Australian Open 2016 first round photos: The heat is on as Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep crash out

Fernando Verdasco sent shockwaves through the Australian Open 2016 by defeating Rafael Nadal to send the former world number one crashing out in the tournament's opening round. There were two big upsets in the women's draw, with number two seed Simona Halep losing to Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai and seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams being beaten by British number one Johanna Konta in the first round. Meanwhile, Serena Williams dispelled any doubts about her fitness and form after a four-month break from the game with a tense win over feisty Italian Camila Giorgi.

Men's second seed Andy Murray had a comfortable victory over Germany's Alexander Zverev, while world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic played in temperatures of 34 Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) to beat South Korean teenager Chung Hyeon. Roger Federer set a record just by showing up and appearing in a record 65th consecutive major, an impressive run that started at the Australian Open in 2000. However, he hasn't won a Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2012. Amd in his last Australian Open an emotional Lleyton Hewitt made it through to the second round in the men's singles, beating compatriot James Duckworth.

In this gallery, IBTimes UK presents the best photos from the first round of the 2016 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.