MELBOURNE: Double defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday in just over an hour of tennis after his French opponent Hugo Gaston retired upon losing the first two sets 6-2 6-1.
In his first official match since beating Carlos Alcaraz for the ATP Finals crown, the Italian world number two was in ominous form on the Rod Laver Arena court he has ruled for two years before the match was cut short.
After losing the second set, Gaston gestured he could no longer continue and retired to his seat to cry under a towel.
Sinner said he was surprised by the retirement but could see Gaston was not at his best.
Sinner will continue his bid for a third successive Australian Open crown against James Duckworth who beat Dino Prizmic 7-6(4), 3-6, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
American eighth seed Ben Shelton relied on his power and tiebreak prowess to beat Ugo Humbert 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) in an engrossing battle of left-handers.
Shelton, who lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in last year's semi-finals, blasted through the first set but the Frenchman fought back in the second and third sets to force tiebreaks.
Madison Keys began her Australian Open title defence with a nervy 7-6(6), 6-1 victory over Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova.
Wildcard Taylah Preston gave home fans something to cheer by beating China's Zhang Shuai 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 for her first Grand Slam match win but Maya Joint was unable to join her in the second round, Australia's number one losing 6-4 6-4 to Tereza Valentova.
Former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez also exited after the 22nd seed lost 6-2, 7-6(1) to Janice Tjen, who became the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years.
Lorenzo Musetti advanced after Raphael Collignon retired while trailing 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-2, the fifth seed's win setting up an all-Italian match-up with Lorenzo Sonego.
Luciano Darderi beat Cristian Garin 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(3) but did not stick around long to celebrate, the Italian 22nd seed sprinting to the toilet after shaking his opponent's hand.
Gael Monfils went down to local qualifier Dane Sweeny 7-6(3), 5-7, 4-6, 5-7 in what was the 39-year-old Frenchman’s final appearance at the Australian Open.
World no. 5 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the second round after his Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon retired due to injury.
The match was a gruelling three-hour marathon, with Musetti leading 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-2 when Collignon had to stop.
The match marked Musetti’s Grand Slam debut, shortly after he attained his career-high ranking of No. 5 on January 12, 2026, following his final appearance in Hong Kong. He is only the third Italian man in history to reach this ranking milestone.
Musetti now advances to face Italian rival Lorenzo Sonego in the second round.
Sonego, who beat Musetti at the Paris Masters in late 2025, won his latest match in four sets earlier in the day.
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, seeded No. 5, defeated Slovenian Kaja Juvan 6-4, 6-3, to advance to the second round.
Rybakina matched the performance of other Top 10 players who have played so far at this year’s Australian Open, moving on to the second round. She is set to play against France’s Varvara Gracheva next.
Kaja Juva, ranked No. 100 in the world, fought valiantly, but Rybakina was too strong, winning 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 12 minutes at Margaret Court Arena. Agencies
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