The popular expression, 'If not now, then when?', is a perfect question to pose at the doorstep of Australia's Alex de Minaur - eager to surpass his best Grand Slam result of the quarter-finals. Having avoided Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz until the final, the 25-year-old finds himself plotted in the bottom half of the draw possessing the likes of Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev who have failed to prove their credentials on grass in years past, as well as the injury cloud circling seven-time champion Novak Djokovic. Does the projected path lead toward light at the end of the tunnel? Eight other Aussies were in action overnight beginning their All England Club journey, while the main contenders for the championship kicked off their respective campaigns - confronted by the first rain delay of the tournament. Aussie Results: Alex de Minaur [9] d. James Duckworth 7-6(1), 7-6(3), 7-6(4) Alexei Popyrin d. Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-4 Adam Walton d. Federico Corica 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 Flavio Cobolli d. Rinky Hijikata 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 Taylor Fritz [13] d. Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 Robin Montgomery d. Olivia Gadecki 6-4, 6-4 J Jelena Ostapenko [13] d. Ajla Tomljanović 6-1, 6-2 An Aussie derby between de Minaur and James Duckworth was the setting on court 12, producing an absorbing encounter amidst a few momentum swings. Duckworth, a Lucky Loser in place of Frenchman Corentin Moutet, settled into the contest quicker than his compatriot perhaps due to three qualifying rounds under his belt - digging deep to extend the first set to 5-5. Just when de Minaur thought he had wrapped up the set with a break, Duckworth went into lockdown mode to break back to love, only for that hard work to be undone in a rather sloppy tiebreak. A 5-3 lead soon evaporated for the world No.81 in the second set, putting him in a position to lose yet another breaker - ultimately crush any hope of an upset. Sydneysider Alexei Popyrin hasn't enjoyed much success in the past few months. Still, he put those struggles to one side as he secured a morale-boosting victory over Brazil's Thiago Monteiro. Despite conceding 10 points on serve and zero break point opportunities after two sets, somehow the scores were level as Monteiro claimed a clutch tiebreak after bottling three consecutive set points. New top 100 entrant Adam Walton joined the pair on the Aussie winners’ list, dispatching Argentina’s Federico Coria without dropping a set. His path has flipped on its head, now primed to meet another Argentinian after Francisco Comesana’s upset win over sixth seed Andrey Rublev. World No.72 Rinky Hijikata bowed out in four sets to young talent Flavio Cobolli, as the Italian smothered Hijikata’s second serve to seal his passage to the second round, joining Christopher O'Connell through the exit door as the 30-year-old was no match for the hard-hitting Taylor Fritz - managing to win only 40 percent of second serve points. ‘Five set king’ Thanasi Kokkinakis will have to live up to that tag once again, currently down two sets to one against Felix Auger-Aliassime after taking the third set, before darkness suspended play. The South Australian trails 4-6, 5-7, 7-6(9), 1-1. Meanwhile, Daria Saville is left as the sole Aussie in the women’s draw after disappointing straight set defeats for 22-year-old Olivia Gadecki and the experienced Ajla Tomljanović Tomljanović, a two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist, could only manage three games as she failed to repeat her heroics from three years ago when she defeated the former French Open champion in the third round. Men's Results: Tomás Martín Etchverry [30] d. Luca Nardi 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 Alex Zverev [4] d. Roberto Carballés Baena 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 Francisco Comesana d. Andrey Rublev [6] 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) Hubert Hurkacz [7] d. Radu Albot 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas [11] d. Taro Daniel 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-5 Holger Rune [15] d. Soon-woo Kwon 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 Lorenzo Musetti [25] d. Constant Lestienne 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard d. Sebastian Korda [7] 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-3 Ben Shelton [14] d. Mattia Bellucci 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Jack Draper [28] d. Elias Ymer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 Jacob Fearnley d. Alejandro Moro Canas 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(12) Thiago Seyboth Wild d. Paul Jubb 1-6, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 Luciano Darderi d. Jan Choinski 7-5, 4-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 Jaume Munar d. Billy Harris 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Marcos Giron d. Henry Searle 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 Cameron Norrie d. Facundo Diaz Costa 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 Arthur Fils d. Dominic Stricker 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 Would he or wouldn't he? That was the question surrounding Novak Djokovic's decision to enter the Championships at the expense of resting post-surgery to prepare for what will likely be his last Olympics. A fairly routine day at the office for the 24-time Grand Slam champion showed no sign of concerns regarding the knee against Vit Kopriva, moving comfortably around the court in a dominant straight sets performance, conceding five games. Thankfully the new tiebreak rules in place dodged another three-day marathon repeat of John Isner and Nicolas Mahut over a decade ago, attempted to be replicated by Sebastian Korda and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, not budging one single break of serve for three sets, as the Frenchman fired 52 aces in a five set thriller involving four tiebreaks. It was a mixed day of results for the Brits, as local favourites Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie got through despite the latter’s epic five-set classic on centre court - who should be considered as a dark horse for the tournament. Paul Jubb, Billy Harris, and Henry Searle fell short of joining the pair in the second round, as Jubb suffered heartbreak after being two sets and a match point up, only to lose the third set tiebreak by literally a millimetre. Top seeds Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev faced minimal issues en route to impressive straight set victories, but world No.6 Andrey Rublev is the first big name to falter - music to the ears of Australia’s Adam Walton. Seven men's matches on the outside courts have been delayed, ready to resume action on day 3 in what will be a jam-packed schedule for tournament organisers. Women's Results: Iga Swiatek [1] d. Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-4 Elena Rybakina [4] d. Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-1 Jessica Pegula [5] d. Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-0 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro d. Markéta Vondroušová [6] 6-4, 6-2 Harriet Dart d. Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4, 6-0 Xinyu Wang d. Viktoriya Tomova 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-0 Laura Siegemund d. Kateryna Baindl 6-4, 6-1 Ons Jabeur [10] d. Mokuya Uchijima 6-3, 6-1 Liudmila Samsanova [15] d. Rebeka Masarova 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Anna Kalinskaya [17] d. Panna Udvardy 6-3, 6-2 Caroline Garcia [23] d. Anna Blinkova 6-4, 7-5 Kateřina Siniakova d. Marina Stakusic 6-4, 6-2 Leylah Fernandez [30] d. Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 6-4 Katie Boulter [32] d. Tatjana Maria 7-6(6), 7-5 Cristina Bucşa d. Ana Bogdan 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) Daria Snigur d. Océane Dodin 6-4, 6-0 Caroline Wozniacki d. Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-0 Dalma Gálfi d. Mayar Sherif 6-1, 6-2 Yulia Putintseva d. Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 Marie Bouzková d. Julia Riera 6-2, 6-1 Bernarda Pera d. Anastasia Potapova 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(6) Elina Avaneysan d. Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-3 Petra Martić d. Francesca Jones 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 Polish superstar Iga Swiatek may be a five-time Grand Slam champion, but it's easy to forget that Sofia Kenin was the first player out of the pair to win a major back at the Australian Open - now treading in the upward trajectory after an underwhelming couple of years. Swiatek was relatively tested throughout but found a way to escape as she always tends to do against a top opponent. Defending champion Markéta Vondroušová suffered a straight sets defeat to open proceedings on centre court, likely not coming as a total shock to many considering her shaky form in the leadup to Wimbledon. It was a moment to cherish for 21-year-old Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, executing fearless tennis to send the second top 10 player packing on the women's side. Vondroušová is the first reigning champion to lose in the first round since Steffi Graf in 1994. In her final Wimbledon campaign before retirement at the end of the year, America's Danielle Collins was the only match to be suspended due to curfew - currently leads 6-3, 4-4 against talented Dane Clara Tauson
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