Oh yes, it might just be the first round of the Australian Open played so far, but some nerve-wracking action has entertained us. About thirty-two games were played on the first day of the opening round, featuring top seeds Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek in action. Here we will look at the key games that took place on the first day and briefly recap how the action went down. This is to give our users adequate information about the tournament and help them in making decisions regarding future bets as the tournament progresses. 

Men’s Singles

The Men’s singles matchups in round one, day one, had some exciting games, but here we have picked out the ones that stood out. This involves Rafael Nadal surviving an early scare from the 21-year-old Jack Draper and Daniil Medvedev’s statement win over Marcos Giron.

Rafael Nadal Was Sweated In First Round

The tournament’s reigning champion didn’t have it easy at all, and it came as a surprise how he had to struggle for a win in the early stage of the tournament. Nadal, who was up against British tennis player Jack Draper, had to finally go through four sets to move to the second round. 

• Although Nadal was in sync to open the match, Draper was close behind and lost the set due to some questionable shot selection. Nadal won the first set. 

• But as the match went on, the Spaniard experienced several nervous moments, making quite a number of unforced errors, which caused him to lose to Draper in the second set. 

• A crucial moment in this match was when Draper appeared to get cramping shortly after tying the match by winning the second set. Draper probably had the most prolonged and strenuous match of his life, which is why he was cramping. The third set was won by Nadal, with Draper suffering from cramping.

• In the fourth set, Nadal dominated and prevailed 6-1. The reigning champion won the match 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, and 6-1.

Daniil Medvedev Shines

Daniil Medvedev was all business to open the tournament. He undoubtedly had the best performance of the day.

• In this game, the Russian superstar was all business. Daniil Medvedev, who was up against Marcos Giron in the first round, did not show any mercy to his opponent. From the match’s first game to the very last, the Russian never allowed his opponent to mount a comeback.

• The encounter saw Medvedev drop just three games, the fewest games he has ever dropped in a Grand Slam match in his career. He triumphed 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the second round. 

Tsitsipas Continues To Impress

Stefanos Tsitsipas was up against Quentin Halys in the first round of the Australian Open. 

• For the duration of the set, both players were able to maintain their service games. In the end, Tsitsipas won the set (6-3).

• Like the first set, this one was also evenly contested, with neither player giving anything up on serving. Stefanos eventually prevailed in the set (6-4).

• Tsitsipas broke Quentin Halys in the first game of the third set, and then he immediately took off. Despite this, Tsitsipas still needed to win the set because the French player could break back in the fourth and sixth games. Tsitsipas kept his composure to win the tiebreak at six and the set. Tsitsipas won the game 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

Women’s Singles

The Women’s singles matchup in round one of the 2023 Australian Open saw WTA World number one Iga Swiatek ease past Jule Niemeier while Jessica Pegula beat Jaqueline Cristian as she continues her hunt for a first Grand Slam Title.

Iga Swiatek Continues Her Dominance

• The Australian Open got off to a winning start for WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek as she defeated Germany’s Jule Niemeier 6-4, 7-5. Niemeier had a few break opportunities in the eighth game of the closely contested first set. To win the set 6-4, Swiatek broke her opponent in the deciding game after saving them earlier.

• In the first game of the second set, Niemeier broke the world No. 1 with a solid start. At 5-4, the German was serving for the set when Swiatek broke her back and won the next two games straight to win the match and go to the Australian Open’s second round.

Jessica Pegula On A Mission

• In the first round of the Australian Open on Monday, Jessica Pegula defeated Jaqueline Cristian 6-0, 6-1 to start her quest for a first Grand Slam singles victory.

• The third-seeded Pegula, who had advanced to the quarterfinals in Melbourne the previous two years, defeated the 161st-ranked Romanian player, who was competing in her third Grand Slam match, in just 59 minutes. 

Australian Open Latest News

Nick Kyrgios, a fan favorite at home, withdrew from the competition due to a knee injury. The 27-year-old, who lost in the lucky loser bracket to Denis Kudla on Tuesday, was supposed to play Roman Safiullin in the opening round. 

Borna Coric, Amanda Anisimova, Marie Bouzkova, and Lorenzo Musetti were the only seeded players to lose on Day 1 of the Australian Open, falling to Jiri Lehecka, Marta Kostyuk, Bianca Andreescu, and Lloyd Harris, respectively.

Follow Half A Goal for more tennis tournament recap, news, and previews.

Tennis is back for the new year, and the Australian Open will kick off the tennis calendar year in 2023. This marks the end of the off-season for seeded players and the return of some exciting action for the viewers at home and those present on the courts. The draw for the singles competition at the 2023 Australian Open has been established, and tennis fans worldwide will be treated to two weeks of tennis extravaganza at Melbourne Park. 

Players Seedings

Due to the withdrawal of world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, defending champion, Rafael Nadal will be the top seed on the men’s side of the draw, followed by Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Novak Djokovic. Here is how the 32 players are seeded for the 2023 Men’s Singles Australian Open tournament.

1. Rafael Nadal 2. Casper Ruud 3. Stefanos Tsitsipas 4. Novak Djokovic 5. Andrey Rublev 6. Felix Auger-Aliassime 7. Daniil Medvedev 8. Taylor Fritz 9. Holger Rune 10. Hubert Hurkacz

11. Cameron Norrie 12. Alexander Zverev 13. Matteo Berrettini 14. Pablo Carreno Busta 15. Jannik Sinner 16. Frances Tiafoe 17. Lorenzo Musetti 18. Karen Khachanov 19. Nick Kyrgios 20. Denis Shapovalov 

21. Borna Corc 22. Alex de Minaur 23. Diego Schwartzman 24. Roberto Bautista Agut 25. Dan Evans 26. Miomir Kecmanovic 27. Grigor Dimitrov 28. Francisco Cerundolo 29. Sebastian Korda 30. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 

31. Yoshihito Nishioka 32. Botic van de Zandschulp

Women’s Singles Draw

1. Iga Swiatek 2. Ons Jabeur 3. Jessica Pegula 4. Caroline Garcia 5. Aryna Sabalenka 6. Maria Sakkari 7. Coco Gauff 8. Daria Kasatkina 9. Veronika Kudermetova 10. Madison Keys 

11. Paula Badosa 12. Belinda Bencic 13. Danielle Collins 14. Beatriz Haddad Maia 15. Petra Kvitova 16. Anett Kontaveit 17. Jelena Ostapenko 18. Liudmila Samsonova 19. Ekaterina Alexandrova 20. Barbora Krejcikova 

21. Martina Trevisan 22. Elena Rybakina 23. Zhang Shuai 24. Victoria Azarenka 25. Maria Bouzkova 26. Elise Mertens 27. Irina-Camelia Begu 28. Amanda Anisimova 29. Zheng Qinwen 30. Karolina Pliskova 

31. Kaia Kanepi 32. Jil Teichmann

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2023 Australian Open Draw Format

The Australian Open has a singles draw of 128 players. Each draw will have 32 seeds, and they will be drawn so that none of them will meet each other until at least the third round.

The top eight seeds cannot face until the quarter-finals, the top four until the semi-finals, and the top two until the final. Rankings, as with the other four majors, decide seedings.

Title Holders

• For the men’s singles competition, Rafael Nadal is the defending champion. He defeated Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open Finals to win his 21st major singles title, breaking the mark held by legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
• Ashleigh Barty won the Grand Slam for Australia in the women’s singles category, becoming the first Australian woman to do it since 1978. She overcame American Danielle Collins, who reached the 2019 semifinals. Two months after winning the Australian Open, Barty announced her retirement from tennis in March 2022.

Tournament Favorites

• Undoubtedly, the top men’s tennis players have been extremely consistent. Djokovic, Nadal, and Medvedev have all been showing up week after week. The field has opened up with the advent of talents such as Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud. However, based on 2022 performances and momentum carried into the new year, Djokovic is unquestionably the man to beat this year. The Serbian comes into the Slam with a tournament victory in Adelaide. He is also more eager than ever to play in Australia after missing the Australian Open last year, and he yearns to tie Nadal and Federer for the most Grand Slam victories.
• The women’s team has been less consistent than the men’s, with numerous players having a chance to win the title. The women looking the best in the Australian Open warm-up tournaments are Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff. Despite this, Iga Swiatek is still expected to win the Australian Open and complete her third Grand Slam, as the Pole is strong on the big stage.

Tournament Underdogs

• When it comes to the younger lads on tour, Jannik Sinner is one of the most promising. He is already one of the finest players in the world at the age of 21. He is now ranked 16th in the world, but he has a huge game, especially when he is in the zone. Sinner, as an underdog, could be worth betting on to win the tournament.
• The seventh-seeded Coco Gauff, who finished second to Swiatek at the French Open last year, is aiming to make it to her maiden Australian Open quarterfinal. Gauff might compete against Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, in the second round and Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Gauff is predicted to be the tournament’s dark horse, although she may be inexperienced. 

The Australian open is full of surprises and exciting performances. To keep tabs on the live action, previews and predictions of the upcoming games in the 2023 Australian Open, keep following Half A Goal. 

How Tennis Rankings Are Calculated?

The ATP, or Association of Tennis Professionals, is the sports organization that is responsible for determining the tennis world rankings. These rankings are determined by awarding points to players based on how well they perform at specific tournaments. In a sanctioned event, a player will be granted a more significant number of points according to how far they have progressed in the competition.

The most points are available at grand slams, with the champion receiving 2,000 and the runner-up receiving 1,200, respectively. The points garnered at each tournament are carried over into the following year, and the standings are refreshed weekly. When no matches occur, the ATP and WTA rankings are updated every Monday. You can, therefore, anticipate weekly updates, except for the periods during which Grand Slam tournaments are being played.

Djokovic vs. Nadal

Djokovic holds a 30-29 advantage over Nadal, 15-13 in total Finals, 3-3 in Masters Finals, and 5-4 in Grand Slam Finals. Nadal has earned 13 titles and only lost three matches since 2005, but Novak has beaten him in all four Grand Slams, including Roland Garros. Nadal has an 8-2 edge against Djokovic at the French Open, but only two guys have defeated him at the Stade de France. Federer lost to Nadal in all six French Open meetings, including four finals and two semifinals.

The fact that Nadal holds a 20-8 advantage in this rivalry on clay is the most intriguing aspect of it. Djokovic’s eight clay-court defeats are greater than those of Federer, Murray, Wawrinka, and virtually everyone else combined.

These two players use similar baseline counterpunching techniques. As a result, people have witnessed some of the greatest tennis matches ever. Their nearly six-hour Australian Open final in 2012 was the most physically demanding match ever. It easily ranks in the top two or three most significant battles. In every game, there is fierce competition.

Djokovic vs. Federer

Djokovic has a 27-23 overall record, a 14-6 Finals record, a 5-3 Masters Finals record, and a 4-1 Grand Slam record. To this day, Federer’s solitary Grand Slam title triumph came against Djokovic in the 2007 US Open Final. Djokovic has a better history in Grand Slam competition, 11-6.

In addition, Djokovic has never lost a Wimbledon final despite facing Federer three times. This is a huge deal, given that Federer is universally hailed as the best player on grass. However, that victory came in the Wimbledon semifinals against Djokovic in 2012.

At the beginning of their competition, when Djokovic was still relatively unknown and young, Federer dominated. Over the past decade, Djokovic has been unbeatable. He’s ahead in the match scoreboard, and, more significantly, he’s won the championship.

Although they’ve played many close matches together, the 2019 Wimbledon final was the best of the bunch. Finally, Djokovic triumphed over Federer, as he usually does in the most critical games between the two.

Federer vs. Nadal

Nadal has a 24-16 overall advantage, including a 14-10 edge in finals, a 7-5 advantage in masters tournament championship matches, and a 6-3 advantage in major championship matches. Rafa won the Australian Open, the French Open, and the Wimbledon Championships against Federer.

Federer has won their head-to-head encounters at Australia and Wimbledon twice, but he is 0-6 against him at the French Open and only 2-7 in clay Finals and 2-14 on clay in his career. Roger has won 6 of the last seven matchups between the two to close the gap slightly, but he has never beaten Rafa on clay and has never even taken him to 5 sets at Roland Garros, which is a significant disadvantage.

It’s no surprise that the 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon finals went the distance, as these two played incredible matches. The 2008 match is often regarded as the best match of all time, but the 2019 final surpassed it. Also fantastic were their Australian Open final performances in 2009 and 2017. Furthermore, they have produced some exciting Masters matchups. The Rome final in 2006 was incredible, but Nadal prevailed on clay as he usually does.

Currently, Nadal Is The Best Player

Roger Federer has been highly consistent throughout 20 years, winning 20 grand slam titles. However, his case is severely hampered because he has never won a clay-court match against Rafael Nadal. After six attempts, Federer still hasn’t beaten Nadal or even seriously challenged him at Roland Garros. In particular, Nadal defeated Federer at Wimbledon and forced the last set to five games. In significant finals, he has a record of 1–4, including a 0–3 loss at Wimbledon against Djokovic.

No one has ever been better at playing on clay than Rafael Nadal. His success on the clay court may be unparalleled in sports history. Sixty-four of his 92 wins were on clay courts. Fourteen of his 22 Grand Slam titles are French Open victories.

The rest of his game, which is also fantastic, gets lost in the glare of his incredible clay court skills. However, he does not have the best all-court record among the three guys, and he has never beaten Djokovic in a tennis match. Despite winning gold at the Olympics, Nadal has never won the World Tour Finals.

Novak Djokovic was patient and smart enough to wait out the early stages of his career when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated him. At his best, he was unmatched by any player in history. The essential thing is that he has been successful in the finals against his strongest competitors.

A combined 30-20 in finals against Federer and Nadal favors him. And he’s 2-0 versus them in head-to-head competition. He has won the Wimbledon championship match three times and defeated Rafael Nadal twice in Roland Garros. He shares Nadal’s achievement of winning the career grand slam on two occasions.

It’s also worth noting that in 2020, when he would have been the reigning champion at Wimbledon, Covid prevented him from ever competing there. Not to remember the shameful vaccine debacle at the 2022 Australian Open, where he was held in custody and prevented from defending his three straight wins.

Ultimately, Nadal won the championship without ever playing Djokovic. Furthermore, in 2020 he missed the US Open because of a foolish default. He would have won at least a couple of them and stopped Nadal from becoming the 21st player to win in Australia.

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Last Results Of The Best Tennis Players 

The third and fourth quarter of the 2022 season was marked by many tennis tournaments like the 2022 ATP Tour, Wimbledon Open, ATP Masters 100, the most significant ATP Tour Final, and more. How was it turned out for the mentioned best players in men’s tennis? 

Novak Djokovic gained his fourth consecutive title at the grass-court major. On the way to his victory, Novak won all five matches: three fights in the group, the semi-final, and the final. In the tour’s final, Djokovic met Casper Ruud, and their game lasted an hour and a half, in which Novak took two sets with the score of 7-5 6-3 and claimed his 6th ATP Finals title.

The GOAT of the tennis world, Swiss ace Roger Federer, announced his retirement this year. The last game of his inspiring career ended in London in a doubles’ tennis match with his partner Rafael Nadal. Unfortunately, they were defeated by Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in the Laver Cup.

As for Nadal, he came back to the US Open after a hiatus for three years and had his first hard-court match since Cincinnati. He won the game with Rinky Hijikata in the first round, Fabio Fognini in the second round, and Richard Gasquet in the third round. But, when it came to the fourth, Nadal was defeated by Frances Tiafoe, ending his bid for a 3rd major in 2022. He also lost to Tommy Paul in the Paris Masters and failed the qualification to the semifinals against Casper Ruud. Unfortunately, that was quite a rough season for Nadal.

Over the decades, many great players have delighted us with their incredible shots and play. These players set higher tennis standards, and it will be hard to beat them by their descendants.