Novak Djokovic reaches Australian Open second round, Bernard Tomic advances at Melbourne Park

Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open title defence is already running smoothly and Bernard Tomic has shown glimpses of his talent on his way to reaching the second round, albeit via the mid-match retirement of his opponent.

Djokovic, aiming for a ninth men’s singles crown at Melbourne Park and a third straight, showed his class with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win over French veteran Jeremy Chardy on Rod Laver Arena on Monday evening.

Earlier, Tomic was leading 4-1 in the third set when Japan’s Yuichi Sugita pulled out with…