No Venus fairytale as Alcaraz, Sabalenka win openers

MELBOURNE, Jan 18 (AFP): Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka launched their Australian Open title bids with straight-sets wins but there was no fairytale for 45-year-old Venus Williams on Sunday.
On a hot Melbourne day in which a ball girl fainted, last year's men's beaten finalist Alexander Zverev dropped a set before easing into the second round.
World number one Alcaraz joined him, the Spaniard beating 81st-ranked home player Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
Alcaraz, who is desperate to win the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors, plays Germany's Yannick Hanfmann next.
"I think this kind of level and the difficulties in the first round is pretty good for me," said Alcaraz, who was pushed all the way in the second set.
"But overall just happy. I'm pleased about the level that I played today," added Alcaraz, who was playing his first competitive match for nine weeks.
Alcaraz has won the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open, but Melbourne is the one Grand Slam missing from his impressive resume.
The furthest he has gone at the opening major of the year is the quarter-finals and he has made it clear that dethroning rival Jannik Sinner as champion is his main aim for 2026.
If he does so, the 22-year-old would surpass compatriot Rafael Nadal to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
Earlier, in steamy conditions approaching highs of 30C, Zverev threatened to implode in losing the first set to Canada's Gabriel Diallo. But the 28-year-old German recovered from the shock to win 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and next meets Australian Alexei Popyrin or Alexandre Muller of France.
Asked how he reset from his first-set wobble, the third seed said, "I was thinking it can't get worse than that.
British qualifier Arthur Fery scored the first big upset by taking down 20th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 6-1.
Novak Djokovic, who is chasing a record 25th major title, begins his title assault on Monday, as does three-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev.