Zverev cruises into second round with Pouille win

Alexander Zverev has previously reached the final at the French and US Opens

Australian Open 2025

Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park

Coverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app

German second seed Alexander Zverev began his latest bid for a first Grand Slam title with a comfortable straight-set victory over French wildcard Lucas Pouille at the Australian Open.

The 27-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in Melbourne last year, cruised into the second round with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.

Zverev, who faced just two break points against the 103rd-ranked Pouille, will play Spaniard Pedro Martinez next.

Former world number 10 Pouille, a semi-finalist in 2019, could have provided a potential obstacle for Zverev but it felt like the world number two still had plenty more gears to go through.

In recent years it has been a case of so near yet so far for Zverev when it comes to winning a major.

Last year he fell in the last four in Melbourne - losing to Russian Daniil Medvedev despite taking a two-set lead - and finished runner-up to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, having reached the semi-finals on his previous three appearances in Paris.

But it was a clinical start from Zverev on Rod Laver Arena as he aims to win his first Grand Slam at the 36th time of asking and on his 10th appearance at the Australian Open.

Should he succeed in Melbourne, he would go joint-second alongside Stan Wawrinka of most attempts before winning a major title in the Open era.

Earlier on Sunday, Kei Nishikori, playing in Melbourne for the first time in four years, edged a five-set thriller against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-2 6-3.

Norwegian sixth seed Casper Ruud avoided becoming the first top-10 casualty at this year's tournament by coming through in five sets against Spain's Jaume Munar.

The 26-year-old, a three-time Slam runner-up, won 6-3 1-6 7-5 2-6 6-1.

Nishikori wins after 'almost' quitting tennis

Kei Nishikori reached his first tour-level final in six years earlier in January

Nishikori said he "almost" quit tennis last year after he saved two match points to clinch his first win at the Australian Open since 2019.

The 35-year-old Japanese missed nine successive Grand Slams from September 2021 to May 2024 after lengthy injury struggles.

Explaining how close he came to retiring, former US Open finalist Nishikori said: "I almost came back [and then] I got injured again.

"I was thinking, if I have maybe another surgery, then I think mentally I'm not able to fight any more."

Major hip surgery and an ankle injury derailed Nishikori's career after he made three major quarter-finals in 2019 - the year in which he last won an ATP title.

A shoulder issue forced the world number four to retire injured in the French Open second round last year before he lost in the first round at Wimbledon.

"I wanted to play [again] in a big stadium like today," Nishikori said.

"That was my goal a year ago when I was doing rehab. I still think I have the chance to play with these top players."