Djokovic beats Lestienne at Adelaide International for winning start to 2023 | CBC Sports

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic kept up his winning streak in singles matches in Australia, beating Constant Lestienne of France 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Adelaide International.

It was Djokovic’s 30th straight singles victory on Australian soil in a streak that goes back to 2018.

Tuesday’s win was Djokovic’s first in singles this season and keeps him on course for a semifinal match in Adelaide with 7th-ranked Daniil Medvedev, the third seed, who earlier beat Lorenzo Sonego of Italy 7-6 (6), 2-1 when Sonego was forced to retire with a right arm injury.

Djokovic, whose last loss in Australia was in the fourth round of the 2018 Australian Open, will face either Jordan Thompson of Australia or Quentin Halys of France for a place in the quarterfinals.

He was again warmly received by the crowd in Adelaide where he won this tournament at only 19.

Djokovic is playing in Australia for the first time since 2021. He has won the tournament nine times. He was deported last year because his unvaccinated status breached Australian vaccination requirement for in-bound travelers.

Medvedev rallies to edge Sonego

Earlier, Medvedev saved nine set points before taking the first set in a tiebreaker against the 45th-ranked Sonego.

“I didn’t know it was nine [set points],” Medvedev said. “That’s actually crazy. Probably, maybe the first time in my life I’ve saved nine set points.

Sonego was playing Medvedev for the first time and often seemed to have the upper hand in the first set. He had six set points on Medvedev’s serve at 5-4 but Medvedev was able to rely on his big serve when he had to, saving all six.

Two games later, Sonego had three more set points at 0-40 on Medvedev’s but Medvedev rallied again, eventually taking the set after 80 minutes.

“To be honest 0-40 was a tough moment,” he said. “I didn’t count but I knew I saved a lot of set points.

Medvedev will meet Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic for a quarterfinal place.

Berrettini puts Italy in Brisbane City final at United Cup

Matteo Berrettini has beaten world No. 3 Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to propel Italy past Norway and into the Brisbane City Final of the United Cup.

Berrettini’s win gave Italy and unassailable 3-0 lead over Norway Tuesday and ensured it will finish atop Group E at the mixed teams tournament and will face either Poland or Switzerland on Wednesday.

Ruud had twice beaten Berrettini in 2022, in the final at Gstaad and in the quarterfinals of the US Open, winning five straight sets against the Italian. Berrettini turned the tables at the Pat Rafter Arena Tuesday, coming out strong and winning the match in 1 hour, 26 minutes.

“The goal is to have the longest run possible,” Berrettini said. “It’s super nice to play with my teammates. We know each other since a really young age. It’s crazy and now we’re representing Italy. It’s such an honour for us.”

Ruud showed good form on hard courts in 2022, reaching an ATP 1000 final and the championship match at the ATP Finals. But Berrettini was the more aggressive player Tuesday in hot conditions in Brisbane.

Berrettini faced two break points at 2-3 in the first set and if Ruud had converted, he might have taken control of the match. But the Norwegian wasn’t able to put a return in court on either point as Berrettini met the challenge with two booming services. He finished with 10 aces and won 88 percent of first serve points.

“Casper, he’s a super-solid player,” Berrettini said. “He improved so much in the past year so I knew that I had to serve my best.

Sakkari guides Greece to Perth City Finals

In Perth, Maria Sakkari earned Greece a Perth City Finals place with a 6-1, 7-5 defeat of Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

Greece required only two points from the final tie of Group A to advance and Sakkari’s win backed up compatriot Stefanos Tsitsipas’ defeat of David Goffin on Monday.

“It was a very solid match from my side,” Sakkari said.

Pegula, Tiafoe post wins for U.S.

In Sydney, the United States completed a 5-0 win over Germany with wins by Jessica Pegula against Laura Siegemund and Frances Tiafoe over Oscar Otte.

Pegula and Taylor Fritz then combined to beat Julia Lohoff and Fabian Fallert in the mixed doubles as the United States topped Group C.