Novak Djokovic was the first finalist after the seed beat Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev in straight sets.
And he will meet the Russian Daniil Medvedev after taking up the challenge of Stefanos Tsitsipas.
How did the British fare?
It was not a good start for the British because Katie Boulter fell to Daria Kasatkina in the first round 6-1 6-4 on opening day. Twenty-four hours later and the British No.1 Johanna konta was forced to retire in the second set of their game against Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan due to an abdominal injury.
Francesca jones, on her Grand Slam main draw debut, made a promising start to American Shelby Rogers before eventually losing 6-4, 6-1 to a player ranked nearly 200 places higher. He left only Heather watson As the only Briton in the main draw, the 28-year-old put aside the lack of preparation to beat Kristyna Pliskova and reach the second round. This is where her adventures ended, however, when she lost to Anett Kontaveit 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2.
In the male draw, Cameron Norrie won the first round of Battle of the Brits, beating the 30th seed and UK No.1 Dan Evans 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the second round for the first time. He then beat Russian Roman Safiullin in four sets to reach the last 32 for the first time, but came up against Nadal, who ended his – and British – hopes in back-to-back sets.
There is, however, better news in doubles with guaranteed British representation in the men’s doubles final. Jamie Murray and his partner Bruno Soares face the defending champions Joe salisbury and Rajeev Ram in the semi-finals. Salisbury is also in the mixed doubles semi-final alongside Desirae Krawczyk.
Who are the seeds of this year?
Seeds for men
- Novak Djokovic
- Rafael Nadal
- Dominique thiem
- Daniil Medvedev
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Alexander Zverev
- Andrey Rublev
- Diego schwartzman
- Matteo berrettini
- Gaël Monfils
- Denis shapovalov
- Roberto Bautista Agut
- David Goffin
- Milos Raonic
- Pablo Carreno Busta
- Fabio Fognini
Women’s seeds
- Ashleigh Barty
- Simona halep
- Naomi Osaka
- Sofia kenin
- Elina Svitolina
- Karolina Pliskova
- Aryna sabalenka
- Bianca Andreescu
- Petra kvitova
- Serena williams
- Belinda Bencic
- Victoria Azarenka
- Johanna konta
- Garbine Muguruza
- Iga Swiatek
- Petra martic
Australian Open match dates
- February 8 – First round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 9 – First round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 10 – Second round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 11th – Second round in men’s and women’s singles
- 12 February – Third round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 13 – Third round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 14th – Fourth round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 15 – Fourth round in men’s and women’s singles
- February 16 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
- February 17 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
- February 18 – Women’s semi-finals and men’s first semi-final
- February 19 – Second semi-final men
- February 20 – Women’s final
- February 21 – Men’s final
Who is missing at the Australian Open?
Roger Federer is Melbourne Park’s most prominent absentee as he continues to recover from double knee surgery in 2020.
Former British No.1 Andy Murray is also missing the event after testing positive for Covid-19 and not being able to reach an agreement with organizers on the quarantine.
American John Isner chose to skip the tournament because he didn’t want to be away from his family for a long time.
In the women’s draw, Kiki Bertens is injured while Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova withdrew after testing positive for coronavirus.
Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska tested positive for a banned substance and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, the world No.29 lost her battle and will now leave Australia, having traveled in hopes of winning her case.
Where to watch the 2021 Australian Open on TV
Eurosport has the right to broadcast live action from Melbourne.
Coverage begins at midnight on February 8, which marks the start of the tournament’s first session.
The TBEN will also show a one-hour highlights package from round four.
New innovations
The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam to have electronic stroke throwers, instead of linesmen, on every match field for the duration of the event.
Remote monitoring cameras around the courts will automatically send out audio line calls, voiced by Australian frontline workers and other emergency service personnel, in real time.
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