Stephens and Townsend back in victory
On the women’s side, Stephens’ win (ranked No. 1,097) was undoubtedly the highlight of the day. The former US Open champion is the only major champion competing in qualifiers – in either men’s or women’s – and despite coming off a 13-match losing streak, she defeated 21-year-old Barbora Palicova (No. 229) 6-1, 7-5. In the second round, Stephens will face Australian Olivia Gadecki (No. 171) – a rematch of the first round of the 2024 main draw, in which Stephens won in straight sets.
Another strong performance came from American Taylor Townsend (No. 116), current doubles world No. 2, who is trying to make her mark in singles. She faced a tough first-round challenge against Nao Hibino (No. 201) but overcame the Asian player in two hours and 20 minutes, 6-7(3), 6-0, 7-5.
Jarry and Basilashvili out
On the men’s side, several notable names appeared on the court. Chilean Nicolás Jarry (No. 133) – 2024 Rome Open finalist – continues in poor form and fell in his qualifying debut (where he was 21st seed) to Frenchman Titouan Droguet (No. 155), 4-6, 3-6. The South American ends a streak of 13 consecutive Grand Slam main draws and extends a year-and-a-half crisis, in which he has been far from the results that placed him as a worthy top-20 player a couple of seasons ago.
Another notable defeat was former world No. 21 Daniel Evans (No. 187), who failed to make an impact and was eliminated in straight sets by Japan’s Rei Sakamoto (No. 202), 6-1, 6-2. It is the second consecutive year Evans is eliminated in the first round of the Aussie Open qualifiers, and all indications are that in the coming weeks he could drop out of the top 200.