Melbourne, Jan 20 || World no. 5 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the second round after his Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon retired due to injury.
The match was a gruelling three-hour marathon, with Musetti leading 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5, 3-2 when Collignon had to stop.
The match marked Musetti's Grand Slam debut, shortly after he attained his career-high ranking of No. 5 on January 12, 2026, following his final appearance in Hong Kong. He is only the third Italian man in history to reach this ranking milestone.
The Italian’s start to the first Grand Slam of the season was shaky as he handed an early advantage to Collignon, who clinched the first set 6-4. The fifth seed missed a break point early in the set and couldn't recover against his Belgian opponent, leading to a poor start to his tournament.
However, after being pushed to the brink by the World No. 72, the Italian battled through a fierce tie-break in the second set and ultimately won it 7-6, (7-3).
Musetti appeared well on his way to advancing to the second round, leaving Collignon to require something exceptional to turn the match around.