Australian number one Nick Kyrgios booked his place in the second round of his home Grand Slam with a hard-fought five-set victory over Federico Delbonis on day one of the Australian Open.
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The 19-year-old, whose match was the last on court on Monday in Melbourne, now joins five other Aussie men in the next stage, including 18-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis, who stunned 11th seed Ernests Gulbis.
Kyrgios took the first set 7-2 in a tie-break on Margaret Court Arena before the pair traded 6-3 scorelines in the second and third.
There would be another breaker in the fourth, but this time world number 62 Delbonis triumphed 7-5 to force a decider.
Spurred on by the buoyant crowd as the clock ticked towards midnight, Kyrgios made a crucial break midway through the fifth before serving it out 6-3.
The world number 53 will next face big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday.
Pascal Lemesre
