Daniil Medvedev defeated Jesper De Jong 7–5, 6–2, 7–6 in the first round of the Australian Open on hard court, comfortably progressing as the overwhelming favourite at 1.05 odds. The Russian controlled the match throughout, taking the opening set in a competitive first-set tiebreak before breaking serve decisively in the second to establish dominance. De Jong offered little resistance in the middle set, but mounted a brief challenge in the third, forcing a tiebreak that Medvedev ultimately secured. The result keeps Medvedev on course in his bid for a maiden Australian Open title, with the second-round fixture next on his agenda.