Tokyo, Japan, 24 July 2021 | Vivienne Christie

The quest to add to Australia’s medal tally in tennis is off to a successful start at the Tokyo Olympics, with John Millman advancing in his first-round match against Lorenzo Musetti.

There was also an impressive start for Ash Barty and Storm Sanders in doubles, the Australian women surrendering only three games as they overcame Japanese team Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya.

Millman required 96 minutes to claim a 6-3 6-4 win against the Italian, who at age 19 was the youngest man to start in the 64-player singles draw in Tokyo.

The 32-year-old Queenslander, by contrast, is an experienced competitor contesting his second Olympics.

Millman achieved history as the only man to claim a double-bagel victory in Olympic tennis in his first-round win over Ricardas Berankis in Rio de Janeiro and seemed similarly strong in the earliest stages against Musetti.

The world No.44 Australian saved both break points he faced in the first set against 61^st-ranked Musetti and with a decisive break of serve in the eighth game, Millman closed out the set in 47 minutes.

A more complicated second set followed, Millman securing another break of serve in the first game but Musetti levelling three games later. After an exchange of breaks in the fifth and sixth games, Millman took a 5-4 lead and served out victory.

Millman next faces Spain’s No.16 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a 6-3 6-0 winner over Pedro Sousa of Portugal.

https://twitter.com/AUSOlympicTeam/status/1418785754172379138?s=20

Barty and Sanders will take confidence from their near flawless win over Hibino and Ninomiyo.

Racing to a 4-0 lead at the Ariake Tennis Park, the Australian team soon held the first-set advantage and did not face a break point as they completed victory in 50 minutes.

Barty and Sanders will meet Chinese pair Zu Yi-Fan and Yang Zhaoxuan in their second-round match.

Sam Stosur will also turn her attention to doubles after Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina ended the Australian’s singles campaign.

The world No.20 Rybakina secured a 6-4 6-2 first-round victory over Stosur in one hour and 10 minutes.

Contesting her record fifth Olympics Games, Stosur is paired with Ellen Perez in doubles. The Australian duo face Latvian team Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova in the first round.

READ: Pride propelling Australians at Tokyo Olympics 

Nine of Australia’s 10-strong team return to the court in Tokyo tomorrow with world No.1 Ash Barty launching Day 2 play with her first-round singles match against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Aussies in action – Tokyo Olympics

RESULTS – Day 1 
Men’s singles, first round
John Millman (AUS) d Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) 6-3 6-4

Women’s singles, first round
[15] Elena Rybakina (KAZ)) d Sam Stosur (AUS) 6-4 6-2

Women’s doubles, first round
[6] Ash Barty/Storm Sanders (AUS) d Nao Hibino/ Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) 6-1 6-2

COMING UP –Day 2
Women’s singles, first round
Ash Barty (AUS) v Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v Yaroslava Shvevdova (KAZ)

Women’s doubles, first round
Ellen Perez/Sam Stosur (AUS) v Jelena Ostapenko/Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)

Men’s singles, first round
James Duckworth (AUS) v Lukas Klein (SVK)

Men’s doubles, first round
John Millman/Luke Saville (AUS) v Oliver Marach/Philipp Oswald (AUT)
John Peers/Max Purcell (AUS) v Austin Krajicek/Tennys Sandgren (USA)

https://twitter.com/TennisAustralia/status/1418783009545670662?s=20