MELBOURNE, Australia — Until Sunday's Australian opener against Dinovac Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena, Dino Prismic had never played in a Grand Slam match.
Born seven months after Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut in 2005, the 18-year-old Croatian qualifier continued to compete as long as he could. He upset the 24-time major champion until Djokovic finished the match 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.
Djokovic has set an unmatched record at the Australian Open, winning 10 titles in an unprecedented career. He later said that although he had been feeling “under the weather” for four or five days, he believed in Primzic's talent.
The first set went almost as expected. From there it was quite a ride.
Prismik took the second set from Djokovic and surprised the capacity crowd with a break in the third before the world No. 1 broke back to take the set.
Trailing 4-0 in the fourth set, Prismik didn't give up, saving a break point before getting a serve break back. Down 5-3, he saved three match points and forced Djokovic to serve out. He then saved two more match points and the match ended with him taking 4 hours and 1 minute.
“He deserved all the applause and praise tonight,” Djokovic said. “A great performance for a player who is 18 years old and has never played on a big stage. Hats off to him.”
The first of three Sundays (an extra day was introduced at Melbourne Park to reduce the number of late-night goals) didn't quite bring the desired results.
Fifth seed Andrei Rublev needed four hours to beat Thiago Sabos Wild 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6). He later admitted he feared his first-round match against Sabos Wilde would end in an upset, as his friend Daniil Medvedev did at last year's French Open.
In the 12th set, Taylor Fritz required a medical timeout in the second set to have his left ankle taped, but recovered to see-saw Facundo Diaz Acosta 4-6, 6-3, 3. -6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat. -Time match.
17th seed Francis Tiafoe defeated Borna Coric 6-3, 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-3 in three and a half hours, while Daniel Elahi Galan defeated Australia's Jason Kubler It took them almost five hours to defeat 2-6. , 6-3, 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(8).
Defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka did not start until 11:41pm local time due to Djokovic's late finish. The second seed wasted no time until the end, beating 18-year-old Ella Seidel 6-0, 6-1 in the 53rd minute on her seventh match point.
The first match against Rod Laver was quickly over, with Italian Davis Cup star Jannik Sinner defeating 59th-ranked Botic van de Zanzschulp in the first round, 2 1/6, 6-4, 7-5, 6- I defeated them in 3 and won. 2 hours. This was his first match since November, when he defeated Djokovic twice to win the Davis Cup.
“It means a lot to me to start with a win,” fourth-seeded Sinner said in a post-match television interview as six fans dressed in carrot costumes cheered from the stands. “Physically, I feel good. I'm fine here. I think I'll be happy today.”
Eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari looked relieved after defeating Japan's Nao Hibino 6-4, 6-1 for her first Grand Slam win since last year's Australian Open.
“In the last three Grand Slams, I lost three in the first round,” she said. “Today was a very difficult match for me mentally. I'm glad I did my job correctly and played well in the second set as well.”
Also, 2021 US Open finalist Leila Fernandez defeated 17-year-old Sara Bezirek 7-6 (5), 6-2, while No. 9 Barbora Krejcikova rallied from a set and a breakdown to beat Hontamamai. Beat 2. -6, 6-4, 6-3.
Two 16-year-old players advanced to the second round. Brenda Hruvirtova beats Anna Bogdan 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to record her first Grand Slam win, while last year's Australian Open junior champion Alina Korneeva beat Sara Defeated Sorribes Tormo 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Another Russian qualifier, Maria Timofeyeva, defeated Alize Cornet, who was playing in a women's record 68 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, 6-2, 6-4.
Timofeeva will next face 2018 champion Caroline Wozniacki. It was Wozniacki's first Australian Open since becoming a mom, and she advanced after No. 20 seed Magda Lynette withdrew after trailing 6-2, 2-0.
Amanda Anisimova continued her return from a career hiatus with a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 13 seed Liudmila Samsonova.
Rublev wasted four match points in the fifth set and fought tough. He then fell behind 5-2 in the match tie-break, but won eight of the next nine points to clinch the championship against a player making his Australian Open debut.
Sabos Wilde upset major winner Medvedev in the first round at Roland Garros last year, but Rublev admitted he felt a similar momentum before relaxing and heading towards penniless.
“Certainly, this match is unforgettable,” said Rublev, who started the year with a title in Hong Kong. “Thiago is a very dangerous player. Super talented. He is very strong and hits very cleanly.”
