Melbourne magic: Week 1 of the Australian Open in pictures
Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams progressed smoothly, Zarina Diyas and Zhang Shuai delivered upsets and Caroline Wozniacki and Carla Suárez Navarro delayed their final matches in Melbourne. All the best pictures from Week 1 at the 2020 Australian Open.
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Naomi Osaka got her Australian Open defence off to a positive start by defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-4.
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Playing in her final tournament before retirement, Caroline Wozniacki eased past Kristie Ahn 6-1, 6-3.
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Julia Goerges was another quick winner: she lost only three games en route to the second round past Viktoria Kuzmova.
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Tamara Zidansek set up a meeting with Serena Williams as she overcame Han Na-Lae 6-3, 6-3.
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Serena dropped only three games as she beat Anastasia Potapova.
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Katerina Siniakova faced compatriot Petra Kvitova in the first round.
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However, Kvitova was ruthless in dropping just one game to Siniakova, and has now won 29 of her past 31 matches against fellow Czechs.
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Qualifier Ann Li was one of seven debutantes in the main draw, and made a winning start, defeating Lizette Cabrera in two tiebreaks.
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Venus Williams came off second best once more against Coco Gauff following her Wimbledon exit to the teenager last summer.
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Gauff withstood fightbacks from Venus in both sets to come through 7-6(5), 6-3.
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Gauff's doubles partner Catherine McNally was up against home favorite Samantha Stosur in the first round - and the 18-year-old qualifier claimed a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
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World No.1 Ashleigh Barty ensured there was Australian joy on day one, though she had to come from a set down to beat Lesia Tsurenko.
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Zhang Shuai caused an opening-day upset by defeating No.24 seed Sloane Stephens 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, repeating her 2018 Melbourne scoreline over the American almost exactly.
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And Ons Jabeur ensured there was an early shock on day two as she took out Johanna Konta, repeating her win in Eastbourne last June.
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Dayana Yastremska eased past fellow 19-year-old Kaja Juvan 6-1, 6-1 to make a quick start to her campaign.
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No.22 seed Maria Sakkari was a similarly symmetrical winner as she beat Margarita Gasparyan 6-2, 6-2.
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Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, only just back on tour after a six-month injury absence, took on No.6 seed Belinda Bencic in the first round.
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Bencic had lost to Schmiedlova in their last meeting a year ago in Hobart, and was given a workout this time before running out a 6-3, 7-5 winner.
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Qualifier Nao Hibino continued her run by coming from a set and a break down to score her first win in three attempts over Peng Shuai.
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Donna Vekic rattled off the last five games of the match to dismiss wildcard Maria Sharapova in straight sets.
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Polona Hercog set up a meeting with Ashleigh Barty with a straight-sets defeat of Rebecca Peterson.
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Catherine Bellis marked her return to the Grand Slam stage after two years in style, dropping just two games to Tatjana Maria.
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Second seed Karolina Pliskova navigated past the dangerous Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets.
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Former World No.1 Garbiñe Muguruza was overjoyed to rebound from getting bagelled in the first set to defeat Shelby Rogers 0-6, 6-1, 6-0.
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Zarina Diyas caused another opening-round shock, battling past No.21 seed Amanda Anisimova in three sets.
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Fifth seed Elina Svitolina came through two tight sets to post her first win of the year over Katie Boulter.
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Former World No.2 Svetlana Kuznetsova struck a blow for the veterans, overcoming No.15 seed Marketa Vondrousova in a three-set thriller.
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Fourth seed Simona Halep had to overcome a nasty fall and sterling resistance from Jennifer Brady, leading to frustration...
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...but ultimately triumph as Halep saved three set points in the first set and ran away with the second against Brady.
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Karolina Muchova won one of the finest first-round clashes, coming through in a super-tiebreak against Kirsten Flipkens after a battle of finesse.
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Misaki Doi held a 5-1 lead in her super-tiebreak against qualifier Harriet Dart...
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However, Dart fought back to score her first Australian Open win after two hours and 49 minutes.
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Local wildcard Priscilla Hon delighted home fans with a first-round upset of Kateryna Kozlova.
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Teenage qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto impressed in her Grand Slam debut, but ultimately fell to former champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
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Playing her final Australian Open, Carla Suárez Navarro overturned a 0-3 head-to-head to upset No.11 seed Aryna Sabalenka, the highest seed to fall in the first round.
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Caroline Wozniacki was also not done yet, deferring the end of her career with an upset of No.23 seed Dayana Yastremska.
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Petra Kvitova weathered a tough second round, saving three set points in the second set before defeating Paula Badosa.
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Shenzhen finalist and Hobart champion Elena Rybakina showed no sign of slowing down, powering into the third round without dropping a set.
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Ashleigh Barty settled quicker into her second round to move past Polona Hercog in straight sets.
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Maria Sakkari overcame Nao Hibino in a tight second-round contest to reach the third round of a major for the eighth time in her career.
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Naomi Osaka held firm to navigate the slice-and-dicing Zheng Saisai in straight sets in round two.
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Coco Gauff's habit of triumphing in dramatic three-setters on Grand Slam show courts continued as she came from 0-3 down in the decider to beat Sorana Cirstea.
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Shenzhen champion Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her brilliant start to 2020, defeating Barbora Krejcikova to make the third round for the first time.
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Playing Serena Williams for the first time, Tamara Zidansek battled hard in a gripping second set.
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Seven-time Australian Open champion Serena had to survive an up-and-down performance that left her unimpressed with herself at times...
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...but in the end pleased to have made the third round in Melbourne for the 19th time in her career.
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Donna Vekic, the 19th seed, progressed to the third round after beating France's Alizé Cornet.
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Maria Sakkari and Ajla Tomljanovic share a joke during their first-round doubles match
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Germany's Laura Siegemund fell in the second round, losing in straight sets to second seed Karolina Pliskova.
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Angelique Kerber smiles as she signs autographs after her second-round win against Priscilla Hon.
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Taylor Townsend lost in the second round to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
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Simona Halep had a fight on her hands but came through in straight sets against Harriet Dart in the second round.
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