A round-up of Thursday’s men’s and women’s singles action from the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.
MEN’S SINGLES
Nadal blasts past Baghdatis
Rafa Nadal stormed into the third round of the Australian Open with a 6-3 6-1 6-3 demolition of former finalist Marcos Baghdatis.
The 14-time grand slam champion has had two lean years at the majors but showed enough of the old passion and firepower in the two hour 13-minute clinic at Rod Laver Arena to suggest he may yet go deep in the second week at Melbourne Park.
Cypriot Baghdatis, who had a fairytale run to reach the final in 2006, saved two match points but Nadal closed out the match in style with a forehand cross-court winner to raise a huge roar from the terraces.
Nadal will next play Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic downed by Denis
Uzbek Denis Istomin pulled off an Australian Open upset for the ages when he sent reigning champion Novak Djokovic tumbling out of the year’s first grand slam in a near five-hour epic.
The 30-year-old world No 117 played the match of his life to hand the six-time champion only his second defeat in seven years at Melbourne Park with a 7-6(8) 5-7 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4 second-round win on Rod Laver Arena.
Istomin let out a huge roar of delight when he ensured Djokovic’s earliest exit from the tournament in more than a decade, the 12-times grand slam champion sending a service return long to end the contest after four hours and 50 minutes.
The wildcard, who hit 63 winners, edged the first set but simply refused to fold when second seed Djokovic hit back to win the second and third sets.
Clinching the fourth on another tiebreaker to send the match into a decider, Istomin grabbed an early break in the fifth and held his nerve to deliver a famous victory.
After the biggest win of his career, Istomin moves onto a third-round meeting with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
Raonic marches on
Third seed Milos Raonic continued his machine-like advance, easing past Gilles Muller 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) to reach the third round.
The big-serving Canadian, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last year, was clinical on a sunbathed Margaret Court Arena, firing 21 aces and breaking the serve-volleyer from Luxembourg once in each of the first two sets.
Left-hander Muller, who celebrated his maiden ATP title in Sydney earlier this month in his 17th year as a professional, saved a match point in the decisive tiebreak but fired a forehand into the tramlines to bow out. Raonic will next play French 25th seed Gilles Simon for a place in the fourth round.
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Read more
■ Australian Open predictions: Can Murray make it lucky No 6?
■ Rafael Nadal: Excited by 'new generation of fantastic players'
■ Novak Djokovic: 'Very pumped' as Australian Open history beckons
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WOMEN’S SINGLES
Serena sweeps aside Safarova
Serena Williams swept past Lucie Safarova and into the third round on to keep her grand slam record hunt firmly on track.
The American, chasing her 23rd major title and seventh in Melbourne, was in the zone to win 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena, just hours after fellow second seed Novak Djokovic was sensationally knocked out.
The world No 2 next faces fellow compatriot Nicole Gibbs, with a potential quarter-final encounter with in-form Briton Johanna Konta or sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova looming.
As well as a seventh Australian title, Williams is chasing an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam trophy and she wasn’t about to lose to Safarova, who she had beaten in all nine of their previous encounters.
The most recent was the 2015 French Open final.
Pliskova beginning to believe
Fifth seed Karolina Pliskova continued her impressive march, and is beginning to believe she could be on track for a grand slam to remember.
The towering Czech player dished out a 6-0, 6-2 lesson to Russian qualifier Anna Blinkova in the second round and has only dropped four games so far in two matches.
She hasn’t lost this year, lifting the trophy in this month’s Brisbane International, and her confidence is running high.
“I’m feeling pretty good on the court, confident. I have some matches already that I won this year. I didn’t lose yet, which is also a good thing,” she said.
“I think I’m playing good, even though the opponents were not that high level, I would say.
“Third round is going to definitely be more tough than the first two. Also people are saying I have a good chance to win a grand slam, but we are just in third round, so let’s see.”
Awaiting her next is Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who upset 31st seed Yulia Putintseva in straight sets.
Konta up next for Wozniacki
Former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki was in ominous touch as she blasted into the third round to set up a meeting with Britain’s Johanna Konta.
The 17th seed, angling for her first grand slam title, smashed Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena, barely putting a foot wrong.
Wozniacki has put injury struggles aside and enjoyed a resurgence over the past year, with her form impressive so far in Melbourne.
Her reward for beating Croatia’s Vekic is a showdown with Konta, who has also been in fine fettle.
“It’s such a great court. Always amazing playing the biggest courts in tennis,” Wozniacki said, of once again being on centre court at Melbourne Park.
Radwanska rolled over
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni turned back the clock to stun third seed Agnieszka Radwanska and send her packing from the Australian Open.
The Croat, 34, who won the Australian Open doubles title back in 1998, was too good for the Pole, winning 6-3, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena for one of her biggest career victories.
Radwanska’s shock exit was the second by a top five seed in the opening rounds, with world No 4 Simona Halep beaten in the first round.
It also came barely an hour after men’s second seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic went out to 117th-ranked Denis Istomin.
“It’s amazing,” Lucic-Baroni said.
“It’s been so long since I won a match or two (at a Grand Slam). Actually as I’m getting older, it seems like I’m getting better.
“I knew until the very last point I would have to fight... I was able to do that and stay calm. My heart is so full. I’m so happy.”
* Agencies
RESULTS
Men’s singles
Second round
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x32) bt Donald Young (USA) 7-5, 6-3, 6-0
Roberto Bautista (ESP x13) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3
Gilles Simon (FRA x25) bt Rogerio Dutra Silva (BRA) 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
Richard Gasquet (FRA x18) bt Carlos Berlocq (ARG) 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP x30) bt Kyle Edmund (GBR) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
David Ferrer (ESP x21) bt Ernesto Escobedo (USA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Milos Raonic (CAN) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x15) bt Chung Hye-On (KOR) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Gael Monfils (FRA x6) bt Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-0
Alexander Zverev (GER x24) bt Francis Tiafoe (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Ivo Karlovic (CRO x20) bt Andrew Whittington (AUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
David Goffin (BEL x11) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-4, 6-0, 6-3
Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) 7-6 (10/8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Women’s singles
Second round
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x5) bt Anna Blinkova (RUS) 6-0, 6-2
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ x31) 6-3, 6-1
Elena Vesnina (RUS x14) bt Mandy Minella (LUX) 6-3, 6-3
Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 2-6, 7-6 (7/3), 10-8
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x6) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 6-4, 7-6 (10/8)
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x30) bt Sara Errani (ITA) 6-2, 3-2 retired
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x17) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 6-1, 6-3
Johanna Konta (GBR x9) bt Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6-4, 6-2
Caroline Garcia (FRA x21) bt Oceane Dodin (FRA) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-4
Barbora Strycova (CZE x16) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-0, 7-5
Nicole Gibbs (USA) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 6-4, 6-1
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