Melbourne, Jan 16:
Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray have bowed out of Australian Open after losing their first round matches here on Monday.
Wawrinka lost to 20th seed Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 in a physical five-set battle, while Murray gave in to 30 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
The 38-year-old Wawrinka led two sets to one, but the last year’s ankle injury cost him at the business end of the match, where his rival won 12 of the final 15 games of the match.
The injury forced Wawrinka’s retirement against Luca Van Assche in Metz, an ailment that prevented him from doing a full-throttle preparations for the Australian Open. Obviously, the former World No.3 left the arena with a sad look on his face.
Currently No. 56 in the Pepperstone Rankings, Wawrinka has won 568 career matches according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Murray, a five-time Australian Open finalist, also failed to make it through the first round as he was making his 16th appearance at Melbourne Park. He reached the final here in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Etcheverrry will next face 37-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils, who advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over German Yannick Hanfmann. The two-time Australian Open quarterfinalist clubbed 43 winners, including 16 aces
Caroline Garcia sketched a disciplined performance to rattle Naomi Osaka’s return to the Grand Slam stage at the Australian Open on Monday night.
Garcia produced too much work throughout the 6-4 7-6 (7-2) victory for the former four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka, who became a mother six months ago.
The 16th seed broke Osaka once in the first set and then wrapped it up in a tiebreaker as she stormed into the second round of the Grand Slam in just under an hour and a half.
The serving of the 30-year-old French woman provided the ammo for clinching the match. She struck 34 winners including 13 aces, and dropped just four points behind her first delivery all night.
Even though the night ended in defeat, there were plenty of signs it wouldn’t be too long before she was back to her best at the majors.
Garcia, who also won the WTA Finals title at the end of 2022, has never made her way beyond the fourth round in Melbourne. If she builds on today’s performance with confidence, she will be a tough nut to crack.
