By Chris Oddo | Sunday January 13, 2019
Let’s all get happy for the happy slam! Day one is upon us and here is your Day 1 preview, by the numbers…
See the Full Day 1 Australian Open Order of Play Here
144
The lowest-ranked player to ever defeat Rafael Nadal at a major, which was Nick Kyrgios in 2014 at Wimbledon. Today Nadal is up in the day session against World No.238 James Duckworth. He’ll be looking for his first official match win of the season and his 248th Grand Slam victory.
1-20
Polona Hercog’s record against the Top 10 in her career. The Slovenian will look to tackle Angelique Kerber on Day 1 and if she does so she’ll have to snap an 11-match losing streak against the Top 10 and find a way to defeat one of the five former Australian Open champions in the women’s singles draw (also Serena Williams, Azarenka, Sharapova and Wozniacki).
99
Roger Federer begins his quest for a 100th career title and 21st Grand Slam title against Denis Istomin in the night session. The Swiss is 6-0 lifetime against Istomin but the Uzbek has notched a Top-5 win before in Australia, when he knocked off Novak Djokovic in the second-round in 2017.
8
Eight different WTA players have won the last eight majors, the first time that the WTA has had two full years without a single player winning more than one major since 1938. Caroline Wozniacki, last year’s champion down under, is one of several players looking to tack on another major title to her resumé—the other seven are Serena Williams, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbiñe Muguruza, Sloane Stephens, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka.
Wozniacki will open with Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck on Monday.
13’9”
The collective height of Americans Reilly Opelka (6’11”) and John Isner (6’10”) who will meet in first-round action on Day 1.
9
Career Top 10 wins owned by Magdalena Rybarikova. The Slovakian will get a chance for No.10 against Sydney champion Petra Kvitova in round one. Kvitova had a brilliant season overall in 2018, winning five titles, but she slipped at the Slams, losing in the first round twice and never getting beyond the third round.
After defeating Ash Barty for the Sydney title, Kvitova enters the week at No.6 in the world and is the top-ranked Czech female.
Numbers, Notes
Roger Federer’s 94 wins at the Australian Open are most among the men, with Novak Djokovic second at 61 and Rafael Nadal third at 55… There are 15 active Grand Slam winners in the women’s singles draw… Nadal is bidding to become the first player in Open Era history—and third overall—to win each of the four majors twice… Feliciano Lopez will play his 68th consecutive major this year at Melbourne, which is the most among all players in history… Alizé Cornet is playing her 49th consecutive major, which leads all active females… Djokovic will be guaranteed the No.1 ranking after the Aussie Open if he reaches the round of 16. If he doesn’t, and Nadal wins the title, Nadal will take over… There are nine teenagers in the women’s singles draw (Whitney Osuigwe (16) is the youngest player in the field at Melbourne this year, followed by Iga Swiatek (17), Clara Burel (17), Amanda Anisimova (17), Anastasia Potapova (17), Destanee Aiava (18), Dayana Yastremska (18), Bianca Andreescu (18) and Marketa Vondrousova (19))… There are four teenagers in the men’s singles draw (Rudolf Molleker (18), Miomir Kecmanovic (19), Denis Shapovalov (19), Alex de Minaur (19).