MELBOURNE: Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka kicked off their Australian Open title campaign with straight-sets victories, but there was no fairy tale for 45-year-old Venus Williams on Sunday.
On a hot day in Melbourne in which a baller fainted, last year’s beaten men’s finalist, Alexander Zverev, lost a set before advancing to the second round.
World number one Alcaraz joined him, the Spaniard beating local No. 81 Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 on the Rod Laver Arena.
Alcaraz, who is desperate to win the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors, will next face Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
“I think this kind of level and the difficulties in the first round are pretty good for me,” said Alcaraz, who was pushed all the way in the second set.
“But overall I’m just happy. I’m happy with the level I played today,” added Alcaraz, who was playing his first competitive match in nine weeks.
“I just stayed at home,” the 22-year-old said of his long break.
“I used to train all morning (and) I took almost every afternoon off to do what I wanted: stay with family or friends, play board games and relax at home. It’s a better way to recharge, to stay at home with the people you love.”
Alcaraz has won the US Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros, but Melbourne is the only Grand Slam missing from his impressive record.
The furthest he has gone at the year’s opening major is the quarter-finals and he has made it clear that dethroning rival Jannik Sinner as champion is his main goal for 2026.
If successful, the 22-year-old would surpass compatriot Rafael Nadal to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
Earlier, in scorching conditions approaching 30 degrees Celsius, Zverev threatened to implode by losing the first set to Canadian Gabriel Diallo.
But the 28-year-old German recovered to win 6-7(1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and will then meet the Australian Alexei Popyrin or the French Alexandre Muller.
Asked how he recovered from his first set wobble, the third seed replied: “I thought it couldn’t be worse than that.”
British qualifier Arthur Fery scored the first big upset by beating 20th-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1.
Novak Djokovic, who is aiming for a record 25th major title, begins his quest for the title on Monday, as does three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev.
Organizers said a record 100,000 people had passed through the gates, although there were complaints about long queues due to the heat.
Highlighting how fierce the situation was on the field, a baller collapsed during the match between Zeynep Sonmez and Ekaterina Alexandrova, with both players rushing to help her.
But the heat did not bother the world number 1 as Sabalenka began her quest for a third Australian Open title in four years.
The Belarusian had an uneven start before succeeding in the second set.
Sabalenka, stunned by Madison Keys in the 2025 final, ultimately had too much power, guile and quality for French wildcard Tiansoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
But the top seed took time to find her touch, committing a series of unforced errors before taming the feisty 20-year-old 6-4, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
“It’s the first match, right? You’re still trying to figure out where you are,” the women’s top seed said. “I didn’t know much about her. I just had trouble finding the rhythm of her shots. I’m happy that I was able to do that and that I was able to get this victory in straight sets.”
Sabalenka said she felt extra pressure with tennis legends Roger Federer and Rod Laver on court.
“I hope you enjoyed watching me play, I hope you enjoyed it even just a little bit,” she said during her on-court interview, addressing the duo.
Sabalenka will next face Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan.
Title rivals Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff play on Monday.
Seventh-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini also managed to advance by outclassing Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2.
Elina Svitolina, the 12th seed from Ukraine, beat Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-4, 6-1.
But the Ukrainians Dayana Yastremska and Marta Kostyuk, top seeds, were eliminated very early, as was the great American Williams.
The seven-time major champion was the oldest woman to play in Australian Open history.
She showed glimpses of what once made her the world number one, but ultimately fell after an epic battle with an opponent more than 20 years her junior.
Serbian Olga Danilovic outlasted the veteran 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in a grueling 2 hours 17 minutes.
“It was such a great match, such a great time. The energy from the crowd was unbelievable. It pumped me up so much,” Williams said.
Meanwhile, with tight security at the tournament following the mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach last month, fans’ patience was tested as they queued in long queues snaking up to the gates of Melbourne Park in the scorching sun.
Organizers had an unpleasant surprise when they halted sales of popular “ground pass” tickets less than an hour after the first shot, citing intense demand.
The move disappointed hundreds of fans who queued for long periods hoping to buy the cheapest walk-up tickets to access minor courts.
“We tried to buy a land pass and they just told us they were just tickets that cost A$229 ($153) per person,” said Melbourne resident Susan Walsh. Reuters. “I didn’t want to spend that much money… so, a little disappointed.”
Published in Dawn, January 19, 2026
