MELBOURNE, Australia
Serena Williams claims to suffer from jitters and nerves before her first-round matches at the Grand Slams.
She certainly didn’t show it, winning her first set in 21 minutes Tuesday night on the way to a 6-0, 6-4 win over Alison Van Uytvanck at the Australian Open.
The 18-time major winner only once has lost in the opening round at a Grand Slam tournament, and this is her 58th. One more Grand Slam title and she’ll pass Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list of champions.
“If I could get to 19 in Australia, that would be amazing,” said the top-ranked Williams, who won the last of her five Australian titles in 2010.
Four-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic returned to Rod Laver Arena for the first time as a husband and father, shrugging off the effects of a cold to beat No. 116-ranked Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in his first-round match.
Djokovic won the first of his seven major titles at the 2008 Australian Open, then won in three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013. His 25-match winning streak at Melbourne Park ended in a quarterfinal loss last year to Stan Wawrinka, who went on to win the title.
Wawrinka began the defense of a major crown for the first time with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 100-ranked Marsel Ilhan, taking less than 1½ hours to breeze through the first round.
“It’s great, bringing me a lot of memories from last year,” Wawrinka said of his return. “It was great to come back here feeling happy, happy with my game.”
Top-ranked Djokovic had the subsequent match on center court and appeared to be tired and still recovering from illness after his match, saying he’d had a “rough two weeks health-wise, but I’m getting up there.”
His mood changed suddenly when a court-side interview turned to reflections of 2014, when he won Wimbledon for the second time, married his long-time partner, Jelena, and the couple had a son, Stefan.
“Well those two events are the two most beautiful events I experienced in my life,” he said. “Stefan, he’s a blessing we received ... now I have even more motivation.”
Two other men widely considered to be in the next generation of major winners advanced in straight sets, with No. 5 Kei Nishikori beating Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 and No. 8 Milos Raonic firing 30 aces in a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win against qualifier Illya Marchenko.
Nishikori is playing at his first major since his run to the U.S. Open, when he became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final. He’s determined to go one better and win a major.
“Yeah for sure that was one of my best results in my career that gave me a lot of confidence,” the Japanese star said. “I beat a lot of top-10 players.”
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska needed only 63 minutes for their straight-sets wins over Richel Hogenkamp and Kurumi Nara, and No. 18 Venus Williams beat Maria Teresa Torro 6-2, 6-2.
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka continued her comeback from a foot injury with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Sloane Stephens – her third in three years at the Australian Open – and will next have to play U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki, who beat 18-year-old American Taylor Townsend 7-6 (1), 6-2.
