Australian Open: Thiem cruises to second round after beating Kukushkin

Thiem will next play either German Dominik Keopfer or Bolivia's Hugo Dellien in the second round.

Melbourne: US Open champion Dominic Thiem on Monday cruised to the second round of the Australian Open after beating Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin in the first round clash. World number three fought hard in the first set and finally won the set in a tie-breaker. Thiem outclassed Kukushkin in a three-set clash 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-3 that lasted for two hours and 42 minutes.

Thiem will next play either German Dominik Keopfer or Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien in the second round.

Earlier in the day, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams progressed to the second round after winning their respective first-round matches.

Osaka defeated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. The Japanese tennis star, who was in no mood to show nerves, wrapped up an easy victory. At no point in the match, the Russian tennis player had any chance.

Serena also achieved a straight-set victory over Germany’s Laura Siegemund. She triumphed over Siegemund 6-1, 6-1 and now she would be looking to go all the way to register her 24th Grand Slam win.

The American needs one more major win to equal Margaret Court’s record Grand Slam tally.

She has not added to her Grand Slam tally since beating her sister Venus in the Australian Open final in 2017.

Venus Williams also triumphed in her first-round match as she defeated Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-2.