Former world No 1 Novak Djokovic overcame a first-set scare before beating teenage wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in his Australian Open first-round clash on Monday.
The 10-time Melbourne Park champion – who had new coach Andy Murray watching from the stands for the first time in a Grand Slam match – lost the first set to his American opponent before recovering to seal a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win on Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic, who is targeting a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, was flat-footed and out of ideas early on before going on to seal a second-round spot for an 18th consecutive year when he will face Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria.
“I must say that it's a bit strange to have him courtside in my box,” Djokovic said of his new coach. “We played for over 20 years against each other at the highest level, so it's nice to have him on my side of the net.
“He gave me some great advice during the match. It's really nice to be able to exchange some feedback … hopefully we don't stop here.”
World No 1 Jannik Sinner was made to work in the first match of his title defence before eventually sweeping aside Nicolas Jarry 7-6, 7-6, 6-1.
Sinner was playing for the first time since the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced last week that it would hear an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency in April over a drugs scandal that rocked the Italian last year.
Sinner, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in last year's final, was greeted by warm applause from the Melbourne crowd when he walked on court.
“I was curious to see how it was. You never know what's happening,” the 23-year-old said about the reception. “I was happy about the crowd … it was a nice atmosphere.”
Sinner is unbeaten since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Beijing final last October and has now won his last 14 matches in straight sets. He faces Australian wild card Tristan Schoolkate in the next round.
Third seed Carlos Alcaraz, playing his first match of the season, suffered a couple of hairy moments before easing through 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.
“There is no secret, I work, I try to be better every day,” said Alcaraz, who is bidding to complete a career Grand Slam of all four majors aged just 21 and faces Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka next up.
Former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first big-name casualty of this year's tournament when the Greek 11th seed lost 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to young American Alex Michelsen.
“It was a difficult first-round match,” said Tsitsipas after losing to the 20-year-old. “I knew I was dealing with a pretty serious opponent because I’ve played him before and I have lost.”
Tsitsipas has now lost three Grand Slam matches in a row after a second-round exit at Wimbledon and first-round defeat at the US Open.
Home hope Nick Kyrgios fell at the first hurdle when he lost 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 to Britain's Jacob Fearnley in his first appearance at Melbourne Park since 2022 after a string of serious injuries.
In the women's draw, second seed Iga Swiatek began her campaign for a first Australian Open crown with a 6-3, 6-4 first-round win against Katerina Siniakova.
The Pole has won five Grand Slam titles but has a patchy record in Melbourne, and has only once progressed beyond the fourth round.
She arrived this year with Naomi Osaka's former coach Wim Fissette in her corner after hooking up with the Belgian towards the end of last year.
“Honestly, I wouldn't say my preparation during the last years was really bad,” said Swiatek, who has fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, sixth seed Elena Rybakina and eighth seed Emma Navarro lurking in her half of the draw.
“These are not the easiest surfaces for me. I just have to keep grinding and fighting for every ball.”
American third seed Coco Gauff sealed a 6-3, 6-3 victory over countrywoman Sofia Kenin making it 10 wins in a row for the teenager after claiming titles at the WTA Finals and United Cup.
“When I saw the draw, I was like, ‘It’s not a great first round’,” said Gauff, who faces Britain’s Jodie Burrage in the second round.
“She’s one of those people that she can play great tennis. She’s obviously won this tournament before, but, I just think of the positives of, if you get through that, then you kind of have set the tone for having a high level throughout the tournament.”
Seventh seed Jessica Pegula took exactly an hour to beat young Australian wild card Maya Joint 6-3 6-0, while Belinda Bencic – returning to Grand Slam tennis for the first time since becoming a mother – defeated 16th seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 7-6.
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Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
More on Quran memorisation:
THREE
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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
BLACK%20ADAM
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The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
