Venus Williams and Janko Tipsarevic were impressive on Day 1 (Photos from AO.com)
Key Story
It was a forgettable first day for the home town population in Melbourne, as only one Australian won on the opening day of the Australian Open's main singles draw. Thankfully for Sam Stosur's mental state, she was that sole Aussie individual.
Most thought Lleyton Hewitt could use his impressive performance at the Kooyang exhibition to upset Janko Tipsarevic, but that was certainly not the case at all. The #8 seed just had too much natural power and focus to send Hewitt into some questions on whether this would be his final Australian Open in a sound 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 result.
Well before Day 1's marquee match, the country's notable female player Stosur avoided another demoralizing early round loss here at her home Slam, getting some revenge on Kai-Chen Chang for beating her in Osaka four months ago with a shaky but effective 7-6, 6-3.
But Stosur was the lone survivor for the Aussies on Day 1. Ashleigh Barty showed more promise in taking a set at least off a Top 40 player for the third straight week, but succumbed quickly to Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. Bojana Bobusic thought the wind may be on her side after a rough start from Aga Radwanska, but the Polish #1 regain her excellent current form to win 7-5, 6-0.
Matthew Ebden seemed to be on the verge of knocking off Mikhail Youzhny up two sets to none, but lacked the consistent closing ability that has plagued his career to allow the Russian the 4-6, 6-7 (0), 6-2, 7-6, 6-3 comeback win.
And Casey Dellacqua was the latest stepping stone in the rise of Madison Keys, who was masterful in the 2nd set tiebreak and record a 6-4, 7-6 (0).
All in all, it was a rough 1-7 opening day record for the Australians across both genders.
The Upsets
Argentine #2 and #11 seed Juan Monaco was less than 100%, and it clearly showed in being dispatched by Andrey Kuznetsov so convincingly in straights.
Mona Barthel went from being a true favorite to win Hobart and be a legitimate darkhorse in Melbourne to drawing equally informed threat Ksenia Pervak in Round 1 and losing in a struggle 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. Bartel served up six disappointing double faults and showed that she is still not ready to break from the inconsistent mess she is.
A Daniela Hantuchova-Ana Ivanovic 2nd Round was thrown into the thrash, as the up and down Slovakian veteran rounded off a disappointing first month of her 2013, losing to Yung-Jan Chan in a scoreline that summed her up properly: 6-1, 1-6, 6-1. She likely won't be tweeting from her account until maybe February after that one.
But there were no major upsets of any of the top players, with Monaco and Barthel being the only seeds to fall in general.
Other Notable Results
British female #1 Heather Watson looked all but certain to be out on Day 1, as she was down 6-2, 3-1 to Alexandra Cadantu, a Romanian who had lost in seven straight first rounds. But a medical timeout a game later resulted in a massive turnaround, as the Guernsey native showed the stable clarity that has placed her inside the Top 50 with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win.
Radek Stepanek was on the ropes down two sets to none against an inspired Viktor Troicki, looking to get his first big win in a while after a rough 2012 for the Serbian #3. But the Davis Cup 2012 hero showed all his veteran guile, along with Troicki's known propensity to get tight, to comeback and win 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
Many people were confident about Grigor Dimitrov's chances of securing a second week Grand Slam appearance before the tournament after the explosiveness he showed in Brisbane. But when he drew Julian Benneteau on a surface slower than Brisbane's quick main court, well, it was always going to be a difficult day for him.
That turned out to be the case, as the solid Frenchman continued his fine play in Sydney and thrashed the Bulgarian 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
It was the opposite result for Dimitrov's speculated new girlfriend Maria Sharapova, who couldn't have received a more perfect opening round match of her 2013 year. Her 6-0, 6-0 result over Olga Puchkova was highlighted more by just how mentally abysmal Puchkova was as the match transpired.
Venus Williams held up her end of a two part chance to see if her and Sharapova will meet in Round 3, with a surprisingly solid and consistent 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Elena Voskoboeva.
ATP/WTA Players of the Day:
ATP: Tipsarevic
In a match where many thought could represent another notable Hewitt scalp, Tipsarevic virtually said "None of that would happen on his watch" in winning straight sets. He slightly earns the nod over Benneteau, who was just as deserving for his impressive handling of Dimitrov.
WTA: Klara Zakopalova
In what was one of the first round matches guaranteed to be a near 50/50 contest, the improving Czech veteran impressively dispatched of Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-2.
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