Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was knocked out of the Australian Open in straights sets by Swiss 20-year-old Belinda Bencic on Monday.

The fifth seed and last year’s finalist was shocked 6-3, 7-5 in the first round by the world No 78 in just under two hours on Rod Laver Arena.

“It would be nice to play someone easier in the first round,” said Bencic in her on-court post-match interview. The Swiss was watched by her compatriot Roger Federer’s parents in the stands.

Zhang Shuai sends US champ Sloane Stephens packing

US Open champion Sloane Stephens was the first big name casualty of the Australian Open on Monday, crashing out 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 to Zhang Shuai in an error-strewn performance.

The American extended her sorry losing streak since winning at Flushing Meadows in September to seven matches against the 34th-ranked Chinese number two, a surprise quarter-finalist in Melbourne two years ago.

Stephens came back from a long-term injury to record her US Open victory but has struggled since with form and fitness.

Vandweghe complains of lack of bananas, loses in first round

Tenth seed and last year’s semi-finalist CoCo Vandeweghe was sent packing from the Australian Open.

Vendeweghe, who also made the last four at the US Open in 2017, was knocked out by Hungary’s Timea Babos 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.

Hungarian world number 51 Babos took just an hour an 46 minutes to oust a tetchy Vandeweghe, who complained to the umpire after dropping the first set about a lack of bananas on the Hisense Arena court.

Ostapenko in second round after Shiavone scare

French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko survived a second-set scare from corset-wearing Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone to get her Australian Open campaign off to a winning start.

World No 7 Ostapenko raced through the first set on Rod Laver Arena against the 2010 Roland Garros winner 6-1.

But she found herself 4-1 down in the second to the world No 93 who was bizarrely wearing a weightlifter-style back brace over her tennis top.

The big-hitting Latvian soon found her range again and hit back with two breaks of the Schiavone serve, the second achieved with a trademark forehand winner.

Ostapenko then served out with no further alarms to take the match 6-1, 6-4 in an hour and 14 minutes.

Wozniacki cruises

Caroline Wozniacki keep her quest for a first Grand Slam title on course at the Australian Open on Monday, cruising into the second round. The second seeded Dane overcame tricky Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-2, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena in an hour and 11 minutes. She will next play either Japan’s Misa Eguchi or Croatia’s Jana Fett.