF Futures match in 2014 and an ATP Challenger Tour match in 2018. The 26-year-old Frenchman Halys has different causes to really feel assured — he presently sits at a career-high No. 64 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and pushed Novak Djokovic to 2 tie-breaks in Adelaide two weeks in the past, with the Serbian later saying Halys was enjoying ‘like a Top 10 opponent’.
Nonetheless, Tsitsipas will hope that the help of Melbourne’s appreciable Greek group can spur him to a different sturdy efficiency at an occasion the place he reached the semi-finals in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
[6] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs. Vasek Pospisil (CAN)
A fifth tour-level assembly between Auger-Aliassime and his fellow Canadian Pospisil guarantees loads of large serving and forehand motion on Kia Arena. The sixth-seeded Auger-Aliassime leads his countryman 3-1 within the pair’s ATP Head2Headvert collection, however the 32-year-old Pospisil triumphed in straight units of their most up-to-date assembly, in 2020 in Vienna.
Auger-Aliassime reached the quarter-finals for the primary time in Melbourne a yr in the past earlier than falling to Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller. That run kick-started a stellar season for the 22-year-old wherein he received his first 4 ATP Tour titles and certified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the primary time. Can he deliver his finest to the large stage once more towards Pospisil on Monday?
[7] Daniil Medvedev vs. Marcos Giron (USA)
Medvedev will hope his conflict with World No. 56 Giron is simply the beginning of one other sturdy run at Melbourne Park. The 26-year-old reached the championship match in 2021 and 2022, and regardless of falling simply in need of the title with defeats to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, respectively, Medvedev’s mixture of huge serving and excellent defence is greater than able to powering one other deep run.
The seventh seed received his solely earlier tour-level conflict with Giron on the Western & Southern Open in 2020. The American is making his fourth consecutive Australian Open major draw look, however he’s but to achieve the second spherical. He has posted some spectacular outcomes on Tour since final yr’s go to to Melbourne, nonetheless, together with reaching his first ultimate in San Diego, and he arrives in Australia off the again of a quarter-final run in Auckland.
Also In Action…
A trio of residence wild playing cards will search to channel the help of the locals of their first-round matches on Monday. Jason Kubler was unbeaten for Team Australia on the current United Cup, the place he downed Daniel Evans and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and the World No. 86 will look to construct on that kind towards Sebastian Baez. John Millman takes on big-serving lefty Marc-Andrea Huesler, whereas Rinky Hijikata performs qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.
Fresh from guiding Team Poland on a run to the United Cup semi-finals alongside WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, tenth seed Hubert Hurkacz begins his Australian Open marketing campaign towards Spaniard Pedro Martinez. The Pole has by no means been previous the second spherical in Melbourne, whereas eleventh seed Cameron Norrie’s finest earlier run was a third-round exhibiting in 2021. The Briton additionally takes to court docket on Monday towards #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche.
One man who has loads of expertise of going deep into the Melbourne draw is 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka. He takes on Alex Molcan in his first Australian Open match since 2021 after lacking final yr on account of harm. The 2018 semi-finalist Kyle Edmund additionally makes his Melbourne Park comeback. The Briton final competed on the hard-court Slam in 2020, and he faces a frightening opening check in fifteenth seed and 2022 quarter-finalist Jannik Sinner.
Other seeded gamers in motion Monday embody Frances Tiafoe, who takes on Daniel Altmaier, Lorenzo Musetti, who meets Lloyd Harris, and Sebastian Korda, who begins towards Cristian Garin.