Colombian tennis player Santiago Giraldo delivered one of the biggest sensations in the first round of the Australian Open, beating Spaniard Tommy Robredo in straight sets to advance to the second round.
Robredo, seeded 16th for this tournament, was not much of a problem for the 22-year-old from Pereira, who won the first set 6-4 and went on to finish it off with two 6-2 set victories.
It is the first time that Robredo has reached the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, after making three first-round appearances at Roland Garros in France.
In the second round, Giraldo meets with the unseeded Polish player Lukasz Kubot.
And there was more good news for Colombian tennis as Giraldo’s compatriot Alejandro Falla also reached the second round, thanks to a three-set win over Brazilian Marcos Daniel.
Falla, who won the match 7-5, 6-3, 6-1, faces a potentially tough challenge in the next round, as his Spanish opponent Marcel Granollers eliminated eighth-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden in his tournament opener.
The Australian Open in Melbourne is the first of four annual Grand Slams.
