Fans cool as Happy Slam heats up

MELBOURNE • The Australian Open is known as the "Happy Slam" for its convivial atmosphere. But the mood was radically different as tennis fans wearing masks filtered into Melbourne Park yesterday for the start of the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

The on-court proceedings largely went according to the world order, with stars Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic all breezing into the second round.

Yet fans had to embrace a new reality. Foreign fans have been kept out as part of Australia's tough measures to get to grips with the coronavirus pandemic, while local ones entered a sprawling site divided into three distinct zones around the main showcourts.

Digital tickets instead of paper and social distancing are among measures to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. More than 800 hand sanitiser dispensers have also been installed together with QR code checks, and click-and-collect for food and drinks.

The tournament will welcome about half its usual capacity over the fortnight, with crowds limited to 30,000 fans a day. But there was no rush of spectators yesterday and it was not clear if it was the overcast sky or coronavirus concerns keeping people away. Organisers said 17,922 fans passed through the gates yesterday compared to 64,387 on day one last year.

Tennis Australia chief executive officer Craig Tiley is optimistic the event will be a hit and health precautions will be sufficient.

"We've had players tested 14, 15 and 16 times," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp television yesterday, when Australia reported just one locally transmitted case of Covid-19 in Melbourne - linked to a quarantine hotel not associated with the tennis.

"So I think that the safety of the site is going to be assured, and our objective is to provide a great experience for our fans."

Undaunted fan Boris Trbojevic, 30, travelled over 1,700 km from Brisbane to watch the tennis.

Karen Orelli, 52, and sister Megan Batrouney, 50, said while things were not as cheerful as they usually are, the virus restrictions meant things were not so crowded.

"We can sit together but there are two seats between us and the next people," Orelli said. "It's good because you can get around, you can get onto all the courts, you can see whatever you want."

Fall in fans on the first day of competition from last year's numbers.

MEN'S 1ST RD: Nick Kyrgios (Aus) bt Frederico Silva (Por) 6-4 6-4 6-4, Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) bt Marin Cilic (Cro) 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7-5), Diego Schwartzman (Arg) bt Elias Ymer (Swe) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 2-6 6-2, Denis Shapovalov (Can) bt Jannik Sinner (Ita) 3-6 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4.

WOMEN'S 1ST RD: Venus Williams (USA) bt Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) 7-5 6-2, Petra Kvitova (Cze) bt Greet Minnen (Bel) 6-3 6-4, Ons Jabeur (Tun) bt Andrea Petkovic (Ger) 6-3 3-6 6-4, Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) bt Viktoria Kuzmova (Svk) 6-0 6-4, Iga Swiatek (Pol) bt Arantxa Rus (Ned) 6-1 6-3.

Those at Margaret Court Arena saw 2016 champion Angelique Kerber make an early exit, with the German lamenting that spending two weeks in hard quarantine contributed to her loss. The former world No. 1 fell to American Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-4.

"Of course, you feel it if you are not hitting the ball for two weeks and you are not in the rhythm," Kerber said after her earliest exit from Melbourne Park in six years.

"You feel it, especially if you play one of the first matches in a Grand Slam... against an opponent who didn't stay in the hard lockdown."

There were otherwise few upsets on opening day. Japan's Osaka, the third seed, struck the first serve on Rod Laver Arena and strode to the net to touch rackets with her opponent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova just 68 minutes later after a 6-1, 6-2 win.

Williams started her quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title with a 6-1, 6-1 romp past Germany's Laura Siegemund in 56 minutes. Second-seeded Simona Halep enjoyed a businesslike 6-2, 6-1 demolition of local wildcard Lizette Cabrera.

In the men's singles draw, world No. 1 Djokovic, looking for a record-extending ninth Melbourne Park crown, crushed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

Sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev had a harder time, dropping a set and smashing a racket before grinding to a 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-2 win against American Marcos Giron.

US Open champion Dominic Thiem also endured a stuttering start - which he blamed on the speed of the courts - after being given an early scare in his 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-3 win against Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin.

"I like to have time, so the fast court takes it away a little bit for me, so that's not perfect," said last year's runner-up. "I have to get used to it. I have the feeling that it's one of the faster tournaments I've played in recent years."

With this being the first Australian Open in the coronavirus era, the Austrian will not be the only one making adjustments.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE