MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Madison Keys struggled early but held on to defeat Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine 7-6 (6), 6-1 in a first-round match Tuesday at the Australian Open.
Ninth-seeded Keys dug herself into a deep hole at Rod Laver Arena but recovered. She trailed 4-0 in the first set and rallied to force a tiebreaker against the Ukrainian.
Oliynkyoka, playing in her first Grand Slam main draw, also raced to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreaker but failed to cash in on two set-point opportunities, giving Keys the opening she needed to take the set.
''Obviously I was very nervous at the start,'' Keys said in an on-court interview. ''As nervous as I was . . . I'm really glad to be back, and that I got through that match.''
Keys praised Oliynykova, who signed autographs, accepted loud applause, and waved a Ukrainian flag on-court after the match.
''My opponent today was incredible,'' Keys said. ''She started so well. Such a great competitor. She definitely made it tricky for me.''
The first set lasted 1 hour, 12 minutes.
Oliynykova kept Keys off stride, particularly in the first set, with random shots, which included high lobs — moon shots — that forced Keys deep behind the baseline. The Ukrainian's strong defense and unorthodox play also kept her in the match early.
