The two big stories on the first day of the Australian Open are Nick Kyrius' retirement due to injury, and Rafael Nadal's first-round victory over Great Britain's Jake Draper in four sets.
Besides these, there were many small stories worth telling yesterday.
1.
"It was definitely a long journey," admitted Jason Kabler at the end of the victory over Sebastian Baas of Argentina.
The match was indeed short, three smooth sets, but the journey that the 29-year-old Australian is talking about really wasn't.
In 2010 he made his debut in his home tournament, and only last night, 12 years later, he achieved his first victory.
In that time period, Kabler has had six knee surgeries, retired and returned, lost qualifiers and fought to keep his career alive.
In front of an enthusiastic Australian crowd that included Leighton Hewitt, Kabler finally fulfilled the big dream, and won the game in the Australian Championship.
"A very special feeling", he concluded;
"This is exactly what I wanted to happen."
KUBES 😍
Jason Kubler is into the second round at the @AustralianOpen for the first time after a clinical straight sets victory, 6-4 6-4 6-4 🙌#GoAussies • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/u3NUgdjsTk
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 16, 2023
2.
Australian women's tennis has fallen into a kind of vacuum with the start of the home Grand Slam.
Last year's champion, Ashley Barty, hung up her racket, Samantha Stosur announced that she would too at the end of the tournament, and Valija Tomlianovic - who was supposed to enter the opening hole - was injured and retired the day before the competition began.
The one who jumped at the opportunity to take center stage is 20-year-old Olivia Gadecki.
Ranked 200 in the world, never won a major tournament, Barty's student, inexperienced.
She received a free ticket to the main draw, and beat Polina Kudramatova in two sets.
When she received a $160,000 check for her life's greatest achievement, all she could say was;
"Okay, wow."
Gadetsky.
Filled the void, photo: Getty
3.
From the depths of the 140th place in the world and at the age of 33, John Millman had to find a niche where he could stand out among all the young people and stars of the round.
After searching, the Australian found the right place for him: long and dramatic games.
So after receiving a free ticket to the first round, he met Marc Andrea Hessler of Switzerland (51st in the world) there and provided his trademark.
In the first and third sets he lost, but in the second and fourth he won.
It was his 50th career Grand Slam match, and of those 50, 12 went to the fifth set.
He lost the last seven times he was in such a situation, but yesterday he was helped by the support of the crowd, and completed a 3:6 victory in the last set.
It took more than four hours, and in Australia the phenomenon is called "milemania".
Danil Medvedev is waiting for him in the next round, and it should already be shorter.
and less successful.
Milman.
If it's not hard it's not worth it, photo: EPA
4.
Shenag Junsheng started the Australian Championship from the place with the lowest expectations possible.
Also 17 years old, the youngest of all players in the main draw, also making a Grand Slam debut, and from China, a country that has never seen its tennis player win a match in Melbourne.
Still, the young lad who advanced from the qualifiers did.
He defeated Germany's Oskar Otta in four sets, declaring: "I think this is a huge achievement for Chinese men's tennis. We had many excellent women who achieved good results, but the men less so."
In the next round he will try to continue his and China's history when he meets the American Francis Tiepo.
Shang.
Put China on the map, photo: EPA
5.
Francis Tiafou's clothing.
just see
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