Melbourne: Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep were sent crashing out of the Australian Open first round on Tuesday as a dramatic day of upsets shifted the landscape of the year’s first Grand Slam.
Nadal suffered one of the worst Grand Slam results of his career as he was stunned by fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco in a five-set thriller which recalled their epic 2009 semi-final.
Halep, the women’s world number two, soon followed him out in an almighty upset by Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai - who found it hard to hold back her tears as she won her first Grand Slam match in 15 attempts.
While Halep’s defeat to Zhang, the world number 133, came out of the blue, it was Nadal’s loss which created concern as the 14-time Grand Slam-winner increasingly looks a fading force.
Nadal, 29, has only ever lost once before in a Grand Slam first round, at Wimbledon 2013, but he has not gone further than the quarter-finals at the majors since he won the 2014 French Open.
“It’s tough, but at the same time, I know I did everything that I can to be ready for it,” said Nadal, after 45th-ranked Verdasco’s 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win in four hours, 41 minutes.
“Was not my day. Let’s keep going. That’s the only thing. There is no more thing to do than keep practising hard, keep practising the same way that I was doing the last four, five months.”
Andy Murray, a four-time finalist who is seeking his first win in Melbourne, dispatched Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in hot conditions to move into the second round.
Rising star Garbine Muguruza beat Estonian debutante Anett Kontaveit 6-0, 6-4 in one hour exactly - and immediately set her sights on dethroning Serena Williams in the final.
“To win the Grand Slam here you are going to have to beat Serena (Williams). It will be great if I can play against her,” said the confident Spanish world number three.
Temperatures of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) took their toll and Diego Schwartzman was stretchered off after retiring in the fourth set against John Millman with cramps.
While Murray and Muguruza motored through, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams suffered an early exit when she lost to British number one Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-2.
Milos Raonic, who is now working with Carlos Moya and beat Roger Federer in this month’s Brisbane final, breezed past Lucas Pouille and into the second round.
Select results
Men’s singles first round
Andy Murray (2), Britain, def. Alexander Zverev, Germany, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.
Fernando Verdasco, Spain, def. Rafael Nadal (5), Spain, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
David Ferrer (8), Spain, def. Peter Gojowczyk, Germany, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
John Isner (10), United States, def. Jerzy Janowicz, Poland, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Rajeev Ram, United States, def. Kevin Anderson (11), South Africa, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 3-0, retired.
Milos Raonic (13), Canada, def. Lucas Pouille, France, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Feliciano Lopez (18), Spain, def. Daniel Evans, Britain, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4.
Gilles Muller, Luxembourg, def. Fabio Fognini (20), Italy, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1).
Gael Monfils (23), France, def. Yuichi Sugita, Japan, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Jeremy Chardy (30), France, def. Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, 7-5, 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 13-11.
Tommy Robredo, Spain, def. Malek Jaziri, Tunisia, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 8-6.
Women’s singles
Garbine Muguruza (3), Spain, def. Anett Kontaveit, Estonia, 6-0, 6-4.
Angelique Kerber (7), Germany, def. Misaki Doi, Japan, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Johanna Konta, Britain, def. Venus Williams (8), United States, 6-4, 6-2.
Karolina Pliskova (9), Czech Republic, def. Kimberly Birrell, Australia, 6-4, 6-4.
Jelena Jankovic (19), Serbia, def. Polona Hercog, Slovenia, 6-3, 6-3.
Ana Ivanovic (20), Serbia, def. Tammi Patterson, Australia, 6-2, 6-3.
Sabine Lisicki (30), Germany, def. Petra Cetkovska, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4.
Naomi Osaka, Japan, def. Donna Vekic, Croatia, 6-3, 6-2.
Julia Goerges, Germany, def. Andreea Mitu, Romania, 6-3, 6-4.
Alize Cornet, France, def. Bojana Jovanovski, Serbia, 6-1, 6-0.
