Coco Gauff started her quest for her first Australian Open title in style with Amanda Anisimova in the second round but Briton Fran Jones forced to retire with an injury.
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion, advanced to Monday’s second round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kamila Rahimova.
Meanwhile, a sobbing Fran Jones was unable to complete the first round due to injury.
Third-seeded Gauff tried to close out the match at 5-2 in the second set against her Uzbek opponent, but her serve wobbled at times and she was broken.
However, Rakimova conceded two match points on serve in the next game and gave up the match with a backhand over the baseline.
French Open champion Gauff, a former semi-finalist at Melbourne Park and a quarter-finalist last year, is aiming for her third Grand Slam title.
Gauff struggled with double faults last season, and here she hit six more in the first set.
But she dismissed concerns, saying: “It was just the first set. There was only one double in the second set.
“We were both struggling on the far side. The sun was right there. We hit a triple in the first game, but once we got through that game, it was pretty much smooth sailing from there.”
She will next face left-hander Olga Danilovic, who knocked out Venus Williams on the first day, for a spot in the third round.
Former champion Sofia Kenin lost to fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-2, while sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula defeated Anastasia Zakharova 6-2, 6-1 in just 66 minutes.
Fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Switzerland’s Simona Woltert in just over an hour.
Anisimova, who reached the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, is aiming for her first Grand Slam title.
Iga Swiatek began her bid for her first Australian Open title with an unconvincing 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory over Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue.
“At first I was a little frustrated and didn’t get off to a very good start,” said Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion.
“But I knew if I tried harder I could play better, so I tried to do that.
“I’m happy with how things went, but there were a lot of ups and downs. We have things to work on.”
Swiatek will face Czech Marie Bouzkova, who has won three other majors and continues her quest for a career Grand Slam, for a third-round spot.
World No. 7 Mila Andreeva overcame a stumbling first set to defeat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
The 18-year-old eighth seed will face former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari of Greece in the second round.
Two days after finishing runner-up in Adelaide, 19-year-old Victoria Mboko of Canada advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Australian wildcard Emerson Jones.
Cruel blow for British No. 3 Jones, who seeks professional help
Fran Jones was unable to complete the first round of the Australian Open due to injury
British prospect Jones admitted she may need to seek professional physical help after losing 6-2, 3-2 to Czech-born Polish player Linda Klimovicova.
The 25-year-old arrived at Melbourne Park unsure if she was fit enough to play after suffering a groin problem in her right leg during a tournament in Auckland earlier this month.
It was clear from the beginning of her match against Klimovikova that Jones was struggling with her movement, and after dropping her serve in the second set, she decided she couldn’t go on any longer.
Jones sought treatment at the end of the first set, telling his coaching team that it was a problem with his hip muscles, not his groin, that was hindering his movement.
While it was a brutal blow for the 25-year-old Jones, who arrived in Melbourne with a career-high ranking of 69th after a career-best win over top-20 player Emma Navarro in Auckland, it was the first time she had qualified directly for a Grand Slam without needing a wild card.
So it was easy to understand the Yorkshirewoman’s frustration when she smashed her racket against the fence next to her court.
Jones was struggling with his movement and decided he couldn’t continue any longer after dropping his serve and falling behind 6-2, 3-2.
As he lay down again for treatment after the fifth game of the second set, Jones buried his head in his arms and his sobs could be heard throughout the court.
As Klimovikova stood waiting to serve, Jones, red-eyed and sitting in her chair, signaled that she could no longer continue.
“Usually I’m in control in front of you guys, but today I might struggle,” Jones said through tears.
“As I was going to slice, my injured leg slipped and I fell. I felt something pulling on my hip. I tried to see if it would heal, but then I realized that I obviously had multiple injuries on one leg. It was very difficult to think about the match at that point.”
“Obviously, I’m at a career high (in the rankings). I’d probably be in the main draw of the Masters. And you’re thinking, should I keep going? Should I fight because it’s a big tournament? There’s money at stake, there’s points at stake. Similarly, given my history, it’s probably not the wisest thing to keep pushing.”
Consistency is Jones’ next big goal, and her physical problems are related to her genetic disorder, ectodactyly ectodermal dysplasia. That means she has three fingers and thumbs on each hand and seven toes.
“I don’t have a direct connection to things like retirement and the so-called ‘syndrome kids’. I don’t think I had the team in place and I didn’t have the expertise needed from a young age,” she said.
“I wasn’t a natural athlete and I don’t aspire to be, but I believe I still have a long way to go.
“Next time you need to bring in more expertise to see how you can improve your physical performance, then you have to think about what is best for you and some things moving forward.
“Maybe I need to recover and be ready without overthinking it, but I don’t know if I can say that for sure right now.”
Fernley lose in a close game
Jacob Fearnley lost to Paul Kamil Meiszulzak
Jacob Fearnley also had difficulties early in the season and withdrew in the first round.
The Scotsman, who reached the third round on his debut last year, lost 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) to Paul Kamil Majsulzak.
Fernley suffered a hard fall on a break-up in the fifth game of the fourth set, but then Mike Kurzak quickly fought back.
In other news, Marta Kostyuk tore ligaments in her left ankle in her first round loss to Elsa Jacquemo.
Kostyuk rolled his ankle at the end of the third set.
“Unfortunately, I injured my ankle during today’s game and further tests revealed a torn ligament,” Kostyuk wrote on Instagram.
“The Australian Open has always been one of my favorite tournaments, so I never imagined this would be the end of my run,” she said. “But that’s part of the sport.”
Kostyuk started the year well, finishing second to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the Brisbane International.
“Despite the setbacks, Brisbane has had a great start to the year and we are grateful for the momentum,” she said. “Right now it’s time to focus on my recovery. I’m excited to get back on the court as soon as possible.”
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