Morena Mothupi
South Africa is one player down at the Australian Open and it’s only the first day of the Grand Slam.
Lloyd Harris was stunned on Court 3, by tournament wildcard and local boy Aleksandar Vukic, despite starting the match strong.
Harris claimed the first set 6-4, then it went downhill for him from there.
Vukic hit back in the second set, taking it 6-3.
The two players upped the ante in the third set, as it ended 7-5, in favour of the Australian.
Things intensified in the fourth set, but Vukic came out on top, sealing that one 7-6.
4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and 7-6 is how it ended, with Harris, who was the number 30 seed, having to bid farewell to the competition.
There have been no major upsets yet in the men’s draw, with Rafael Nadal cruising into the second round, thanks to a straight sets victory over Marco Giron of the US.
On the women’s side, there were easy wins for Naomi Osaka , Victoria Azarenka, Elina Svitolina and Maria Sakkari.
Young sensation Coco Gauff surprisingly got dumped out early, losing spectacularly to Chinese player Wang Qiang.
Serena Williams is the biggest absentee in the women’s draw. She said, in December, that she won’t be Down Under because she’s not where she wants to be physically.
The first Grand Slam of the year is also without Novak Djokovic, who got deported yesterday after losing his appeal against the second cancellation of his visa.
He could miss the Australian Open for the next three years, according to the country’s deportation laws.
