American Madison Keys opened her Australian Open title defence with a tense but ultimately successful performance, rallying to beat Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-6(6), 6-1 in the first round at Melbourne Park on Tuesday. The defending champion looked unusually shaky early, dropping the first four games and committing several double faults before finding her rhythm and staging a comeback to take the opening set. Keys’ gritty comeback set the tone for a smoother second set as she advanced to face compatriot Ashlyn Krueger in the second round.

On the men’s side, eighth seed Ben Shelton impressed with a straight-sets victory over Ugo Humbert, clinching a 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) win to reach the next round with confident serving and tactical poise.

Long lines formed early outside Melbourne Park, reflecting strong fan interest in the defending champs and top seeds as the year’s first Grand Slam builds momentum.