Returning champion Stan was back in his element at Rod Laver Arena, and needed just an hour and a half to come out on top over Turkish Marsel Ilhan. With strong resolve and calm nerves going into this year’s Aussie Open, Stan took the first set in a brisk 20 minutes. While the world No. 100 tried to put up a fight in the second set, Stan won it with little trouble, and moved on take the third for a straight-set victory. With his trademark backhand, the Swiss hit eight aces and 34 winners, breaking five times while his opponent missed both of his break opportunities. The final score came to 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Former world No. 1 Lleyton became the tenth Australian to reach the second round of this year’s Australian Open in his 19th appearance at the tournament. While the vet’s opening match against Chinese Zhang Ze was something of a thrill ride with a challenging second set, Lleyton boasted strong mental resilience that comes with experience. With his young opponent showing sloppy performance with 62 unforced errors, Lleyton earned a great 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory. Lleyton’s wife and kids were in the stands supporting him as he got his first-round victory.
Japanese Go Soeda (VCORE Tour G, POLYTOUR SPIN) grabbed a first-round win in a heated match against Sweden’s Elias Ymer. The intense full-set match ended at 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The USA’s Coco Vandeweghe (EZONE Ai 98) had a strong opening match against Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, winning 6-2, 6-2.
2015 Australian Open Tournament Results
Men’s Singles (Round 1)
[4] Stan Wawrinka (VCORE Tour G, SHT-PRO) (SUI) def. Marsel Ilhan (TUR) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Lleyton Hewitt (VCORE Tour 97, YONEX Shoes) (AUS) def. Ze Zhang (CHN) 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, 6-4
Go Soeda (VCORE Tour G, POLYTOUR SPIN) (JPN) def. Elias Ymer (SWE) 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Coco Vandeweghe (EZONE Ai 98) USA) def. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 6-2, 6-2.
*Photo of Lleyton taken at the 2014 Australian Open