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[ad_1] MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal launched his Australian Open title defence with a four-set victory over Britain's Jack Draper as home hope Nick Kyrgios exited through injury without hitting a ball. In the women's draw, in-form Jessica Pegula and teenage prodigy Coco Gauff were both emphatic winners on the first day of the opening Grand Slam of the year. Spanish great Nadal, 36, had been in poor form by his sky-high standards, losing six of his last seven matches stretching back to defeat in the last 16 at the US Open. In fast-rising Draper, 21, the 22-time Grand Slam champion faced a tough test to start his campaign at a sweltering Melbourne Park. But top seed Nadal recovered from a second-set wobble to defeat the 38th-ranked Briton 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena. Nadal, who is now a father, faces American Mackenzie McDonald in round two. "Very exciting, new beginning, just super-happy to be back at Rod Laver with a victory I needed," he said aft

[ad_1] MELBOURNE: Sebastian Korda says he's "the worst athlete" in his high-achieving sporting family, but with a little help from tennis legend Andre Agassi the rising American is working hard to change the dynamic. The 22-year-old stunned two-time losing finalist and seventh seed Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open on Friday, weeks after pushing Novak Djokovic to the limit in the Adelaide International final. Known as Sebi, his composed performances reflect what has been evident for some time – he is on the rise, and with plenty to live up to in the Korda family. His father Petr is a former world number two who won the Australian Open in 1998 while his mother Regina Rajchrtova was a Czech player who rose to 26 in the world. His older sisters are equally prodigious with Nelly an eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour, current world number two and an Olympic champion. Jessica also opted for golf rather than tennis and she too excelled, winning six titles so

[ad_1] MELBOURNE: Rafa Nadal will return to Grand Slam tennis at the Australian Open in January, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Wednesday. The 37-year-old former world number one has been sidelined since hurting his hip flexor in a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Melbourne Park major earlier this year. The Spaniard, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, was initially expected to miss eight weeks but underwent surgery on a hip muscle in June. While Nadal's representative Benito Perez-Barbadillo told Reuters via text from Shanghai that there was nothing to announce yet on the Spaniard's upcoming schedule, Tiley told Nine Network's 'The Today Show' that he had confirmed his participation. "We can reveal exclusively here that Rafa will be back," Tiley said. "He's been off for most of the year and in talking to him over the last few days he confirmed he will be back, which we're really excited about, the champion of