In Melbourne, former champion Osaka’s walkover drew attention, with holder Jannik Sinner easily advancing to the second round.
Naomi Osaka made a breathtaking start to the opening match of the 2026 Australian Open, surprising fans by appearing on court for her first Grand Slam match at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena wearing a wide-brimmed hat, veil and holding a white umbrella.
As the buzz settled on Osaka’s fashion statement, the two-time former Australian Open champion staggered to a first-round win over Antonia Ruzic on Tuesday, shortly after defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner entered the second round in contrast to Hugo Gaston.
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Osaka waved confidently to the crowd, folded her parasol, put her hat and veil neatly aside, and wore part of her pleated outfit over her lower body for pregame formalities.
She returned to her normal tennis kit for the match itself, and the match ended with a scoreline of 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 for the Japanese player.
The 16th-seeded Osaka, who has won two of her four Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open, dropped a set in the first round against the 65th-ranked Croatian in the final match of the third day on Melbourne Park’s main show court.
She fought back strongly in the second set, winning in 2 hours and 22 minutes.
On the same court, Sinner’s quest for a third straight title began in eerie fashion, dominating two sets until Gaston suddenly retired.
In his first competitive match since defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals more than two months ago, the world No. 2 Italian took a 6-2, 6-1 lead in just over an hour, scoring 19 winners on the court he has dominated for two years.
Frenchman Gaston took a pill after the first set, indicating something was wrong, but when he approached Sinner’s side to shake hands and apologize after the second set, there was a murmur of surprise on the terrace.
After consoling the Frenchman, who was sobbing under a towel on a chair, Sinner said that although Gaston was not at his best, he was very happy with his game.
“I’ve spent long days in the offseason trying to become a better tennis player,” he told reporters.
“But at the end of the day, the most important thing is to go out on court and have fun, right? It’s very special to start the season here at a Grand Slam, in a packed stadium, in a night session game. You just have to do your best.”
Sinner will next face Australia’s James Duckworth for a spot in the third round.
Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Madison Keys admitted she was “very nervous” as she embarked on her title defense with a shaky win. Ukraine’s Oleksandra Olnikova 7-6 (8-6) 6-1.
“I’ve been thinking about this moment for almost a year,” the American No. 9 seed said of taking center court again.
“I’m very happy to be back in Melbourne. Of course I was very nervous at first.”
She started the season with quarter-final losses in Brisbane and Adelaide, but admitted she was feeling the weight of expectations as the defending champion ahead of the Grand Slam.
And it proved that she was on the brink of destruction against the world No. 92 Ukrainian, but found the legs to pull away easily in the second set.
In the men’s draw, an emotional Gael Monfils bid farewell to the tournament after suffering a crushing four-set defeat to Australian qualifier Dane Sweeney.
The French entertainer electrified the court with his final performance at the venue in a match that lasted nearly four hours and ended in Sweeney’s favor with a scoreline of 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5.
Afterwards, there was an on-court presentation, and the 39-year-old Monfils received a standing ovation and said: “For some reason it’s the finish line, but thank you for the great run.
“I have so many great memories here.”
Monfils, who won 13 ATP titles in his career dating back to 2004, said in October that this year would be his last time playing tennis.
