Nine Australians, including Alex de Minaur, are scheduled to play opening-round singles matches today at Australian Open 2023.
Melbourne, Australia, 17 January 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Alex de Minaur is among nine Aussie players beginning their Australian Open 2023 campaigns today.
De Minaur, who defeated world No.2 Rafael Nadal at the United Cup earlier this month, is feeling confident ahead of his clash with Chinese Taipei qualifier Hsu Yu Hsiou this evening.
“It’s been a couple (of) great weeks for me, great way to start the year,” said world No.24 De Minaur.
“I’ve been here (in Melbourne) now for probably over a week. I’ve been practising, getting used to the conditions. It’s been a couple hot days. I’ve had a lot of high-level practice.
“I enjoy playing here in Australia. The crowds are always amazing. I’m looking forward to another chance of doing that.”
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Aussies in action:
[WC] Kimberly Birrell (AUS) v [31] Kaia Kanepi (EST)
Women’s singles, first round, Kia Arena, first match (from 11am AEDT)
Birrell, a 24-year-old from the Gold Coast, is making her fourth Australian Open main-draw appearance. The world No.167’s best result is a third-round run in 2019. Since then, she has undergone two elbow surgeries and is fighting hard to reclimb the rankings. Birrell faces experienced Kanepi, a 37-year-old Estonian who contested her first Australian Open in 2002. The big-hitting No.31 seed recorded her best result at Melbourne Park last summer, scoring two top-20 wins to reach the quarterfinals.
Head-to-head record: Kanepi leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kanepi won 6-1 6-3 (Brisbane, January 2018)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v J.J. Wolf (USA)
Men’s singles, first round, Court 3, second match
Making his 10th consecutive Australian Open main-draw appearance, the hard-working Thompson has a clear edge in experience in this opening-round clash. The 28-year-old from Sydney, who is ranked No.88 and aiming to record his first main-draw win at Melbourne Park since 2020, meets a rising American making his Australian Open main-draw debut. The 24-year-old Wolf broke into the world’s top 100 in August last year and is currently ranked No.67.
Head-to-head record: First meeting
[Q] Max Purcell (AUS) v Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN)
Men’s singles, first round, Court 7, second match
World No.205 Purcell has qualified at the Australian Open for a second time and is feeling confident after sealing his spot…
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