Jaded Tsitsipas out as Sinner sweeps through under doping cloud

MELBOURNE : World number one Jannik Sinner opened his Australian Open title defence in blazing sunshine with a win over Nicolas Jarry on Rod Laver Arena on Monday that brought the scourge of doping in the sport back into focus.

Women's number two Iga Swiatek, who served a short doping ban last year, also progressed on a balmy day at Melbourne Park along with third seed Coco Gauff, who safely negotiated a tricky first-round encounter with 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, however, crashed out at the first hurdle at the hands of American young gun Alex Michelsen, much to the disappointment of the local Greek community who had turned out in numbers to support the 2023 finalist.

The sunny weather was welcome after persistent rain had chopped six hours of play out of the outer court schedule on day one but the dark cloud of doping, which has shrouded tennis over the last year, refused to budge.

Jarry served an 11-month ban for doping in 2020 and the big-serving Chilean was quick to contrast his treatment with Sinner's avoidance of a suspension for failing two drug tests last year after losing 7-6(2) 7-6(5) 6-1 to the Italian.

"It's tough for me to play against him ... it's a very difficult and delicate topic. What I can say is that I would have liked the same treatment as the things that I went through," he told reporters."

"I don't think it was the same, so that's all."

Sinner, who could yet face a ban after an April hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, told reporters he was not familiar with the details of Jarry's case.

"We got treated in the same way," he added. "There's the protocol. If the protocol has some issues or problem, then it's not my fault, you know?"

Swiatek was also at the centre of