Today’s Australian Open scores and results as Novak Djokovic begins title defence

Here’s what is coming up in the opening night session of the Australian Open – with two defending champions and the returning Caroline Wozniacki highlighting the action.

Novak Djokovic vs Dino Prizmic

Aryna Sabalenka vs Ella Seidel

Magda Linette vs Caroline Wozniacki

Frances Tiafoe vs Borna Coric

Taylor Fritz vs Facundo Diaz Acosta

RELIEF for Rublev! Sealed with an ace, the World No 5 falls to his back after surviving a huge test against an inspired Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Rublev had four match points before trailing the deciding tiebreak 4-1 and 6-4… but the Russian then found a couple of big, brave forehand returns to get the job done.

He’ll hope to kick on from here… Rublev of course is still aiming for his first grand slam semi-final and NINE quarter-final appearances.

It’s 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (6) for Rublev… and he’ll be grateful for an extra day of rest after that one.

It’s neck and neck at 6-7 in the match decider, but Seyboth Wild missed a huge chance at the net when leading 6-4 but put his volley into the net!

Rublev is winning the key points as he looks to avoid the upset.

Seyboth Wild saves FOUR match points from 5-6, 0-40 down against Andrey Rublev to force a MATCH TIEBREAK!

The Russian cannot believe it and will now need to keep his nerve against Seyboth Wild to avoid a mighty upset!

Rublev has managed to calm down and is asking more of the questions in the decider, but Seyboth Wild is hanging on impressively with some inspired play around the set.

The Brazilian saved three break points from 0-40 down early in the fifth and it remains on serve at 4-4 in the fifth.

Andrey Rublev seemed to be cruising into the second round of the Australian OPen – but Thiago Seyboth Wild is having other ideas on Margaret Court Arena.

After the fifth set won the first two sets, Seyboth Wild has come storming back to level the match behind his huge forehand. Rublev is losing his temper, too.

The Brazilian always looked like being a potential banana skin for Rublev, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the first round of the Australian Open last year.

Could another upset be brewing this morning?

There’s been an early shock in the men’s draw as Marin Cilic, the former US Open champion, was beaten in four sets by 24-year-old Hungarian Fabian Marozsan – who was one of the few players not called Novak Djokovic to beat Carlos Alcaraz last season. .

Meanwhile, Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova bounced back from a sluggish start in her first-round clash with Japan’s Mai Hontama, with the 2021 French Open champion coming through to win 2-6 6-4 6-3.

Some sad news this morning as former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini has been forced to pull out of the Australian Open with a foot injury.

The big-serving Italian, whose season was disrupted by injuries last season, had draw Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster round-one clash.

It means Berrettini has missed four out of the last eight grand slam tournaments.

The match of the day may have already happened at Melbourne Park, after a brave challenge from Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny in a five-set defeat to the 22nd seed Francisco Cerundolo.

Sweeny, the world No 257, had the John Cain Arena on its feet and dreaming of an upset after winning the fourth set to force a decider, but Cerundolo came through to win 3-6 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-2 win.

Former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez is through to the Australian Open second round thanks to a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Czech teenager Sara Bejlek.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and not think about what I’ve done in the past or what I should be doing in the future,” said the 21-year-old, who was beaten by Emma Raducanu in the 2021 US Open final.

“I’m just going to try to enjoy the moment here with my team,” said Fernandez, who is now ranked 36th in the world.

Fernandez will play America’s Alycia Parks in round two on Wednesday.