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Australian Open off to a thrilling start

Jan 14, 2019

Image source: Fox Sports

Tennis World No. 2 Rafael Nadal made a solid start to his Australian Open campaign, in what was his first competitive match since September last year.

This, after he beat Australian James Duckworth in straight sets, to progress to the second round.

The Spaniard had been out of action over the past few months recovering from injury, which forced him sit out several major tournaments, including the season-ending ATP Finals in November.

Meanwhile, other big names advancing to Round 2 are South Africa's Kevin Anderson, Argentina's Diego Schwartzman and Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Britain's Kyle Edmund, however, crashed out, after a straight-sets defeat to Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych.

Over in the women's draw, Maria Sharapova, Sloane Stephens, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber are also through.