Jannik Sinner consoles opponent after sudden Australian Open retirement

Jannik Sinner kicked off his Australian Open defence by spending just 68 minutes on the court after first-round opponent Hugo Gaston retired while trailing 6-2 6-1.

The Frenchman Gaston was in tears as he consoled by Sinner after struggling with a wrist injury, following a heavy fall earlier in the match - and he threw in the towel after losing the second set to the defending champion.

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Sinner has now won 15 matches in a row at the Australian Open, as he bids to win a third title in succession at Melbourne Park.

In round two, the Italian will play Australian wildcard James Duckworth, who defeated lucky loser Dino Prizmic in five sets, while potential third-round opponent Joao Fonseca is out following defeat to Eliot Spizzirri.

“I saw he was not serving with high pace, especially in the second set,” Sinner said in his on-court interview after applauding Gaston off the court.

“It’s not the way you want to win the match. He is a talented player. He has incredible touch, moving very so I knew from the beginning that I had to play a very high level tennis, trying to be as aggressive as possible, which I've done so I'm very happy.

“I'm very happy to be back here. It's a very special place for me.”

Sinner, who faced three break points in his opening game but quickly hit his stride to save, was playing in his first official match of the season after exhibitions against Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“I felt very well prepared,” Sinner said. “We worked a lot, physically, obviously on the court too.

“I had one great match with Felix, even though it's an exhibition, but we went full. The official matches are always very, very different, so I'm very happy how I started off today

“Of course, a bit of tension, but now it's time also to enjoy. All the hard work is done. We practice for moments like this, so I'm very happy to be back here.”