(Adelaide) Canadian Denis Shapovalov started 2023 on the right foot by defeating local favorite Rinky Hijikata 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday in the first round of the Adelaide tournament.

Shapovalov, the seventh seed, came from behind to defeat the Australian, a qualifying player, after two hours of play.

The Ontarian struggled with his first serve, in addition to having committed a total of nine double faults, but he managed to come out on top in the opportune moments of the game. He thus broke Hijikata four times in 12 occasions, and limited him to only three breaks in eight opportunities.

Shapovalov will face Russian Roman Safiullin, 88, in the next round^e world player.

Earlier on Tuesday, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic continued his singles winning streak in Australia by beating Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-3, 6-2.

This is the 30^e consecutive singles victory for Djokovic on Australian soil, a streak that dates back to 2018.

Tuesday’s victory was Djokovic’s first singles match this season and keeps alive the possibility of a semi-final match in Adelaide against world no. 7 Daniil Medvedev.

The third-seeded Russian took advantage of Italian Lorenzo Sonego’s retirement with a right arm injury as he led 7-6(6), 2-1, to advance to the next tower.

In the round of 16, Medvedev will cross swords with Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

For his part, Djokovic, whose last defeat in Australia dates back to the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2018, will face the Australian Jordan Thompson or the French Quentin Halys for a place in the quarter-finals.

He was again warmly welcomed by the public in Adelaide, where he won this tournament at just 19 years old.

Djokovic is playing in Australia for the first time since 2021. He has won this tournament nine times. He was kicked out of the country last year because his vaccination status breached Australian requirements for arriving travellers.

He has also tumbled to fifth in the world after being forced to miss other tournaments, including the United States Open last year.

“You have to focus on what you can control. If I focus on the negatives, then I will be affected, and that’s not what I want. I don’t want to harbor any resentment, commented Djokovic when asked about his return to Australia. I am here to play tennis, to have fun and to spread good humor. The stands were packed for my first game, which was a pleasant surprise, and I felt lots and lots of love. »

This time, Djokovic’s arrival in Australia was therefore smooth.

“I joked to my team that I hoped to be able to get into Australia this time around, and that’s what happened,” he said. It was really, I would say, a routine procedure. As has always been the case here in Australia – with the exception of last year, of course – the process from landing to checkpoint was very smooth. »

On the other hand, Ontario’s Bianca Andreescu will play her second round match against Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, the tournament’s fourth seed, next night.