MELBOURNE, Australia – Wherever you looked on the courts of the Australian Open during the first two days of opening round play, a Yonex racquet could be spotted.
With the first Grand Slam of the season underway, 59 players across the singles draws – 23 men and 36 women – hit the courts in Melbourne with Yonex racquets in their hands, accounting for 23 percent of all players, the second highest share among racquet brands.
Some 47 players in total use Yonex strings, meaning 18% percent of all players are using Yonex string at the AO, making it the second largest among top brands.
Of the 59 players, a total of 12 men and 17women won the first round. The following are the four notable Yonex superstars stood out as they made their way into the second round Down Under:
Pegula packs a mean punch
Jessica Pegula (USA) is on fire. After a standout 2022 season in which she soared into the top 10 and won her first WTA 1000 title, the third seed needed less than an hour to earn a shining victory, 6-0, 6-1 against Jaqueline Cristian (ROU).
Pegula’s 2023 form picked up where it left off from last year, as she won all four of her matches at the United Cup, including a 6-2, 6-2 upset over world No.1 Iga Swiatek (POL). The key to Pegula’s success can be contributed in part to her American teammate and fellow Yonex member, Frances Tiafoe (USA). The two were regular practice partners throughout the United Cup, which the U.S. won the inaugural staging of.
"I think it's good that I hit with him yesterday because it kind of relaxed me a little bit,” Pegula said in Sydney about Tiafoe. “I'm a little bit more focused [than him], which he needs, so I think it helps him, too" said added with a laugh.
Tiafoe starts strong, withstanding round one challenge
The aforementioned Tiafoe is also off to a sterling start at the AO. The American has not lost since the start of 2023, winning all five of his United Cup singles matches. He extended his streak to six with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 victory over Daniel Altmaier (GER) in his first round.
After reaching the quarter-finals at the AO in 2019, the 24-year-old made his first major semi-final at the US Open in September. And he isn't hesitating to say “the goal for this tournament is to win the title”.
Shapovalov soars in Melbourne
Denis Shapovalov (CAN) won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 over tour veteran Dusan Lajovic (SRB) with his new VCORE racquet. The 20th seeded Canadian trailed by a break, 1-3, in the third set, but broke back to even things at 3-all. Shapovalov then broke again with a dynamic one-handed backhand return, his signature lefty weapon. He not only won the match, but also the hearts of Australian fans on the 1573 Arena, where a raucous crowd cheered him on.
WTA Finals champ Garcia looks to level up
Caroline Garcia (FRA) has drastically changed her status within one year, having started 2022 as the world No. 74. The Frenchwoman fell at the first hurdle here a year ago, but she arrived in Melbourne brimming with confidence, having won the WTA Finals in November to cap an outstanding return to form in the second half of the season.
It took the world No. 4 just 65 minutes to beat Katherine Sebov (CAN), a qualifier, losing only three games in a 6-3, 6-0 win on Rod Laver Arena. She showed the tennis fans in Melbourne that she is very capable of winning a major title, having – like Tiafoe – just made the final four at the US Open a few months ago.
Jessica Pegula (USA) | EZONE [LINK]
Frances Tiafoe (USA) | VCORE PRO [LINK] / POLYTOUR PRO [LINK]
Denis Shapovalov (CAN) | VCORE [LINK] / POLYTOUR STRIKE [LINK]
Caroline Garcia (FRA) | VCORE [LINK] / POLYTOUR STRIKE [LINK]
