MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Highlights of the third day of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday, all times local (GMT +11):
1644 DOMINANT NADAL BREEZES PAST HANFMANN
Rafa Nadal continued his quest for a 21st Grand Slam title with a 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory over German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, finishing with a blistering forehand. Up next for the sixth seed is Karen Khachanov or Benjamin Bonzi.
1540 SVITOLINA PLEASED TO HAVE MONFILS BY HER SIDE
Elina Svitolina, who married fellow professional Gael Monfils last year, said she was lucky to have found a partner who understands the demands of elite-level tennis.
“It’s important to have someone who understands what I’m going through … This sometimes can get complicated. The mental part is very important,” Svitolina said.
“For me to have Gael next to me at the same big events, it’s lucky in our situation that we’re both at the top of our sport so we’re travelling pretty much the same tournaments.”
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Australian Open order of play on Wednesday
Barty reaches third round on First Nations Peoples Day
From quarantine to centre court, Badosa relishing life as a seed
Beaten Stephens warns Raducanu to expect rollercoaster ride
Medvedev motors into second round, laments ‘impossible’ schedule
Greek Tsitsipas makes confident start with straight-sets win
Indefatigable Murray wins Basilashvili thriller to reach second round
Australia boss Tiley gets board backing after Djokovic debacle
Raducanu survives Stephens test on Australian Open debut
Grand Slam ‘normal’ for Swiatek as Pole downs Dart
No Fernandez fairytale Down Under after first-round exit
With pressure off, Stosur eyes final flourish at Australian Open
Sabalenka credits Philippoussis for helping fix service struggles
Even ‘Spiderman’ can’t help Watson switch off in Melbourne
Third seed Muguruza bounces Burel to reach second round
Undercooked Kvitova bows out after ‘painful’ defeat
1445 KEYS MOVES INTO THIRD ROUND
Former U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys staved off a late comeback attempt by Jaqueline Cristian to beat the Romanian 6-2 7-5. The Adelaide champion has won now seven straight matches and meets Alison Van Uytvanck or Wang Qiang next.
1402 BADOSA DELIGHTED WITH CENTRE COURT SPOTLIGHT
Eighth seed Paula Badosa said playing on Rod Laver Arena following a breakthrough 2021 in which she tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Australian Open felt special.
“I’m really proud of myself… one year ago I was locked in a room,” Badosa said after beating Martina Trevisan. “Being here and playing centre court, because of me, not because I’m playing a seeded player, because now I’m the seeded player, I’m happy.”
1337 BARTY TOO GOOD FOR BRONZETTI
Top seed Ash Barty used her powerful forehand and delicate slices to devastating effect in a 6-1 6-1 win over Grand Slam debutant Lucia Bronzetti in 52 minutes.
Earlier, 15th seed Elina Svitolina advanced when Harmony Tan retired from their match with a knee issue and left the court in a wheelchair. Tan was down 6-3 5-7 5-1 when she got injured.
Camila Giorgi reached the third round at Melbourne for the fourth time with a 6-2 7-6(2) win over Tereza Martincova.
1230 AZARENKA, BADOSA THROUGH TO THIRD ROUND
Twice former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and Spanish eighth seed Paula Badosa were the first players into the third round at Melbourne Park.
Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, sealed a 6-1 6-2 victory over Swiss Jil Teichmann with a backhand winner, while Badosa firmed as a dark horse for the title with an equally dominant 6-0 6-3 win over Martina Trevisan on Rod Laver Arena.
1125 PLAY UNDERWAY ON DAY THREE
Play at Melbourne Park got underway on all courts as scheduled on day three of the year’s first Grand Slam.
A warm day is expected for the second round matches with the temperature already at 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) with a high of 28 forecast.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney and Shrivathsa Sridhar, Editing by Himani Sarkar)
