Overview
- At 45, Venus Williams became the oldest singles competitor in Australian Open history before losing 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 to Olga Danilovic after leading 4-0 in the final set.
- Williams competed on a wildcard in her 22nd main-draw appearance in Melbourne, returning nearly three decades after her 1998 debut at the tournament.
- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, recovering from a nervous start to close out the match in straight sets.
- Two seeds exited early as qualifier Elsa Jacquemot upset No. 20 Marta Kostyuk in three tiebreaks and qualifier Zeynep Sönmez ousted No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets.
- Danilovic advanced to face either No. 3 Coco Gauff or Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round.