MELBOURNE - With a record crowd of 73,000 on hand at Melbourne Park for the second day of action at the Australian Open, the big names of tennis looked to make a statement in their first round match-ups. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic blitzed Mitchell Krueger 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, heavy hitter Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fired past Martin Klizan 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5) and Germany’s Alexander Zverev took care of business against Aljaz Bedene, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

Three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka also progressed after his opponent Ernests Gulbis retired injured, while local favorite Nick Kyrgios was ousted by Canadian Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4. But while it was disappointment for Kyrgios, two other Aussies claimed major upsets.

Alexei Popyrin overcame Germany’s Mischa Zverev 7-5, 7-6 (7), 6-4 and Alex Bolt defeated former top ten star Jack Sock 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in a gripping battle. In what many considered to be the match of the day, crowd favorite Chung Hyeon got the better of Bradley Klahn in a five-set thriller 6-7 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

In the women’s bracket, Serena Williams put on a ruthless display against Tatjana Maria, blasting her way to victory 6-0, 6-2, while sister Venus won in three sets against Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-2. There was also a solid win for women’s world No. 1 Simona Halep who beat Kaia Kanepi 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-2, and a strong result for 2018 US Open Champion Naomi Osaka, who trounced Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2.

Halep avoided becoming the first world number one to suffer back-to-back first-round Grand Slam exits with a gutsy three-set win over Kanepi. The Romanian top seed fought back impressively to beat the Estonian veteran in Melbourne. The fightback was a measure of revenge after Halep was stunned by 71st-ranked Kanepi at the US Open. Halep, 27, will face American Sofia Kenin in round two.

“After losing against her in the US Open, it was a bit of pressure on my shoulders,” Halep said.

Kanepi’s victory in New York was one of the shocks of the tournament, with fate bringing the pair back together at 2019’s first Grand Slam. Despite the gulf in their respective rankings, another victory for the Estonian may not have been a complete surprise. In addition to Kanepi already having the measure of Halep, the reigning French Open champion had not won since August in a five-match losing streak, struggled with a back injury in the final part of last season and split with her coach Darren Cahill in November.

“I said I had no expectations coming here,” said Halep, who could lose the top ranking in Melbourne. “Just giving my best to find the rhythm, which tonight was a great level of tennis. I feel like I am one step forward.”

In other high profile women’s matches, Elise Mertens bested Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 7-5, while Karolina Pliskova outstruck Karolina Muchova in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. For Chinese fans who made the trip down to Melbourne, there were two good reasons to celebrate.

A sharp-looking Wang Qiang booked her ticket into the next stage with a superb performance against French hitter Fiona Ferro, taking the match in straight sets 6-4. 6-3, while 2016 quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai battled her way to victory against Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova. After dropping the second set, Zhang recovered in the third to claim the win 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.