Madison Keys shakes off nerves to begin Australian Open title defence

Madison Keys recovered from early stage fright to begin the defence of her Australian Open title in winning fashion.

The American claimed a long-sought-after first grand slam victory here 12 months ago, beating Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka on Rod Laver Arena, but returning to the same court against Ukrainian debutante Oleksandra Oliynykova threatened to turn into a nightmare.

Keys lost the opening four games, clawed her way back to a tie-break and had to save two set points before finally relaxing and pulling away to win 7-6 (6) 6-1.

"The moment they say, 'Ready, play', it kind of all hits you in a way that I don't think you can ever really explain to someone," said a relieved Keys afterwards.

"But, as nerve-racking and as stressful as that can be, I'm still reminding myself of just how few people get to be in that moment, and being able to walk out today and have the crowd be as welcoming as they were, I'll take the stress any day."

Although she could not pull off the upset, it was a moment of immense pride for 25-year-old Oliynykova, who made her mark for more than just her temporary facial tattoos.

She has risen rapidly up the rankings and revealed she takes inspiration from her father, who is fighting for Ukraine in the country's war with Russia.

"I'm so proud of him," she said. "Actually, this is something that is keeping me motivated even more. After he joined the military, I did progress for over 200 (ranking) positions, because I know it was his dream to see me on this court."

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Unlike most of her compatriots, Oliynykova still lives and trains in Ukraine, with all the dangers that currently brings.

"During the preparations, I was hearing the explosions," she said. "There was a couple of massive attacks the last night I spent in Ukraine before the trip here.

"There was an explosion just near my home, and a drone hit the home just across the road. My apartment was literally shaking because of the explosion. In my apartment, I have no electricity, no water, no heat. Every opportunity to say about this, I believe it's very important."

On a good day for the big names, there were straight-sets victories for Elena Rybakina and Ben Shelton, while men's fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti had fought back from a set down to lead Raphael Collignon by two sets to one when the Belgian became the latest player to retire injured.

Teenage star Joao Fonseca, though, is still waiting for his grand slam breakthrough after losing 6-4 2-6 6-1 6-2 to American Eliot Spizzirri.

PA