American tennis player Madison Keys qualified for the second round of the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne, and last year’s winner of the Australian Open beat Ukrainian Oleksandra Olijnikova in the first round with 7-6 (6), 6-1.
The 30-year-old American admitted that at the beginning of her first match she was very nervous and reserved. She lost the first four games on Center Court to Rod Lever, but then simply pulled herself together and found a way to overcome the resistance of her five-year-older opponent from Kiev, who is 92nd in the WTA rankings.
A year ago Keys is in the grand final of a well-known tournament beat the leading Belarusian in the country Arina Sabalenka and won his first Grand Slam title. Then, in the rest of last year’s season, she did not win a single tournament, and this year’s season started badly, she was eliminated after the quarter-final matches in Brisbane and Adelaide.
At the beginning I played too reserved and lacked confidence. Then I simply found a better feeling on the court and passed to the next round, which is the most important thing right nowsaid the defending champion who, after the opening victory, will face compatriot Ashlyn Krueger in the next round, who was better than the Czech Sarah Bejlek 6-3, 6-3.
Pressure is a privilege 💪 @Madison_Keys pic.twitter.com/usswL7GePa
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2026
Kazakhstan’s fifth seed Elena Rybakina she won Slovenian Kaja Juvan 6-4, 6-3. Today, two more holders said goodbye. Canadian Leylah Fernandezthe 22nd seed, was defeated by the Indonesian Janice Tjen 6-2, 7-6 (1), while the Australian Mayo Jointthe 30th seed, was surprised by the Czech Tereza Valentova winning 6-4, 6-4.
In the men’s part of the competition, the Italians advanced to the second round Lorenzo Musettian American Ben Shelton and Russian Karen Khachanov. The fifth-seeded Italian was in trouble in his match against the Belgian Raphael Collignonand he is Belgian surrendered the match with a lead of 2-1 in sets.
Eighth-seeded Shelton beat French left-hander Hugo Humbert 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5), while Khachanov, seeded 15, was bested only by American Alex Michelsen after five sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
(Hina | Photo: X)
