Zverev drops a set but advances, Cobolli upset by Brit Fery in early AusOpen action

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM WINS BY ALEXANDER ZVEREV, ARTHUR FERY OVER FLAVIO COBOLLI, JASMINE PAOLINI, AND MATCH POINT FROM WINS BY TOMAS MARTIN ETCHEVERRY, CORENTIN MOUTET, FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO, MARIA SAKKARI, YULIA PUTINTSEVA, ELINA SVITOLINA,  SHOWS: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (JANUARY 18, 2026)(TENNIS AUSTRALIA – See restrictions) 1. AERIAL OF HUGE CROWDS OUTSIDE OF ROD LAVER ARENA BEFORE START OF PLAY ALEXANDER ZVEREV (GERMANY) V GABRIEL DIALLO (CANADA) 1ST SET 2. DIALLO WITH VOLLEY WINNER TO TAKE 6-1 LEAD IN TIEBREAKER 2ND SET 3. ZVEREV WITH NICE BACKHAND WINNER TO GET AD, HE WOULD GO ON TO BREAK SERVE AND TAKE 4-0 LEAD 4. ZVEREV WITH FOREHAND WINNER TO WIN SET 6-1 3RD SET 5. ZVEREV WITH VOLLEY WINNER TO BREAK SERVE AND TAKE 4-3 LEAD 4TH SET 6. DIALLO RETURNS SERVE WIDE ON MATCH POINT, ZVEREV WINS 6-7(1) 6-1 6-4 6-2 7. ZVEREV WAVING TO CROWD FLAVIO COBOLLI (ITALY) V ARTHUR FERY (GREAT BRITAIN) 1ST SET 8. FERY WITH FOREHAND WINNER 3RD SET 9. FERY WITH VOLLEY WINNER TO WIN GAME AND TAKE 3-0 LEAD 10. COBOLLI HITS LONG ON MATCH POINT, FERY WINS 7-6(1) 6-4 6-1 TOMAS MARTIN ETCHEVERRY (ARGENTINA) V MIOMIR KECMANOVIC (SERBIA) 11. MATCH POINT – KECMANOVIC HITS WIDE, MARTIN ETCHEVERRY WINS 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4 12. MARTIN ETCHEVERRY FALLING TO COURT AND THEN SHAKING HANDS WITH KECMANOVIC CORENTIN MOUTET (FRANCE) V TRISTAN SCHOOLKATE (AUSTRALIA) 13. MATCH POINT – MOUTET UNDERHANDED SERVE THAT SCHOOLKATE HITS LONG AND CROWD BOOS. MOUTET WINS 6-4 7-6(1) 6-3 FRANCISCO CERUNDOLO (ARGENTINA) V ZHIZHEN ZHANG (CHINA) 14. MATCH POINT – ZHANG HITS LONG, CERUNDOLO WINS 6-3 7-6(0) 6-3 JASMINE PAOLINI (ITALY) V ALIAKSANDRA SASNOVICH (RUSSIA) 1ST SET 15. PAOLINI WITH FOREHAND WINNER 2ND SET 16. SASNOVICH HITS INTO NET ON MATCH POINT, PAOLINI WINS 6-1 6-2 17. PAOLINI WAVING TO CROWD MARIA SAKKARI (GREECE) V LEOLIA JEANJEAN (FRANCE) 18. MATCH POINT – JEANJEAN CAN'T RETURN SERVE, SAKKARI WINS 6-4 6-2 YULIA PUTINTSEVA (KAZAKHSTAN) V BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA (BRAZIL) 19. MATCH POINT – HADDAD MAIA HITS LONG, PUTINTSEVA WINS 3-6 7-5 6-3 ELINA SVITOLINA (UKRAINE) V CRISTINA BUCSA (SPAIN) 20. MATCH POINT – BUCSA HITS LONG, SVITOLINA WINS 6-1 6-4 STORY: Third seed Alexander Zverev dropped the first set but came back to beat Canada's Gabriel Diallo 6-7(1) 6-1 6-4 6-2 Sunday (January 18) in early opening day action at the Australian Open. A finalist last year, the German looked rusty early on but settled in the second set and soon got his big serve booming, firing down 15 aces, to move into the next round. British qualifier Arthur Fery delivered the first upset in the men's singles bracket when he knocked off No. 20 seed Flavio Cobolli in straight sets, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-1. It's just Fery's third tour-level win, but two of them have come in Grand Slams. He also pulled a first-round upset of Australia's Alexei Popyrin at Wimbledon last June. Fery, 23, took advantage of some erratic play from Cobolli, who received multiple visits from medical staff and appeared to be dealing with a stomach issue. Cobolli had eight double-faults to Fery's zero and had 38 unforced errors while his opponent had just 25. In other men's action, No. 18 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina did not encounter the same day one issues, coasting to a 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3 win over China's Zhizhen Zhang. Cerundolo faced just two break points and saved both of them. No. 32 seed Corentin Moutet also took care of business in straight sets, beating Tristan Schoolkate, who was competing in his home country, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-3. The Frenchman won 67% of his service points while Schoolkate committed 49 unforced errors. In the most thrilling match of the early slate on Sunday, Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry outlasted Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in a five-set marathon, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the decisive set, Etcheverry finally broke on his sixth break point of an exhausting 20-point game to take a 5-4 lead, serving out the match from there with a love game. (Production: David Grip)

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