Jannik Sinner’s bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title got off to an anticlimactic start Tuesday night when Hugo Gaston retired midway through the first round with an undisclosed injury.
Sinner, the No. 2 seed, led 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour when Gaston, ranked 93rd, signaled he could not continue. “I saw that he was not serving with a very high pace,” Sinner said. “But it’s not the way you want to win a match.”
The Italian went over to console the Frenchman, placing a hand on his shoulder and wishing him a speedy recovery.
It marked Sinner’s first competitive match since his November victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals.
Twelve months after clinching back-to-back Australian Open titles with a win over Alexander Zverev, Sinner is back at Rod Laver Arena seeking to join the elite group of men who have won three consecutive crowns.
“I’ve put in many, many long days in the off-season trying to become a better tennis player,” Sinner said. “But the most important part is to go on court and enjoy it. It’s very special to start the season in a night session at a Grand Slam with a packed stadium.”
Sinner and Alcaraz, the so-called “Sincaraz” rivals, extended their dominance across the four majors last year, with Sinner winning Wimbledon and finishing runner-up at Roland Garros and the U.S. Open.
On the women’s side, defending champion Madison Keys faced an early scare against Oleksandra Oliynykova. The ninth seed trailed 4-0 before regrouping to claim a 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory. Keys credited Oliynykova’s unorthodox shot-making and defensive play for the tricky start. “At the end of the tiebreaker, I really found my game and carried that into the second set,” Keys said. Oliynykova drew attention off-court with her body art and a T-shirt message for Ukraine.
Other notable results on Day 3 included No. 10 Belinda Bencic opening with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Katie Boulter, while Janice Tjen upset 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, and Tereza Valentova beat Australia’s Maya Joint in straight sets. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, fell to Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7), 6-2 after having to qualify this year.
In men’s action, Ben Shelton, a 2025 Australian Open semifinalist, overcame Ugo Humbert 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) and will face Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny, who ended Gael Monfils’ 20th and final Australian Open appearance. No. 9 Taylor Fritz defeated Valentin Royer 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, while No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti advanced after Raphael Collignon retired in the fourth set with cramping and dizziness. Rising talents Eliot Spizzirri, Karen Khachanov, and Sebastian Baez also moved into the second round
