TENNIS: Defending champions Sinner and Keys on court, Fritz tests knee

MELBOURNE — The Australian Open first round continues Tuesday, with top men’s contender Jannik Sinner starting his bid for a third straight title against Hugo Gaston. On the women’s side, Madison Keys opens her defense of her first Grand Slam crown against Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Top Men’s Match: Sinner vs. Gaston

Sinner’s last official match was more than two months ago, when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Finals title decider. The Italian believes that a longer off-season will help him maintain success in Melbourne.

After a turbulent 2025 season, including a three-month suspension for doping, Sinner warmed up for the year’s first major with an exhibition match against Alcaraz in South Korea. He lost 7-5, 7-6(8).

“In the past couple of years, I haven’t played any official match before here because I wanted a good, longer off-season to get ready for this season,” Sinner, the second seed, told reporters.

“Even if playing a tournament before helps sometimes, it can also be unhelpful because every situation and the general feeling, especially in a Grand Slam, is different.”

Frenchman Hugo Gaston enters the match after losing in qualifiers in Brisbane and exiting in the first round in Auckland during his build-up to the Australian Open.

Top Women’s Match: Keys vs. Oliynykova

Keys did not have an easy run to last year’s title, defeating the top two seeds— Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka—on her way to the trophy. She hopes to avoid as many three-set matches this time.

Last year, Keys played four matches that went the distance, including a semi-final where she saved a match point against Swiatek.

“Looking back, it’s easy to think, ‘Wow, everything was amazing,’” she said. “But you also realize, ‘Wow, I almost lost. I was match point down.’ There were so many three-set matches. Some of them were ugly.”

Keys withdrew from the season-ending WTA Finals due to a viral illness. She spent the off-season recovering and working on her game.

Oliynykova will be making her Australian Open main draw debut.

Fritz’s Knee Put to the Test

Taylor Fritz will see how his knee is holding up after weeks of rehabilitation as he prepares to face Frenchman Valentin Royer. The ninth seed did not have the best preparation, losing three of his four United Cup matches.

He also lost a practice set 6-1 to Sinner in Melbourne, despite showing flashes of brilliance.

Although the knee is “definitely improving,” Fritz said the injury typically requires two to four months of solid rehab to fully recover.

Australian Open Order of Play (Tuesday)

Here is the order of play for the main showcourts on the third day of the Australian Open:

Rod Laver Arena

Day Session (11:30 AEDT)

Oleksandra Oliynykova (Ukraine) vs. 9-Madison Keys (U.S.)

8-Ben Shelton (U.S.) vs. Ugo Humbert (France)

Night Session (19:00 AEDT)

Hugo Gaston (France) vs. 2-Jannik Sinner (Italy)

16-Naomi Osaka (Japan) vs. Antonia Ruzic (Croatia)

Margaret Court Arena

Day Session (11:30 AEDT)

5-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) vs. Raphael Collignon (Belgium)

5-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) vs. Kaja Juvan (Slovenia)

Night Session (19:00 AEDT)

Katie Boulter (Britain) vs. 10-Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)

Shintaro Mochizuki (Japan) vs. 31-Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)

John Cain Arena

Day Session (11:00 AEDT)

Tereza Valentova (Czech Republic) vs. 30-Maya Joint (Australia)

15-Karen Khachanov (Russia) vs. Alex Michelsen (U.S.)

Night Session (17:00 AEDT)

Valentin Royer (France) vs. 9-Taylor Fritz (U.S.)

Maddison Inglis (Australia) vs. Kimberly Birrell (Australia)

-Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters