Italy's Fabio Fognini. Photo / AP
ROD LAVER ARENA
Karolina Pliskova (CZE) [2] defeated Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1 7-5
Donna Vekic (CRO) [19] vs Maria Sharapova (RUS) 6-3 6-4
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs Hugo Dellien (BOL) 6-2 6-3 6-0
From 7pm: Daniil Medvedev (RUS) [4] vs Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) vs Angelique Kerber (GER) [17]
MARGARET COURT ARENA
Belinda Bencic (SUI) [6] vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-3 7-5
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs Dominic Thiem (AUT) [5] 6-3 7-5 6-2
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) vs Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) [31] 6-1 6-1
From 7pm: Jennifer Brady (USA) vs Simona Halep (ROU) [4]
Marco Cecchinato (ITA) vs Alexander Zverev (GER) [7]
MELBOURNE ARENA
Polona Hercog (SLO) defeated Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 6-3 6-3
Madison Keys (USA) [10] vs Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 6-3 6-1
Damir Dzumhur (BIH) vs Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [15] 7-5 6-7 6-4 6-4
Not before 4pm: Alexei Popyrin (AUS) vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [28]
Not before 7pm: Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
Notorious Italian hothead Fabio Fognini wasn't even the least bit self-conscious when he proudly showed off an ugly-looking hand injury in his post-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
After emerging with a memorable 3-6 6-7 6-4 6-3 7-6 (10-5) victory following a five-set war with American Reilly Opelka, Fognini walked into his press conference with an ugly red mark across the knuckles on his right hand.
When asked if he had burned his hand, Fognini revealed he had inflicted the injury onto himself on Monday.
"Yes, yesterday. It's OK. I hit the racquet," he said.
When asked if it hurt, Fognini showed off a painful sore on his outstretched index finger.
"Yes (it hurt) a little bit. Especially this finger," he said.
Fognini had earlier made headlines for a sensational blow up at the chair umpire.
In an animated exchange with chair umpire Carlos Bernardes that went for well over a minute, Fognini swung around his racquet and, at one stage, pointed at his head.
The fiery Italian also threw his racquet several times.
"You're a shame. You're not fit for this," Fognini was quoted as saying in Italian during the argument.
"You can't give me point penalty for throwing my racquet when [Opelka] is saying 'f***, f***' all the time.
"It's not like I'm telling you to f*** off, if I told you to f*** off it'd be different".
Opelka also blew up at the chair umpire when hit with a code violation for racquet abuse.
"You're pathetic. You give me one warning after one throw. He's thrown his three or four times, bro," he said.
World No. 1 Rafael has breezed through his opening round match at the Australian Open, recording a straight sets victory.
Nadal entered Rod Laver Arena to thunderous applause from the adoring crowd.
Nadal was cruising during the first half hour, winning the opening five games. However, the Bolivian showed some grit by breaking the Spaniard's serve late in the set.
Regardless, Nadal cruised to a 6-2 win in the opening set. After a tough start to the second set, Nadal put the foot down and won 10 of the next 11 games to claim the win.
After the match commentator Jim Courier asked the Spaniard what his highlight was from a dominant 2019.
Nadal, ever the pro, stated it was nothing to do with his on court performances, instead saying his wedding was the winner as his wife in the crowd watched on.
"The wedding, my wife is here," Nadal said laughing.
"I need to take care with that answer now."
Nadal vs Dellien score: 6-2 6-3 6-0
Maria Sharapova says she doesn't know if she will ever return to play tennis in Australia after her rankings slump crashed into free-fall on Tuesday.
The former World No. 1 suffered her third consecutive first-round loss at the grand slams — a new career low.
Worse news is coming for the 32-year-old.
Having coughed up her only rankings lifeline when she failed to protect the rankings points earned with her fourth round appearance at last year's Aussie Open — Sharapova's legs have been taken out from under her.
She is forecast to vanish from the World's top 350-ranked players and come up for air next week with a WTA Ranking of No. 366 in the world.
It is the lowest she has been ranked since August, 2002.
Having battled a series of injuries in 2019, including a major shoulder complaint, Sharapova admits there is no guarantee she will be back to play the 2021 Australian Open.
As if still trying to come to terms with life outside the WTA 300, Sharapova said she has no idea what her schedule will be for the rest of 2020, or for the next few weeks even.
Her career appears to be at its final crossroads.
One final charge — or, if it's all too much for a player too familiar with the comforts of a top-ten ranking, it could very well be time for the five-time grand slam champion.
When asked if she has already played her last game at the Australian Open, Sharapova replied: "I don't know. I simply don't know. I'm thankful to Craig (Tiley) for the opportunity. But, I don't know where I'll be in 12 months."
When asked if she will try to play low-level WTA events to rebuild her ranking and recapture match fitness, she also didn't know.
"Honestly, I'd give you the answer, I just don't know. I haven't thought of my schedule moving forward from here yet," she said.
Sharapova carried a haunted look at times in the 3-6 4-6 defeat to Croatia's 19th-seeded Donna Vekic.
There were flashes of the form that helped make Sharapova one of the most marketable women in sport, the 145th-ranked Russian coming back from 5-1 down in the first set.
But Sharapova, who was banned for 15 months for failing a drugs test at the 2016 Australian Open, succumbed in the first set in 36 minutes.
Playing on the centre court Rod Laver Arena — a sign of Sharapova's enduring pulling power — she broke to go 3-1 up in the second set.
But Vekic broke back twice and sealed victory on the second match point when Sharapova fired wildly wide.
Sharapova was given a wildcard into Melbourne, where she won the title in 2008, and has struggled badly for form and fitness since returning from the ban for taking meldonium.
World no. 12 Johanna Konta has been rocked by Tunisian Ons Jabeur in a major upset during the Australian Open first round.
At the 1573 Arena in Melbourne, world no. 78 Jabeur defeated the British star in straight sets, 6-4 6-2. She had previously never progressed to the second round of the Australian Open, this being her fourth tournament.
After breaking Konta's serve in the opening set, Jabeur raced to a 4-1 lead in the second. The Brit was never able to cover, Jabeur breaking serve once again to comprehensively claim the second set 6-2 in only 26 minutes.
The Tunisian hit nine winners and only two unforced errors in the second set.
Born in Sydney, Konta represented Australia before moving to England in 2012. She reached the Australian Open semi finals in 2016, where she lost to eventual winner Angelique Kerber.
Jabeur will face either France's Caroline Garcia or America's Madison Brengle in the second round.
Konta has been recovering from injury, and was certainly not at her best on Tuesday. This first round exit marks her worst performance in an Australian Open.
Australian Open officials have earned their crust on day two of the event after Monday's wet and wild weather pushed the Open into a scheduling nightmare.
With 32 first round matches cancelled or suspended on day one when a rain storm settled in at Melbourne Park, a whopping 96 matches have been scheduled for Tuesday.
Three courts have an incredible seven matches scheduled for the day session and some relatively high-seeds have been bumped out to outside courts.
Tennis commentators have described the scheduling crunch as a "Hell day" for tournament officials – but the jam-packed fixtures presents a dream scenario for ground-pass spectators at the Open.
Court 7 is among the courts scheduled to host seven matches, including the first round matches of Aussies Marc Polmans and Alex Bolt. If any of the men's matches stretch to five sets it could present another scheduling headache for officials.
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