Berliner Boersenzeitung - Murray roars into Melbourne round two as Medvedev fires title shot

EUR -
AED 3.826681
AFN 70.961758
ALL 98.138602
AMD 405.652886
ANG 1.877182
AOA 951.190259
ARS 1045.720247
AUD 1.602814
AWG 1.877897
AZN 1.775245
BAM 1.955573
BBD 2.102956
BDT 124.465544
BGN 1.955573
BHD 0.392554
BIF 3076.642669
BMD 1.041829
BND 1.403837
BOB 7.197164
BRL 6.043693
BSD 1.041579
BTN 87.914489
BWP 14.229347
BYN 3.408604
BYR 20419.848375
BZD 2.099456
CAD 1.456529
CDF 2991.091432
CHF 0.930957
CLF 0.036923
CLP 1018.83097
CNY 7.54601
CNH 7.562783
COP 4573.368835
CRC 530.538382
CUC 1.041829
CUP 27.608468
CVE 110.252195
CZK 25.343745
DJF 185.478458
DKK 7.457729
DOP 62.772709
DZD 139.835759
EGP 51.726992
ERN 15.627435
ETB 127.508391
FJD 2.371151
FKP 0.822333
GBP 0.831435
GEL 2.855018
GGP 0.822333
GHS 16.456089
GIP 0.822333
GMD 73.970229
GNF 8977.957272
GTQ 8.040066
GYD 217.904692
HKD 8.109446
HNL 26.320943
HRK 7.431636
HTG 136.72412
HUF 411.522823
IDR 16610.452733
ILS 3.863061
IMP 0.822333
INR 87.968134
IQD 1364.44153
IRR 43834.955489
ISK 145.523076
JEP 0.822333
JMD 165.930728
JOD 0.738765
JPY 161.242873
KES 134.884334
KGS 90.122166
KHR 4193.512952
KMF 492.268155
KPW 937.645704
KRW 1463.259646
KWD 0.320727
KYD 0.867999
KZT 520.059599
LAK 22878.342838
LBP 93271.167197
LKR 303.144792
LRD 187.998165
LSL 18.795317
LTL 3.076251
LVL 0.630192
LYD 5.086409
MAD 10.478083
MDL 18.997794
MGA 4861.435378
MKD 61.522855
MMK 3383.819949
MNT 3540.134882
MOP 8.35093
MRU 41.443187
MUR 48.810083
MVR 16.10707
MWK 1806.090235
MXN 21.281613
MYR 4.654932
MZN 66.583684
NAD 18.795317
NGN 1767.675143
NIO 38.325549
NOK 11.531328
NPR 140.663663
NZD 1.78585
OMR 0.400943
PAB 1.041579
PEN 3.949541
PGK 4.193513
PHP 61.404399
PKR 289.239507
PLN 4.337676
PYG 8131.055634
QAR 3.798559
RON 4.978071
RSD 116.991412
RUB 108.671879
RWF 1421.834864
SAR 3.911473
SBD 8.734231
SCR 14.272055
SDG 626.663972
SEK 11.501974
SGD 1.402931
SHP 0.822333
SLE 23.68116
SLL 21846.638123
SOS 595.230868
SRD 36.978718
STD 21563.75683
SVC 9.113941
SYP 2617.626467
SZL 18.788818
THB 35.922648
TJS 11.092512
TMT 3.646401
TND 3.309016
TOP 2.440072
TRY 36.018972
TTD 7.074178
TWD 33.946439
TZS 2770.578216
UAH 43.089995
UGX 3848.553017
USD 1.041829
UYU 44.294855
UZS 13362.448044
VES 48.506662
VND 26482.251319
VUV 123.688032
WST 2.90836
XAF 655.880824
XAG 0.033274
XAU 0.000384
XCD 2.815595
XDR 0.792308
XOF 655.880824
XPF 119.331742
YER 260.379151
ZAR 18.862746
ZMK 9377.71492
ZMW 28.772658
ZWL 335.468513
  • RELX

    0.9900

    46.75

    +2.12%

  • RIO

    -0.2200

    62.35

    -0.35%

  • AZN

    1.3700

    65.63

    +2.09%

  • GSK

    0.2600

    33.96

    +0.77%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    6.79

    -0.15%

  • RBGPF

    59.2400

    59.24

    +100%

  • BP

    0.2000

    29.72

    +0.67%

  • BTI

    0.4000

    37.38

    +1.07%

  • NGG

    1.0296

    63.11

    +1.63%

  • CMSC

    0.0320

    24.672

    +0.13%

  • BCC

    3.4200

    143.78

    +2.38%

  • SCS

    0.2300

    13.27

    +1.73%

  • VOD

    0.1323

    8.73

    +1.52%

  • BCE

    0.0900

    26.77

    +0.34%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.21

    -0.15%

  • CMSD

    0.0150

    24.46

    +0.06%

Murray roars into Melbourne round two as Medvedev fires title shot
Murray roars into Melbourne round two as Medvedev fires title shot

Murray roars into Melbourne round two as Medvedev fires title shot

Former world number one Andy Murray turned back the clock in typically combative style and Daniil Medvedev underlined his status as the man to beat on day two of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Text size:

In the women's draw, top-10 seeds Garbine Muguruza, Iga Swiatek and Anett Kontaveit all made comfortable starts to their Melbourne title charges, and former number one Simona Halep won despite struggling with her serve.

But there was defeat at the first hurdle for 19-year-old US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez -- the 23rd seed going down 6-4, 6-2 to Australian wildcard Maddison Inglis, to the delight of the home crowd.

After Sunday's deportation of men's defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic, the first Grand Slam of the year is now in full swing and eager to move on from the visa saga.

That is proving easier said than done and Tennis Australia (TA), organisers of the so-called "Happy Slam", said in a statement Tuesday that they "deeply regret the impact" it has had on the other players.

"As the Australian tennis family, we recognise that recent events have been a significant distraction for everyone," TA said, without mentioning world number one Djokovic by name.

- 'Couldn't ask for more' -

If it has been a distraction for Murray, he did not show it.

The 34-year-old, there as a wildcard, showed all the fighting qualities that made him a three-time Grand Slam champion.

His epic five-set victory over 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was hugely symbolic -- the Briton departed Melbourne Park in 2019 not knowing if he would ever be back because of hip trouble.

But here he was, rolling back the years and rolling into round two.

"It's amazing to be back and winning a five-set battle like that, I couldn't ask for any more," said Murray.

There was no such problem for Russia's Medvedev, the second seed and favourite to lift his second major, who made light work of 91st-ranked Henri Laaksonen on Rod Laver Arena, dismantling the Swiss 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

With Djokovic out of the picture and Roger Federer not in Melbourne because of injury, the draw has opened up for the 25-year-old Medvedev and Spanish great Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, who is chasing a men's record 21st Slam title, set the tone on Monday with a straight-sets romp, but Medvedev was no less emphatic in dismissing Laaksonen.

"I like to play here, I like hardcourts and I want to do better than I did last year," said Medvedev, who was runner-up to Djokovic in 2021.

Medvedev, who conquered Djokovic in the US Open final in September to win his maiden Grand Slam crown, has cut a confident figure and said in the build-up that he feared nobody.

Another of the "Next Gen" young talents challenging the "Big Three" of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer is Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The fourth seed, who has been recovering from elbow surgery, plays Mikael Ymer of Sweden later Tuesday.

There was disappointment for Casper Ruud of Norway, the eighth seed, who pulled out with an ankle injury before playing a shot.

- Halep stays alive -

In the women's draw, Spanish world number three Muguruza, a finalist at Melbourne Park two years ago, eased past 77th-ranked Frenchwoman Clara Burel 6-3, 6-4.

She admitted she came into their encounter with no knowledge of Burel's game.

"Well, it felt very good. I didn't know really who I was facing. We've never played before," said Muguruza, a previous Slam winner at Wimbledon and Roland Garros.

There was also little trouble for Kontaveit, despite some early nerves, and Swiatek, but Romania's Halep was far from comfortable.

Halep laboured into round two 6-4, 6-3 after an error-strewn clash with Poland's Magdalena Frech which saw 11 service breaks.

"I found it so difficult today, I was unsure if I could play good tennis," said Halep, recently back from injury and chasing a third major crown.

"But in the end I won and that makes me very happy. Hopefully this week I can play better and better."

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka and US Open champion Emma Raducanu play later Tuesday.

The 19-year-old Raducanu is making her Australian Open debut and faces a tough test against American 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.

(P.Werner--BBZ)