Updates from Day 3 of the Australian Open.
World No 3 Roger Federer cruised into the Australian Open third round with a straight-sets win over practice partner Aleksandr Dolgopolov.
The 17-time grand slam champion was never in trouble against the 35th-ranked Ukrainian and strolled to a regulation 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 win in one hour 33 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
It was Federer’s 299th Grand Slam singles victory as he chases his fifth Australian crown.
Federer practiced with Dolgopolov in Dubai in the off-season and took his record over him to 3-0.
Dolgopolov’s game unravelled in the final set as Federer put the finishing touches to a convincing win.
The third seed, who has now reached the third round in all of his 17 visits to Melbourne, broke Dolgopolov’s serve five times and did not face a single break point on his own serve.
Federer hammered a total of 39 winners, which included 25 aces in a dominant serving performance.
He will now have a third-round encounter with either Bulgarian 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov or Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti.
“I’m very happy. The conditions are extremely quick so you are not going to find that much rhythm out there,” Federer said.
“Aleksandr can play great when you give him too much time so maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that it was as fast as it was.
“But I served well and as the match went on I started to feel better and better, but the second set was crucial and I’m glad I got it done.”
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Nishikori puts friendship aside
Japanese hope Kei Nishikori came out on top of an awkward match with his close friend and practice partner Austin Krajicek to reach the third round.
The seventh seed advanced but not before a second-set struggle, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in one hour, 53 minutes on Margaret Court Arena with the roof closed after morning rain.
Nishikori, who has yet to pass the quarter-final stage at Melbourne Park, will next play either Spain’s 26th seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or German qualifier Daniel Brands.
Nishikori and Krajicek grew up training together at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, and they were facing each other in a match for the second time after the Japanese star won in three sets in Memphis last year.
“I tried to forget in the match. But it’s never easy to play with good friends and especially I know him when we were like 15, 16,” Nishikori said. “So it’s not easy, but on the court I try to concentrate on whoever is over the net.
“I should have closed out the second set when it was 5-4 but he started playing better and it was a tight tiebreaker. Once I got the tiebreaker I was better.”
Williams powers on
World No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams powered into the third round with a straight-sets demolition of Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.
The six-time Australian Open winner, who is gunning to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles, blitzed Hsieh 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.
She next faces either Russian Daria Kasatkina with a potential quarter-final clash against arch-rival Maria Sharapova awaiting.
“She was definitely a tricky opponent but it was a good match for me to play someone like that. I needed that,” said Williams, who made her grand slam debut in Melbourne in 1998.
“It all started here for me, that is where I played my first match in a Grand Slam, on this court, and I’m still going. It’s an honour.”
Australian Open Day 3 order of play: Sharapova, Williams, Federer and Djokovic in action
Sharapova untroubled
Maria Sharapova cruised into the third round, sweeping past Aliaksandra Sasnovich with the loss of just three games.
The on-song Russian, 28, shook off any early-season rust off in the opening round and she continued her impressive form against Sasnovich, crushing the 105th ranked Belarusian 6-2, 6-1 with the roof shut on Rod Laver Arena as rain came down.
A winner here in 2008 and a three-time runner-up, Sharapova was always heavily favoured, although the departure of second seed Simona Halep to a qualifier on Tuesday showed there are no guarantees.
The win keeps her on track for a potential last-eight clash against her nemesis Serena Williams, who beat her in the final last year and has won every match they have played since 2004. Williams is on court later Wednesday.
“It’s great to be back on this court after such a good run (to the final) last year,” Sharapova said. “It was an opponent I had never faced before which is always tricky and I’m happy I got there.”
Brilliant Berdych advances
Twice semi-finalist Tomas Berdych only lost seven games in reaching the third round at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Czech sixth seed was too strong for Bosnia’s Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 in one hour 38 minutes and will face either Australian Nick Kyrgios or Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay next.
Radwanska punishes wasteful Bouchard
Eugenie Bouchard’s hopes of rehabilitation at the Australian Open came to a swift end as Agnieszka Radwanska sent the Canadian spinning out of the tournament with a 6-4 6-2 defeat in the second round.
Bouchard, whose career hit the buffers last year following her break-out 2014 season when she reached the Wimbledon final, crumbled under the lights of Rod Laver Arena after sprinting into a 4-2 lead in the first set.
She lost six straight games to gift the set and an early break in the second to the Polish fourth seed, and was then powerless to mount a challenge as her forehand misfired and the errors started piling up.
Staring down the barrel at 5-2, Bouchard was presented with one last chance to rally, having prised three break-points as Radwanska served for the match.
But the 37th-ranked Canadian squandered them all in a run of four unforced errors, capitulating meekly at the tournament that was the springboard for her sensational 2014.
Kyrgios sets up Berdych showdown
Nick Kyrgios forged a straight sets win over Pablo Cuevas to set up a third round showdown with sixth seed Tomas Berdych.
Kyrgios, 20, showcased all his mercurial skills to get past the 41st-ranked Uruguayan 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in almost two hours before a supportive home crowd on Hisense Arena.
The 29th-seeded Australian smashed 50 winners as he broke the Uruguayan’s serve four times to take the second round match.
The victory sets him up for a crack at Berdych, who has reached the last two semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
“I am very relieved to get through that in straight sets,” said Kyrgios, who made the quarter-finals last year where he lost to Andy Murray.
“He’s a great competitor and he’s one of the best athletes on the tour.
“The crowd helped me deep in that third set, I was struggling a little bit, but the crowd really lifted me.”
RESULTS FROM DAY 3
Men
2nd rd
Federico Del Bonis (ARG) bt Renzo Olivo (ARG) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 6-2
Gilles Simon (FRA x14) bt Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 7-5
Kei Nishikori (JPN x7) bt Austin Krajicek (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 6-3, 7-5, 6-1
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x27) bt Marco Trungelliti (ARG) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Dominic Thiem (AUT x19) bt Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
David Goffin (BEL x15) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2
Marin Cilic (CRO x12) bt Albert Ramos (ESP) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
Roberto Bautista (ESP x24) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) bt Mirza Basic (BIH) 6-4, 6-0, 6-3
Women
2nd rd
Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 6-1, 6-2
Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Ana Konjuh (CRO) 6-4, 6-3
Belinda Bencic (SUI x12) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 6-3, 6-3
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x23) 6-1, 7-5
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 7-6 (9/7) abandon
Maria Sharapova (RUS x5) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-2, 6-1
Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 6-3, 6-4
Roberta Vinci (ITA x13) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 6-2, 6-3
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