The Last Time Bencic defeated a Williams sister
2015 - It has been almost two and a half years since the 20-year-old Swiss conquered one of the Williams sisters, but it was not the one she faces today. That win came against Serena back at the 2015 Rogers Cup in Toronto, where an 18-year-old Bencic won 3-6 7-5 6-4. She will have to venture to uncharted territory today to post another victory: she hasn’t beaten Venus in four attempts.
The Last Time Sloane Stephens won a match
The 2017 US Open final - It has been a long time between wins for Sloane Stephens, with her triumph in Flushing Meadows her most recent victory on tour. She has since lost seven consecutive matches, but will look to rectify that with a win over Zhang Shuai, who she leads 2-1 head to head.
The Last Time Jason Kubler played a Grand Slam main draw
2010 - The 25-year-old Australian has had a torrid time with knee injuries over the past five years, but has finally made his way back to the field of 128 at a Grand Slam. His last main draw appearance was at the 2010 Australian Open, where he fell to Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-1 6-2 6-2. He will face Spanish No.10 seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the opening match on Court 8 in an attempt to win his first Grand Slam match.
The Last Time two Australian women met in the first round in Melbourne
2004 - Today’s encounter between the home grown Jaimee Fourlis and Olivia Rogowska will be the first time since the 2004 edition at Melbourne Park where two Australian women faced each other in the opening round. That year it was Trudi Musgrave and Evie Dominikovic, who claimed a 4-6 7-5 6-3 win.
The Last Time Matt Ebden and John Isner faced off
2017 Newport final - The American No.16 seed and the Australian have played three times on tour, with Isner claiming victories in all of them; their most recent showdown was a tightly contested final in Newport. Ebden was unable to overcome his counterpart’s serve, falling 6-3 7-6(4), but he will hope to reverse the results on MCA toady.
The Last Time Grigor Dimitrov fell in the opening round of the Australian Open
2013 - The tennis world has seen Dimitrov grow into the consummate professional since his AO opening round exit in 2013. Back then the Bulgarian fell to 32nd seed Julien Benneteau in straight sets; today the No.3 seed will be the heavy favourite on Rod Laver Arena against qualifier Dennis Novak.
The Last Time Victor Estrella Burgos defeated a player inside the top 10
2015 - It has almost been three years since the Dominican defeated a player in the top 10. Now 37, he has a 1-4 record against the players ranked in the single digits, with his sole win coming over world No.9 Marin Cilic at the 2015 Barcelona Open. He will have his work cut out for him tonight too, as he takes on world No.1 Rafael Nadal on Rod Laver Arena.
The Last Time Francesca Schiavone played on Rod Laver Arena
2011 - The former Roland Garros champion has continued to trouble players on the WTA for many years but her ranking has languished beyond the top 50 for a while now. Her last appearance on Rod Laver Arena came in the 2011 quarterfinal, where she fell to Caroline Wozniacki 3-6 6-3 6-3. The Italian will open the action on Melbourne’s centre court against reigning French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko.
The Last Time Caroline Wozniacki held a top-two seeding at a major
2012 - It has been six years since the Dane held a top two seeding at a Grand Slam. Fittingly the most recent time was also at the Australian Open back in 2012 when she was world No.1. That year she made the quarterfinals, falling to then-reigning champion Kim Clijsters 6-3 7-6(4). She begins her 2018 campaign against Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu on MCA tonight.
The Last Time an American man was seeded among the top eight at a Grand Slam
2012 - This edition of the Australian Open will mark the first time in six years that an American male will be seeded inside the top eight. In 2012 it was Mardy Fish, who fell to Alejandro Falla in the second round; in 2018 it will be Jack Sock. He kicks off his Open bid against Yuichi Sugita of Japan on Show Court 3.