The China Mail - Monfils bids Melbourne farewell as Keys makes nervous start

Jannik Sinner later begins his bid for a Melbourne hat-trick while two-time former champion Naomi Osaka is also in action on day three.

A jittery Keys lost the first four games before rallying to beat Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.

"I've been thinking about this moment for basically a year," the American ninth seed said of walking out on centre court again.

"I'm so happy to be back in Melbourne. Obviously I was very nervous at the start."

Keys stunned Aryna Sabalenka 12 months ago in a three-set epic to win her first major crown at the age of 29, but she failed to push on, winning no more titles in 2025.

She started her season with quarter-final exits at Brisbane and Adelaide, admitting before the Grand Slam to feeling the weight of expectation as defending champion.

And so it proved as she threatened to implode against the Ukrainian ranked 92 in the world, before finding her feet to pull away with ease in the second set.

Also in the women's draw, Janice Tjen clocked another milestone in her rapid rise as she became the first Indonesian to win a match at the Australian Open in 28 years.

Unseeded Tjen stunned Canadian 22nd seed Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) to surge into the second round and add to her growing list of scalps.

Tjen, who this time last year was ranked 413 but is now the world number 59, is the first Indonesian to win a match at the major since Yayuk Basuki in 1998.

Also through was Elena Rybakina, the fifth seed from Kazakhstan easing past Kaja Juvan of Slovenia 6-4, 6-3.

Former world number one Osaka, the 16th seed, features in the final encounter of the day on centre court, against Croatia's Antonia Ruzic.

The 28-year-old Japanese has struggled to get back to the form and fitness that took her to Australian Open titles in 2019 and 2021.

- 'Great memories' -

Monfils was bundled out in the first round in a brave goodbye to a tournament he has lit up so many times.

The 39-year-old, one of the most colourful and popular players in men's tennis, battled all the way but Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny prevailed 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 in an epic lasting nearly four hours.

There was an on-court presentation and standing ovation afterwards for Monfils, who said: "Somehow it is the finish line, but thank you so much for an amazing ride.

"I have a lot of great memories here."

Monfils, who has won 13 ATP titles in a career stretching back to 2004, said in October that this year would be his last in tennis.

Italian fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti moved on when his Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon retired in the fourth set.

Ben Shelton, the eighth seed and a semi-finalist in Melbourne last year, saw off France's Ugo Humbert, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5).

But Brazilian 19-year-old Joao Fonseca, touted on the eve of the tournament by Roger Federer as a star of the future, was dumped out by Eliot Spizzirri at the first hurdle.

The American defied the crowd of chanting Brazilian fans to win 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Later, Sinner will hope to have a far smoother start to his title defence than Keys.

The Italian was a comfortable winner over Alexander Zverev in last year's final and can join Novak Djokovic as the only men in the Open era to win three successive Melbourne crowns if he triumphs again.

The second seed faces French world number 93 Hugo Gaston.

The chief threat to his Australian Open dominance is top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who is bidding to win the tournament for the first time and seal a career Grand Slam of all four majors at just 22.

The Spaniard eased through his opening match on Sunday in straight sets.

Z.Ma--ThChM