Kyle Edmund beaten by Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open; Dan Evans progresses
British men's number one Kyle Edmund crashed out of the Australian Open in the first round but Dan Evans was victorious in Melbourne on Monday.
The 24-year-old Edmund reached the semi-finals last year but will not get the chance to repeat the feat after a 6-3 6-0 7-5 defeat to Tomas Berdych which is set to drop him out of the world's top 20.
Edmund, the 13th seed, showed evidence that he is still suffering from a knee problem and was never really in the match against the experienced Czech, who has a strong record in the tournament.
Edmund called the result a "reality check" and admitted: "It just shows where I am at the moment, my level and stuff, and how much and where I have to improve.
"I've still got lots of years to play so obviously I'm confident I'll be playing at a good standard again, but you're always itching and competitive to get things done immediately.
"You just have to have patience and give stuff time to get better, including my game. I've lost matches when I'm fully fit, so I have to work on lots of things to get back up there."
Evans eyes Federer clash
Evans set up a potential second-round meeting with Roger Federer after winning his first main draw match at a grand slam in two years with a 7-5 6-1 7-6 (8) win over Tatsuma Ito of Japan.
The 28-year-old qualifier, who is still in the process of fighting back from a one-year drugs ban, is relishing the possibility of playing Federer, whom he also met in the third round of Wimbledon in 2016.
Evans said: "It's not very often you get to play Roger on a pretty big court, so I look forward to it.
"I feel pretty good. I'm getting there slowly by the day. I think I'm more mature, but I've obviously got to try and be smarter on the court - like when I get a chance, to take it straight away."
Norrie dumped out
Cameron Norrie failed to build on reaching his first ATP Tour final last week as he was beaten in straight sets by Taylor Fritz.
Norrie went to Melbourne full of confidence after his run in Auckland, but crashed 6-4 7-6 (6) 6-2 to the world number 50.
Norrie missed his chance to draw level in a tight second set before falling away in the third as Fritz ultimately cruised into the second round.
Nadal eases through
Rafael Nadal made a winning return to tennis with a first-round victory over James Duckworth.
The Spaniard had not played a match since retiring during his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro last August with knee pain and, after an abdominal problem and ankle surgery ended his season early, he pulled out of the tournament in Brisbane last week with a minor thigh strain.
Nadal did not have things all his own way against Australian wild card Duckworth, going a break down early in the second set and then being broken serving for the match, but he came through 6-4 6-3 7-5.
Nadal said in his on-court interview: "It's not easy to come back after a lot of months, and especially against a player who's super aggressive. I'm very, very happy to be through."
Anderson and Federer up and running
Fifth seed Kevin Anderson, who has been a grand slam finalist twice in the last five tournaments, avoided a second successive first-round exit here, beating Adrian Mannarino 6-3 5-7 6-2 6-1.
Roger Federer set up a second round meeting with Briton Dan Evans after easing to a 6-3 6-4 6-4 win over Denis Istomin.
The two-time defending champion took less than two hours to cruise to a routine victory in which he did not face a break point.
In his 20th Australian Open Championship, the Swiss superstar booked his place in round two in less than two hours.
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