Defending champion Madison Keys overcame a tense opening and unfamiliar opposition to begin her Australian Open title defence with a 7-6(6), 6-1 win over Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Keys, who lifted her maiden Grand Slam trophy here 12 months ago, admitted the weight of expectation played its part early on.
The ninth seed looked tight from the outset, surrendering the first four games and struggling to impose her trademark power against the debutant’s steady, defensive game.
Facing an opponent she had found little footage of while preparing, Keys sprayed errors early and double-faulted three times in her opening service game.
Oliynykova, ranked 92nd and playing her first main-draw match at a major, capitalised confidently to build an early cushion.
Gradually, though, Keys found her footing. From calm defence and improved first serves, she clawed her way back to force a tiebreak and then overturned a 5-2 deficit to steal the opening set. From there, the momentum swung decisively.
Keys relaxed into her strokes in the second set, dictating points with depth and pace to race through it in just 28 minutes.
The victory marked her 50th Grand Slam appearance and set up a second-round meeting with fellow American Ashlyn Krueger.
Despite the loss, Oliynykova left an impression. Playing with flowers painted on her face, the Ukrainian described the occasion as the highlight of her career, drawing inspiration from her father, who is currently serving in the military back home.