<div>Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep went crashing out of the Australian Open first round on Tuesday as a dramatic day of upsets grabbed attention away from a match-fixing controversy which has left tennis reeling.<br /><br />Nadal suffered one of the worst Grand Slam results of his career as he was stunned by fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco in a five-set thriller which recalled their epic 2009 semifinal.<br /><br />Halep, the women's world number two, soon followed him out in an almighty upset by Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai -- who wept freely as she won her first Grand Slam match in 15 attempts.<br /><br />While Halep's defeat to Zhang, the world number 133, came out of the blue, it was Nadal's loss which created concern as the 14-time Grand Slam-winner increasingly looks a fading force. The 45th-ranked Verdasco posted a 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win in four hours and 41 minutes.<br /><br />Nadal, 29, has only ever lost once before in a Grand Slam first round, at Wimbledon 2013, but he has not gone further than the quarterfinals at the majors since he won the 2014 French Open.<br /><br />The big upsets at least provided relief from match-fixing revelations which hit the start of the tournament after a report said top players had been under suspicion but never punished.<br /><br />In the latest developments, two more players said they had been targeted by match-fixers and Australian media reported that police were keeping a close eye on the tournament's first round.<br /><br />Andy Murray, a four-time finalist who is seeking his first title in Melbourne, dispatched Germany's Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in hot conditions to move into the second round.<br /><br />Rising star Garbine Muguruza beat Estonian debutante Anett Kontaveit 6-0, 6-4 in one hour exactly -- and immediately set her sights on dethroning Serena Williams.<br /><br />Temperatures of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) took their toll and Diego Schwartzman was stretchered off after retiring in the fourth set against John Millman with cramps.<br /><br />While Murray and Muguruza motored through, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams suffered an early exit when she lost to British number one Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-2.<br /><br />Williams, 35, was the oldest player in the women's draw but Konta said it would be "silly" to focus on the American's age.<br /><br />"I think it's irrelevant how old she is because she's such a champion with so much experience and so much knowledge about the game," said Konta.<br /><br />Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt extended his farewell tournament into at least another match when he beat fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-0, setting up a clash with eighth seed David Ferrer.<br /><br />Milos Raonic, who is now working with Carlos Moya and beat Roger Federer in this month's Brisbane final, breezed past Lucas Pouille 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and into the second round.<br /><br />Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka enjoyed one of the most one-sided wins of her career when she "double-bagelled" Alisan Van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-0 in just 53 minutes.<br /><br />But it was a different story for Gilles Muller, who came through four tie-breaks to beat Fabio Fognini 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1) but not before the Italian showed flashes of his famous temper.<br /><br />France's Jeremy Chardy had an even bigger struggle, winning the fifth-set 13-11 to finally overcome Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 (13-11) after four hours and 43 minutes.<br /><br /></div>
<div>Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep went crashing out of the Australian Open first round on Tuesday as a dramatic day of upsets grabbed attention away from a match-fixing controversy which has left tennis reeling.<br /><br />Nadal suffered one of the worst Grand Slam results of his career as he was stunned by fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco in a five-set thriller which recalled their epic 2009 semifinal.<br /><br />Halep, the women's world number two, soon followed him out in an almighty upset by Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai -- who wept freely as she won her first Grand Slam match in 15 attempts.<br /><br />While Halep's defeat to Zhang, the world number 133, came out of the blue, it was Nadal's loss which created concern as the 14-time Grand Slam-winner increasingly looks a fading force. The 45th-ranked Verdasco posted a 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win in four hours and 41 minutes.<br /><br />Nadal, 29, has only ever lost once before in a Grand Slam first round, at Wimbledon 2013, but he has not gone further than the quarterfinals at the majors since he won the 2014 French Open.<br /><br />The big upsets at least provided relief from match-fixing revelations which hit the start of the tournament after a report said top players had been under suspicion but never punished.<br /><br />In the latest developments, two more players said they had been targeted by match-fixers and Australian media reported that police were keeping a close eye on the tournament's first round.<br /><br />Andy Murray, a four-time finalist who is seeking his first title in Melbourne, dispatched Germany's Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in hot conditions to move into the second round.<br /><br />Rising star Garbine Muguruza beat Estonian debutante Anett Kontaveit 6-0, 6-4 in one hour exactly -- and immediately set her sights on dethroning Serena Williams.<br /><br />Temperatures of 33 Celsius (91.4 Fahrenheit) took their toll and Diego Schwartzman was stretchered off after retiring in the fourth set against John Millman with cramps.<br /><br />While Murray and Muguruza motored through, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams suffered an early exit when she lost to British number one Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-2.<br /><br />Williams, 35, was the oldest player in the women's draw but Konta said it would be "silly" to focus on the American's age.<br /><br />"I think it's irrelevant how old she is because she's such a champion with so much experience and so much knowledge about the game," said Konta.<br /><br />Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt extended his farewell tournament into at least another match when he beat fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-0, setting up a clash with eighth seed David Ferrer.<br /><br />Milos Raonic, who is now working with Carlos Moya and beat Roger Federer in this month's Brisbane final, breezed past Lucas Pouille 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and into the second round.<br /><br />Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka enjoyed one of the most one-sided wins of her career when she "double-bagelled" Alisan Van Uytvanck 6-0, 6-0 in just 53 minutes.<br /><br />But it was a different story for Gilles Muller, who came through four tie-breaks to beat Fabio Fognini 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1) but not before the Italian showed flashes of his famous temper.<br /><br />France's Jeremy Chardy had an even bigger struggle, winning the fifth-set 13-11 to finally overcome Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 (13-11) after four hours and 43 minutes.<br /><br /></div>