Venus Williams came agonisingly close to claiming a first Grand Slam win since 2021, at the age of 45, only to lose out to Olga Danilovic as she rallied from 4-0 down in the final set to clinch a memorable victory. Â
Trailing by two service breaks in the deciding set, Danilovic won six straight games to beat the seven-time major winner 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4.
The crucial moment came at 4-4 in the final set when Danilovic claimed the decisive break by winning a Williams service game that lasted for 14 and a half minutes and went to deuce eight times.
At 45, ranked 576th in the world and playing on a wildcard entry, Williams became the oldest player to compete in singles at the Australian Open.
She made the finals in 2003 and 2017 and lost both times to her sister, Serena.
Williams entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak since the first and only win in her most recent comeback to the tour at Washington last year. Her last victory at a slam came at Wimbledon in 2021.
She won the first set and had command of the third until Danilovic went for broke and pulled off a remarkable comeback victory over the American.
The 24-year-old Danilovic was not even born when Williams made her Australian Open main-draw debut in 1998.
"These things don't happen every day and playing against Venus Williams is something that I cannot take for granted, but there were a lot of nerves," Danilovic ‌said in her on-court interview.
"On 4-0, I said to myself, 'Just play, just take everything out and just play point by point'. I'm very happy I ‌managed to get this one but it was such a pleasure playing against such a legend.
"Move your legs, move your hand - that was the only ​thing I was saying to myself. She was serving incredible, honestly."
Danilovic will play ‍either American No 3 seed Coco Gauff or Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round.
Women's world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka came under early pressure as she launched her bid for ‌a third Australian Open title before last year's runner up overpowered French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-4, 6-1.
Sabalenka found herself a break down after the opening game and looked troubled throughout the first set by the guile of left-hander Rakotomanga ​Rajaonah despite getting back on serve.
"I think I didn't start my ​best but she showed up, was fired up and she was playing great. It was a tricky start and I'm ‍super happy I found my rhythm at the end of the first set and I felt a bit more confident," Sabalenka said.
"I didn't know much about her, I watched her previous ‌games, but it's always tricky to play against someone you don't really know and also left-handed but I'm super happy ‌to be able to close this match in straight sets."
Sabalenka eventually found her rhythm and reasserted control, turning her initial difficulties into little ​more than a footnote as the 27-year-old settled into her power game, the four-time major champion closing out the contest on her third match point to book a second-round clash with Bai Zhuoxuan, who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Sabalenka celebrated her win by taking a selfie with tennis greats Roger Federer and Rod Laver, who were in ​the stands.
"I'm a huge fan. The whole match I was just telling myself, 'do not look there, please, do not look'," Sabalenka told reporters.
"It's incredible. I'd never have thought Roger Federer and Rod Laver are going to be sitting first ‍row watching my match. That's unbelievable."
Men's world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his latest bid for a career ‌Grand Slam by dismantling unseeded Australian Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in their first round encounter.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four ​major singles titles at least once, gave an exhibition in shot-making as he booked a second-round meeting with ‍Germany's Yannick Hanfmann.
Alexander Zverev, runner-up last year to Jannik Sinner, shrugged off a sluggish start to beat Gabriel Diallo 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 6-4 6-2 in their afternoon clash.
Frances Tiafoe overpowered Jason Kubler 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-2 and Michael Zheng fended off Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (0-7),6-3 in an all-American first-round match.
Zheng, a college star at Columbia who advanced through qualifying to make his tour-level debut, will next face No 32 seed Corentin Moutet, who was booed after his underarm serve on match point in a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 win over Tristan Schoolkate.
Two of the women's seeds went out on the opening day in Melbourne Park, with Elsa Jacquemot ousting 20th seed Marta Kostyuk 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7) and Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez upsetting No 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Sönmez halted her match briefly in the second set to help a ballkid who appeared to be struggling in the heat before the tournament medical team took over.
Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-2, while 12th ranked Elina Svitolina also advanced in straight sets.
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