Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams launched their Australian Open campaigns in style on Tuesday which saw Ivo Karlovic smashed a record 75 aces in an unprecedented 84-game marathon.
Rafael Nadal also rolled into the second round before Karlovic outlasted Horacio Zeballos in an epic that stretched for five hours, 15 minutes and ended 6-7(6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-20.
Karlovic beat Thomas Johansson’s 2005 Australian Open record of 51 aces in a match, and 84 games was a new mark for the tournament in the tie-break era, edging the 83 in Andy Roddick’s 2003 defeat of Younes El Aynaoui.
It was still short of the five hours, 53 minutes played by Djokovic and Nadal in the 2012 men’s final.
Djokovic gave further evidence of his return to form as he convincingly saw off Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
It was Djokovic’s 15th straight win at the Australian Open as he seeks his third straight title and his seventh overall, which would break Roy Emerson’s record set in the 1960s.
In the afternoon, Serena and Nadal made light of hot temperatures and doubts over their own form as they got off to sizzling starts.
Serena, back after an injury lay-off, demolished the dangerous Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-3, while Nadal was also impressive in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Florian Mayer.
Serena, who can break Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles if she wins in Melbourne for the seventh time, next faces Lucie Safarova, who saved nine match-points before beating Yanina Wickmayer.
In the final match on Centre Court, third seed Agnieszka Radwanska beat Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
The results:
First round: Men: Donald Young (USA) bt Thomas Fabbiano (Ita) 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-4; 32-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4; 24-Alexander Zverev (Ger) bt Robin Haase (Ned) 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) bt Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) 6-3, 3-0 retd.,
9-Rafael Nadal (Esp) bt Florian Mayer (Ger) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; 13-Roberto Bautista Agut (Esp) bt Guido Pella (Arg) 6-3, 6-1, 6-1; 25-Gilles Simon (Fra) bt Michael Mmoh (USA) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3; Gilles Muller (Lux) bt Taylor Fritz (USA) 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 6-3; 3-Milos Raonic (Can) bt Dustin Brown (Ger) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; 8-Dominic Thiem (Aut) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
Radek Stepanek (Cze) bt Dmitry Tursunov (Rus) 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-3; 11-David Goffin (Bel) bt Reilly Opelka (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; 18-Richard Gasquet (Fra) bt Blake Mott (Aus) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; 30-Pablo Carreno-Busta (Esp) bt Peter Polansky (Can) 6-0, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 3-0 retd.
Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (Ukr) bt Borna Coric (Cro) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7); 21-David Ferrer (Esp) bt Omar Jasika (Aus) 6-3, 6-0, 6-2; 6-Gael Monfils (Fra) bt Jiri Vesely (Cze) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2; 2-Novak Djokovic (Srb) bt Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-2; 15-Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) bt Christopher O’Connell (Aus) 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-3; 20-Ivo Karlovic (Cro) bt Horacio Zeballos (Arg) 6-7(6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-20; Benoit Paire (Fra) bt Tommy Haas (Ger) 7-6(2), 6-4, retd.; Fabio Fognini (Ita) bt 28-Feliciano Lopez (Esp) 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.
Women: 5-Karolina Pliskova (Cze) bt Sara Sorribes (Esp) 6-2, 6-0; 14-Elena Vesnina (Rus) bt Ana Bogdan (Rom) 7-5, 6-2; Heather Watson (GBr) bt 18-Samantha Stosur (Aus) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0; 28-Alize Cornet (Fra) bt Myrtille Georges (Fra) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; 6-Dominika Cibulkova (Svk) bt Denisa Allertova (Cze) 7-5, 6-2.
30-Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1; 17-Caroline Wozniacki (Den) bt Arina Rodionova (Aus) 6-1, 6-2; 9-Johanna Konta (GBr) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 7-5, 6-2; 21-Caroline Garcia (Fra) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) 7-6(4), 6-4; Nicole Gibbs (USA) bt 25-Timea Babos (Hun) 7-6(3), 6-4; Lucie Safarova (Cze) bt Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-1; 2-Serena Williams (USA) bt Belinda Bencic (Sui) 6-4, 6-3.
12-Timea Bacsinszky (Sui) bt Camila Giorgi (Ita) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; 22-Daria Gavrilova (Aus) bt Naomi Broady (GBR) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; 16-Barbora Strycova (Cze) bt Elizaveta Kulichkova (Rus) 6-3, 6-2; Andrea Petkovic (Ger) bt Kayla Day (USA) 6-3, 6-2; 3-Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. — Agencies
