John Millman stormed into the second round.Credit:Getty
Millman,32,is shouldering Australia’s hopes in the men’s singles after the withdrawals of Alex de Minaur,whotested positive to COVID-19 before flying out to Japan,and Nick Kyrgios,who elected not to play.
And he made it through his first match for the second time in as many Olympics,battling past rising Italian star Lorenzo Musetti 6-3,6-4.
Millman,ranked 44 in the world,shouted and pumped his fist in front of the empty grandstands after closing out the match in 96 minutes.
Nineteen-year-old Musetti came into the Games as the man who has been closest to halting Djokovic’s seemingly inevitable sweep of the four grand slams and Olympic Games,pushing the world No.1 in the fourth round of the French Open last month. Musetti led Djokovic by two sets before eventually retiring down 4-0 in the fifth.
Storm Sanders and Ash Barty during their first round women’s doubles win.Credit:Getty
But Millman quickly closed the door after a wild second set in which there were five breaks of serve. He will now play Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and could meet Djokovic in the third round if he can bypass the world No.35.
Barty made a winning start to her Olympic Games with a comfortable first round women’s doubles win alongside childhood friend Storm Sanders.
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The sixth seeds needed only 50 minutes to overwhelm Japan’s Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya 6-1,6-2 as Barty tries to complete a career-defining season,which includes afirst Wimbledon title.
“Playing with my childhood friend in what is a dream for both of us is really cool,” Barty said. “And to be here in some of the most unique circumstances I think ever for an Olympic Games,it’s really awesome for us.”
Barty will now switch focus to her tilt at a singles gold medal and potential dream final against Japan’s Naomi Osaka,who lit the flame in the opening ceremony. Barty will play Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in her opening singles match on Sunday.
While the news was good for a couple of Queenslanders,it wasn’t good for another with 37-year-old Sam Stosur’s fifth Olympic Games singles appearance ending at the first hurdle.
Stosur,who will team up with Ellen Perez in the women’s doubles,crashed out against Kazakhstan’s 15th seed Elena Rybakina 6-4,6-2.
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