Melbourne Park witnessed a captivating blend of elite athletic performance and high fashion on day three of the Australian Open, where defending champions asserted their dominance while a former winner made an unforgettable sartorial statement.
Reigning men’s champion Jannik Sinner commenced his campaign for a historic third consecutive title, though his opening match concluded under unfortunate circumstances. The world No. 2 demonstrated initial rustiness, saving three break points in his first service game before finding his rhythm against French opponent Hugo Gaston. The match ended abruptly at 6-2, 6-1 when Gaston retired due to injury, leaving Sinner victorious after just 68 minutes on court. The Italian consoled his weeping opponent and later expressed satisfaction with his off-season preparation, despite the unsatisfactory conclusion.
On the women’s side, Madison Keys navigated a turbulent start to her title defense against Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandra Oliynykova. Trailing 4-0 with multiple double faults, the American ninth seed staged a remarkable comeback, securing a tense first-set tiebreak before dominating the second stanza 6-1. Oliynykova, making her Grand Slam debut with distinctive blue floral face tattoos, challenged Keys with unorthodox deep shots but ultimately succumbed to the champion’s powerful baseline game.
The day’s most dramatic entrance belonged to Naomi Osaka, whose court arrival overshadowed even the competitive action. The two-time Australian Open champion emerged carrying a white parasol with an extensive trailing veil, complemented by a wide-brimmed hat and a turquoise tunic with crimped white trousers. Osaka later revealed the ensemble was “modelled after a jellyfish.” Her tennis performance mirrored the unpredictable nature of her inspiration, fluctuating before ultimately prevailing against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Other notable results saw 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas avoid another first-round exit by coming from behind against Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki. Meanwhile, 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez suffered defeat to Janice Tjen, who became Indonesia’s first Australian Open match winner in 28 years. Higher seeds Elena Rybakina, Belinda Bencic, and Jelena Ostapenko all progressed comfortably in straight sets.
