Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejčíková started with victories at the Australian Open

Today in Melbourne, Australia, commenced one of the most esteemed tennis tournaments globally – the Australian Open.

In one of the initial encounters among women on the court, the eighth-ranked player in the world, Maria Sakkari, faced off against the tenth-ranked Barbora Krejčíková.

Representing Greece, Maria Sakkari, in the opening bout of the tournament, encountered the 92nd-ranked Japanese player, Nao Hibino, on the court. Sakkari was an evident favorite and substantiated her prowess on the court.

Despite Maria serving three aces in the first set, committing an equal number of double faults, she clinched victory in four out of the five games on her serves, seizing an additional two from her opponent. Consequently, the initial set concluded with a scoreline of 6-4.

In the second set, Sakkari exhibited heightened caution, delivering only one ace and avoiding double faults. She secured all four games on her serves, claiming two out of three from her adversary. As a result, the second set concluded with a score of 6-1.

Australian Open
Women's Singles
Hard Court
First Round
Maria Sakkari - Nao Hibino 6-4, 6-1

Barbora Krejčíková, the Czech player, took to the court against the 122nd-ranked player from Japan, Mai Hontama. Victory favored the favorite, albeit with less certainty.

The first set confidently and rather unexpectedly favored Hontama. The Japanese player secured four games on her serves and an additional two on Krejcikova's serves, overcoming two double faults to win the set 6-2.

In the second set, the tenth-ranked player globally abstained from serving a single ace, committing only one double fault. Although she won just two out of five games on her serves, she successfully claimed four out of five games on her opponent's serve. Consequently, the set ended 6-4 in favor of Barbara.

In the decisive third set, both tennis players made errors, yet Krejcikova emerged stronger. Barbara won four out of five games on her serves and two out of four on her opponent's serve. The set concluded with a score of 6-3 in favor of Barbora Krejčíková.

Australian Open
Women's Singles
Hard Court
First Round
Mai Hontama - Barbora Krejčíková 6-2, 4-6, 3-6

In the subsequent stage of the competition, Maria Sakkari will meet the 71st-ranked player, Elina Avanesyan, while Barbora Krejčíková will face the 81st-ranked player from Germany, Tamara Korpatsch.