Sports
Federer begins defence of Australian Open title with win; Djokovic advances
Australian Open defending champion, Roger Federer made a solid start by brushing Aljaz Bedene aside in straight sets on Tuesday.
The world No. 2 did put up a fine display to maintain his favourite tag at the tournament, as he put Bedene to the sword to the sword 6-3 6-4 6-3.
36-year-old Federer, who had played down talk that he should be seen as the man to beat at the first Grand Slam of 2018, will face Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.
Earlier on Tuesday, six-time champion Novak Djokovic returned to action for the first time since Wimbledon with a one-sided win over Donald Young.
The 30-year-old, seeded 14th after missing the second half of 2017 with an elbow injury, won 6-1 6-2 6-4 while wearing a support sleeve on his right arm.
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On his return to the sport after a long absence, he said: “It feels so great to be back here, to be back on the tennis court.
“There is no better place for me to start playing after six months away than here in Australia. I love coming here,” he stated after the victory.
Djokovic will now face France’s world number 39 Gael Monfils in the second round.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Singles category, five-time Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova powered into the second round with a straight-set win over Germany’s Tatjana Maria, winning 6-1 6-4.
And the World number one, Simona Halep fended off teenage wildcard Destanee Aiava to also advance to the second round od the competition.
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