The first round of the 2016 Australian Open ended Tuesday, and one of the best players in the world went home early.
Rafael Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, was upset in five sets by Fernando Verdasco. It’s only the second time Nadal has been upset in Round 1 of a major tournament.
There were no other significant upsets Tuesday. All four semifinalists from last year — Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and Stan Wawrinka — won their first round matchups. Other notable stars such as Roger Federer and David Ferrer also are through to the next round.
Australian Lleyton Hewitt won his first-round matchup in straight sets, much to …