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Melbourne - Fast-rising teenager Jannik Sinner won his first Grand Slam match on Tuesday and basked in praise from Roger Federer, who said "we'll see a lot more of" the Italian.
The 18-year-old, a former champion skier before switching to tennis, swept past Australian Max Purcell 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-4 at the Australian Open.
The win reinforced Sinner's credentials after he won the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan last November - a tournament that features the eight best men's players aged 21 or under.
His progress has caught the eye of 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who said: "I think we'll see so much more from him. He's an exciting guy and super-sweet kid, which I always love to see."
Rafael Nadal has also taken note.
The Spanish world No 1 said he had seen a lot of promising teenagers fail to live up to their potential, but he felt Sinner was different.
"Personally I think that this will not be the case because my feeling he's a humble guy, he's a hard worker. I practised with him the other day, he has a good character on court, he's positive," he said.
"I see him having a great tennis career. He has everything to achieve a great tennis career. The only thing that he needs to do, in my opinion, is have the right people around and work."
Sinner, the youngest player in the year-end top 80 last year since a 17-year-old Nadal in 2003, said he was honoured by the comments.
"What he (Federer) said is nice for me. But, you know, we still have to work," said Sinner, who was speaking before Nadal lavished praise.
Federer played with Sinner, who made his Grand Slam debut at last year's US Open, losing in the first round to Stan Wawrinka, in Rome last year and also practised with him after the Laureus sports awards in Monaco.
"What I like about him is that he's almost got the same speed of off-shot on forehand, backhand," said the Swiss great on Monday.
"He has great footwork for a big guy, because we forget how tall he is, as well.
"And then he can play, again, like most of the best movers in the game right now, he can also play open stance and closed stance, which I think is a huge advantage for movement for the future."
Sinner, who is coached by Riccardo Piatti, who has previously worked with Novak Djokovic, Ivan Ljubicic, and Milos Raonic, welcomed Federer's input but said he was still improving.
"Because I'm young, forehand and backhand are quite solid. The shot is getting better and better, which is our goal," he said.
"And of course there will be matches where maybe you cannot feel the shot so you have to maybe slow down a little bit, trying to find another solution. You cannot play the whole match with the same speed.
"You have to change a little bit the ball some heights, which I have to learn. I have to learn everything."
The 82nd-ranked Sinner next faces Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who upset Canadian world number 13 Denis Shapovalov in the first round.
Collated results on day two of the Australian Open Grand Slam at Melbourne Park on Tuesday:
Men's singles
1st round
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Hugo Dellien (BOL) 6-2, 6-3, 6-0
Federico Del Bonis (ARG) bt Joo Sousa (POR) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Peter Gojowczyk (GER) bt Christopher Eubanks (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Pablo Carreo-Busta (ESP x27) bt Jozef Kovalk (SVK) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/2)
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x23) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/1)
Gilles Simon (FRA) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
Karen Khachanov (RUS x16) bt Mario Vilella (ESP) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Gael Monfils (FRA x10) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-5
Aljaz Bedene (SLO) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt Flix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x20) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4
Taylor Fritz (USA x29) bt Tallon Griekspoor (NED) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Kevin Anderson (RSA) bt Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8)
Alex Bolt (AUS) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-4
Dominic Thiem (AUT x5) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Daniil Medvedev (RUS x4) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Pedro Martnez (ESP) bt Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Jaume Munar (ESP) bt Hugo Gaston (FRA) 7-5, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x28) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-1, 0-0 abandon
John Isner (USA x19) bt Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5)
Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) bt Daniel Galn (COL) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4
Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x15) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4
David Goffin (BEL x11) bt Jrmy Chardy (FRA) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Cameron Norrie (GBR) 7-5, 3-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Yuichi Sugita (JPN) bt Elliot Benchetrit (FRA) 6-2, 6-0, 6-3
Andrey Rublev (RUS x17) bt Christopher O'Connell (AUS) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x26) bt Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
Egor Gerasimov (BLR) bt Casper Ruud (NOR) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6)
Alexander Zverev (GER x7) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3
Tennys Sandgren (USA) bt Marco Trungelliti (ARG) 6-1, 6-4, 7-5
Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Fabio Fognini (ITA x12) bt Reilly Opelka (USA) 3-6, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (10/5)
Jannik Sinner (ITA) bt Max Purcell (AUS) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-4
Tommy Paul (USA) bt Leonardo Mayer (ARG) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Hubert Hurkacz (POL x31) bt Dennis Novak (AUT) 6-7 (4/7), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
John Millman (AUS) bt Ugo Humbert (FRA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
Filip Krajinovic (SRB) bt Quentin Halys (FRA) 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 4-6, 7-5
Christian Garn (CHI) bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Milos Raonic (CAN x32) bt Lorenzo Giustino (ITA) 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
Benot Paire (FRA x21) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-0
Marin Cilic (CRO) bt Corentin Moutet (FRA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Michael Mmoh (USA) bt Pablo Andjar (ESP) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Roberto Bautista (ESP x9) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-2, 6-2, 7-5
Diego Schwartzman (ARG x14) bt Lloyd Harris (RSA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Alejandro Davidovich (ESP) bt Norbert Gombos (SVK) 4-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marc Polmans (AUS) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (8/10), 6-4
Dusan Lajovic (SRB x24) bt Kyle Edmund (GBR) 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
Tatsuma Ito (JPN) bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) 6-4, 6-2, 7-5
Women's singles
1st round
Polona Hercog (SLO) bt Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 6-3, 6-3
Greet Minnen (BEL) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-5
Elena Rybakina (KAZ x29) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-3, 6-2
Alison Riske (USA x18) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 7-6 (7/5), 2-6, 6-3
Madison Keys (USA x10) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS) 6-3, 6-1
Arantxa Rus (NED) bt Magda Linette (POL) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Nao Hibino (JPN) bt Shuai Peng (CHN) 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
Maria Sakkari (GRE x22) bt Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 6-2, 6-2
Ons Jabeur (TUN) bt Johanna Konta (GBR x12) 6-4, 6-2
Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-2
Dayana Yastremska (UKR x23) bt Kaja Juvan (SLO) 6-1, 6-1
Wang Qiang (CHN x27) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
Fiona Ferro (FRA) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-2, 6-1
Belinda Bencic (SUI x6) bt Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-3, 7-5
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) 6-1, 6-4
Donna Vekic (CRO x19) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS) 6-3, 6-4
Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Monica Niculescu (ROU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-0
Catherine Bellis (USA) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-0, 6-2
Karolina Muchova (CZE x20) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (10/7)
Danielle Collins (USA x26) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) 6-1, 6-3
Harriet Dart (GBR) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/6)
Simona Halep (ROU x4) bt Jennifer Brady (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Elina Svitolina (UKR x5) bt Katie Boulter (GBR) 6-4, 7-5
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 6-4, 6-2
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Shelby Rogers (USA) 0-6, 6-1, 6-0
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x31) 6-1, 6-1
Zarina Diyas (KAZ) bt Amanda Anisimova (USA x21) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Anna Blinkova (RUS) bt Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 7-5, 6-4
Arina Rodionova (AUS) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-0
Kiki Bertens (NED x9) bt Irina Begu (ROU) 6-1, 6-4
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Marketa Vondrousova (CZE x15) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Antonia Lottner (GER) 6-3, 6-3
Priscilla Hon (AUS) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-3, 6-4
Angelique Kerber (GER x17) bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) 6-2, 6-2
Laura Siegemund (GER) bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 6-1, 6-4
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x2) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-1, 7-5
