It was a familiar story for the Britons on show on day one at Melbourne Park as Heather Watson and Kyle Edmund both exited the tournament almost before Britons were awake to check the scores.
While Andy Murray, Dan Evans and Jo Konta were all due in action overnight, Watson and Edmund were worn down in gruelling, sultry conditions.
Edmund, in the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time, can look forward to better days after he was beaten in five sets by Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Englishman led by two sets to one but was struggling with cramp from late in the third set and was eventually beaten 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 by a man ranked five places above him at No 83.
“I’m disappointed with it obviously because it’s not my tennis that’s let me down,” said Edmund, who also faded in similar circumstances in the Davis Cup final. “My tennis is good enough to do it, it’s my body that’s let me down.”
Watson still has doubles to play but she will be livid after throwing away a winning position before going down 6-7, 7-5, 7-5 to Hungary’s Timea Babos, her former doubles partner in juniors.
Showing some of the attacking intent she has been working on with part-time coach, Judy Murray, Watson served for the match at 5-4 in the second but lost her way and was edged out in a tense decider.
Day one at the Australian is notorious for upsets and there were plenty more yesterday as former world No 1 Caroline Wonziacki went out, while Benoit Paire and Ivo Karlovic were men’s seeds to fall.
Paire was upended 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 by American teenager Noah Rubin, a former junior champion at Wimbledon, who earned his first grand slam victory.
The Frenchman described the match as a “catastrophe” but Rubin, who won a wildcard play-off to get his place in the draw, fully deserved his win and now plays another Frenchman, Pierre Hugues-Herbert.
There was no trouble for five-times champion Novak Djokovic, who breezed into round two with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Hyeon Chung of Korea, nor for third seed Roger Federer, a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 winner over Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia.
Federer is used to cruising through the early rounds of grand slams but is well aware of the danger posed by his next opponent, Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, now ranked 35 but once as high as 13.
“I think it's going to be very tough, to be honest,” he said. “I've practiced with Dolgopolov in the off-season in Dubai, we had some great practice sessions together there, this year and last year.
“I know him very well. This is going to be a different challenge than the first round. Dolgopolov is a different player, a different level. He's been there before. He's got the fitness, the power, the speed, tennis IQ, all that. It's going to be a big challenge.”
Any doubts over the fitness of Serena Williams were dispelled with a solid performance as she saw off Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-5.
Out of action since September and struggling on the eve of the event with knee inflammation, world No 1 Williams, chasing a 22nd grand slam title, moved well and was satisfied enough with her efforts.
“It (the knee) is great,” she said. “It was an hour and 43 minutes and I didn't feel it at all.”
Former champion Maria Sharapova, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska all eased into round two.
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