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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Jack Rathborn

Australian Open order of play: Day 1 schedule including Rafael Nadal vs Jack Draper

AFP via Getty Images

Rafael Nadal begins his Australian Open title defence on Monday and resumes a battle with Novak Djokovic to finish their careers with the most men’s grand slam titles.

The Spaniard edged ahead of the Serbian last year and currently has 22 in total, but Djokovic is the favourite to triumph after a feast of tennis across the next fortnight.

Djokovic has been given a warm welcome in Melbourne having arrived in Australia unvaccinated 12 months ago and the nine-times Australian Open champion has put the scandal behind him and will hope to make it a stunning 10 to kick off the year, leaning on a staggering 82-6 record here since 2007.

The big two will have competition from the likes of Nick Kyrgios, Stefanos Tsitsipas and last year’s beaten finalist Daniil Medvedev, while Iga Swiatek is the clear favourite in the women’s tournament and will take on Jule Niemeier to begin her quest for grand slam No 4 on Monday.

Here is the order of play for Day 1 at the Australian Open 2023:

Order of play - Monday 16 January

(All times local, +11 hours from GMT)

Rod Laver Arena

11:00: Katerina Siniakova (Cze) v (7) Cori Gauff (USA), Yue Yuan (Chn) v (6) Maria Sakkari (Gre), (1) Rafael Nadal (Spa) v Jack Draper (Gbr), (1) Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Jule Niemeier (Ger), Marcos Giron (USA) v (7) Daniil Medvedev (Rus)

Margaret Court Arena

11:00: (3) Jessica Pegula (USA) v Jaqueline Adina Cristian (Rom), (10) Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) v Pedro Martinez Portero (Spa), Sofia Kenin (USA) v (24) Victoria Azarenka (Blr), (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) v Quentin Halys (Fra), (10) Madison Keys (USA) v Anna Blinkova (Rus)

John Cain Arena

11:00: Kyle Edmund (Gbr) v (15) Jannik Sinner (Ita), Alison Van Uytvanck (Bel) v (15) Petra Kvitova (Cze), Sebastian Baez (Arg) v Jason Kubler (Aus), Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus) v Nadia Podoroska (Arg)

1573 Arena

11:00: Emma Raducanu (Gbr) v Tamara Korpatsch (Ger), Dusan Lajovic (Ser) v (20) Denis Shapovalov (Can), (20) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) v Sara Bejlek (Cze), Alex Molcan (Svk) v Stan Wawrinka (Swi)

Kia Arena

11:00: Anna Kalinskaya (Rus) v (13) Danielle Collins (USA), Daniel Altmaier (Ger) v (16) Frances Tiafoe (USA), (11) Paula Badosa Gibert (Spa) v Catherine McNally (USA), Vasek Pospisil (Can) v (6) Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

Court 3

11:00: Bianca Vanessa Andreescu (Can) v (25) Marie Bouzkova (Cze), Talia Gibson (Aus) v Clara Burel (Fra), (11) Cameron Norrie (Gbr) v Luca Van Assche (Fra), John Millman (Aus) v Marc-Andrea Huesler (Swi)

Court 5

11:00: Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Arg) v Gregoire Barrere (Fra), Coco Vandeweghe (USA) v Anhelina Kalinina (Ukr), Jaume Munar (Spa) v Dalibor Svrcina (Cze), (32) Jil Belen Teichmann (Swi) v Harriet Dart (Gbr)

Court 6

11:00: Cristina Bucsa (Spa) v Eva Lys (Ger), Tallon Griekspoor (Ned) v Pavel Kotov (Rus), Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) v Nuno Borges (Por), Kaja Juvan (Slo) v Selena Janicijevic (Fra)

Court 7

11:00: Marta Kostyuk (Ukr) v (28) Amanda Anisimova (USA), (29) Sebastian Korda (USA) v Christian Garin (Chi), Jiri Lehecka (Cze) v (21) Borna Coric (Cro), Xin Yu Wang (Chn) v Storm Hunter (Aus)

Court 8

11:00: Polina Kudermetova (Rus) v Olivia Gadecki (Aus), Mikael Ymer (Swe) v (31) Yoshihito Nishioka (Jpn), Anna Bondar (Hun) v Ana Bogdan (Rom), Yannick Hanfmann (Ger) v Rinky Hijikata (Aus)

Court 12

11:00: Yosuke Watanuki (Jpn) v Arthur Rinderknech (Fra), Bernarda Pera (USA) v Moyuka Uchijima (Jpn), Ernesto Escobedo (USA) v Taro Daniel (Jpn)

Court 13

11:00: Oscar Otte (Ger) v Juncheng Shang (Chn), (18) Karen Khachanov (Rus) v Bernabe Zapata Miralles (Spa), Panna Udvardy (Hun) v Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Col), (22) Elena Rybakina (Kaz) v Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Ita)

Court 14

11:00: Corentin Moutet (Fra) v Yibing Wu (Chn), Kamilla Rakhimova (Rus) v Kateryna Baindl (Ukr), Lin Zhu (Chn) v Rebecca Marino (Can), (17) Lorenzo Musetti (Ita) v Lloyd George Harris (Rsa)

Court 15

11:00: (28) Francisco Cerundolo (Arg) v Guido Pella (Arg), Lesia Tsurenko (Ukr) v Karolina Muchova (Cze), (29) Qinwen Zheng (Chn) v Dalma Galfi (Hun), Christopher Eubanks (USA) v Soon Woo Kwon (Kor)

Court 16

11:00: Kristina Kucova (Svk) v Diana Shnaider (Rus), Brandon Nakashima (USA) v MacKenzie McDonald (USA), Dayana Yastremska (Ukr) v (17) Jelena Ostapenko (Lat), Thiago Moura Monteiro (Bra) v Constant Lestienne (Fra)

Court 17

11:00: Ilya Ivashka (Blr) v (32) Botic van de Zandschulp (Ned), Brenda Fruhvirtova (Cze) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Blr), Federico Coria (Arg) v Marton Fucsovics (Hun)

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