Sinner's bid for Australian Open three-peat begins with anticlimactic win

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two sets and just over an hour of tennis wasn't what Jannik Sinner wanted at Rod Laver Arena for the start of his bid for an Australian Open three-peat.

In his first competitive match since beating Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals in November, Sinner was leading 6-2, 6-1 when No. 93-ranked Hugo Gaston suddenly retired from their match Tuesday night with an undisclosed injury.

“I saw that he was not serving with a very high pace,” Sinner said, but “it’s not the way you want to win the match.”

After signaling he had to quit, Gaston went to a courtside chair and bowed his head into his hands. Sinner went to console him, putting a hand on the Frenchman's shoulder and wishing him a speedy recovery.

For Sinner, it was an anticlimactic return to Melbourne Park's main arena 12 months after clinching back-to-back Australian titles with a win over Alexander Zverev in the final.

He played Alcaraz in the finals of the other three majors, winning at Wimbledon and finishing runner-up at Roland Garros and the U.S. Open, as the so-called Sincaraz rivals extended their dominance of Grand Slam tournaments to a second full year.

Sinner isn't content with evenly splitting the titles with Alcaraz, though. He used his time off to concentrate on adjusting his service motion and tweaking other parts of his game in the search for incremental improvements.

“I’ve put in many, many long days in the off-season trying to become a better tennis player,” No. 2-ranked Sinner said. “But at the end of the day the most important part is to go on court and to enjoy, no? It’s very special to start the season in a night session match here in a Grand Slam, the packed stadium, just trying to do your best.”

Sinner is aiming to become the fourth player to win three consecutive men's titles at the Australian Open.

Wearing a wide-brim hat, veil and holding a white parasol as she walked onto Rod Laver Arena for the last night match, Naomi Osaka made a grand entrance.

The four-time major winner went on to beat Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, and later explained the inspiration for her design.

“It’s modeled after a jellyfish,” Osaka said. “I’m just so grateful I get to do the things I love.”

Madison Keys had a tough start to her title defense, struggling early against the offbeat style of Oleksandra Oliynykova before advancing 7-6 (6), 6-1.

Ninth-seeded Keys, playing in her 50th Grand Slam tournament, trailed 4-0 before finding her rhythm.

“Obviously I was very nervous at the start,” Keys said. “As nervous as I was . . . I’m really glad to be back, and that I got through that match.”

Oliynykova's unorthodox shot-making and strong defense kept Keys off balance in the first set.

“I feel like that made things a little extra tricky,” Keys said. “I felt like at the end of the tiebreaker I really kind of found my game and then was able to carry that into the second set.”

Oliynykova gained a lot of attention with her unique body art and ink, and a printed message for Ukraine on a T-shirt she wore in her post-match news conference.

No. 5 Elena Rybakina and No. 10 Belinda Bencic advanced in straight sets, but two women’s seeds were ousted in straight sets early on Day 3, with Janice Tjen upsetting 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Tereza Valentova beating Australia's Maya Joint.

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion who had to qualify the season-opening major, lost Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7), 6-2.

In a match between left-handers, Ben Shelton, a semifinalist a year ago in Australia, overcame Ugo Humbert 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5).

Shelton said it was one of the toughest first-round matches he could have faced, with No. 33 Humbert having the highest ranking of the unseeded players.

He'll next face Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny, who ended the 20th and final Australian Open campaign for 39-year-old Gael Monfils.

Also advancing were No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 9 Taylor Fritz, 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and Eliot Spizzirri, who beat 19-year-old Joao Fonseca 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Naomi Osaka of Japan walks onto Rod Laver Arena for her first round match against Antonia Ruzic of Croatia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Jannik Sinner of Italy serves to Hugo Gaston of France during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic plays a forehand return to Sloane Stephens of the U.S. during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Sloane Stephens of the U.S. plays a forehand return to Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Ben Shelton of the U.S. plays a forehand return to Ugo Humbert of France during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Leylah Fernandez of Canada plays a forehand return to Janice Tjen of Indonesia during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine plays a backhand return to Madison Keys of the U.S. during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Madison Keys of the U.S. serves to Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Madison Keys, right, of the U.S. is congratulated by Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine following their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Madison Keys of the U.S. waves after defeating Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Their summit in Seoul came as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017 as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan.

Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean media.

At a joint televised briefing afterward, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities, while Lee said the two affirmed “their resolves to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The two leaders did not take questions and did not elaborate on how they would help reopen the strait, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Lee said he and Macron agreed to expand cooperation in technology, energy and other areas. South Korean and French officials also signed agreements to cooperate on nuclear fuel supply chains, jointly invest in an offshore wind project in southern South Korea and to collaborate on critical minerals.

Macron’s Asia trip comes as Trump has ramped up his frustration with allies. In a speech Wednesday, Trump said Americans “don’t need” the strait but the countries who do “must grab it and cherish it.”

“Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” Trump said. “Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”

Macron has said reopening the Strait of Hormuz through a military operation was unrealistic.

South Korean officials have said they were in contact with Washington on the issue and that Seoul wasn’t considering paying Iran transit fees to secure fuel shipments through the strait.

The United States stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea, not the 45,000 stated by Trump. The U.S. troops’ deployment in South Korea is meant to deter potential aggressions from North Korea.

French President Emmanuel Macron, front left, his wife Brigitte Macron, back center, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, front right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, right, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, his wife Brigitte Macron, left, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, second left, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, second right, during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)