Sports
Djokovic and Keys ease through on drama-free day in Melbourne
Novak Djokovic and Madison Keys were among those to make serene progress on day five of the Australian Open.
Djokovic had few troubles in seeing off qualifier Francesco Maestrelli while defending women’s champion Keys was an equally emphatic winner against American compatriot Ashlyn Krueger.
It was a day free of upsets and free of much drama. Of the 12 singles matches staged on the three main show courts, only one – Naomi Osaka’s defeat of Sorana Cirstea – was not completed in straight sets.
Highlights of the men’s action
Djokovic’s hopes of an 11th crown at Melbourne Park remain alive although there will be sterner tests ahead than the one provided by heavy-hitting Italian Maestrelli. The Serb won 6-3 6-2 6-2 thanks to some overnight homework.
“I didn’t know much about him until yesterday actually…it happens more often than not these days for me,” Djokovic said.
“Respect is always there, and you don’t underestimate anyone. He’s got a big serve, he’s got a big game, obviously he’s still lacking experience on the big stage but he’s got the game to go far and to go high in the rankings so I wish him well with that.”
If Djokovic is to claim the trophy – a record 25th in majors – he will have to get past both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the two heavyweights of the game at present.
Sinner was not troubled by Australian wild card James Duckworth, another one-sided encounter finishing 6-1 6-4 6-2 in favour of the second seed.
Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti won the all-Italian battle against Lorenzo Sonego for the loss of 10 games while Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud also advanced.
Match of the day saw Stan Wawrinka prevail in a champions tie-break after five sets against Arthur Gea. The Swiss, a three-time grand slam champion, became the first man aged over 40 to reach the third round at a major since Ken Rosewall at the 1978 Australian Open. He plays Fritz next.
Highlights of the women’s action
There was a little spice between Osaka and Cirstea, playing her final Australian Open after announcing this will be her last year on tour.
Osaka, who wore a slightly toned down version of the outfit that caused such a stir on Tuesday, prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-2 before a frosty handshake and a terse exchange at the net.
Keys had no such problems in beating Krueger while second seed Iga Swiatek dropped just five games against Marie Bouzkova in a performance much improved on her first-round display against Yuan Yue.
The Pole said: “It felt great playing today. I felt more free than in the first round. I really wanted to go for it, and for sure the conditions weren’t easy. It was super windy and I needed to adjust for that, for sure. I’m really happy with the performance.”
The woman beaten 6-0 6-0 by Swiatek in last year’s Wimbledon final, Amanda Anisimova, is through to the third round after a 6-1 6-4 defeat of Katerina Siniakova, as are fifth seed Elena Rybakina and sixth seed Jessica Pegula.
Tenth seed Belinda Bencic is out, however, after going down in three sets to Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova.
Friday’s Order of Play (full schedule HERE)
Rod Laver Arena
A Sabalenka (Blr) v A Potopova (Aut)
C Alcaraz (Spa) v C Moutet (Fra)
F Tiafoe (USA) v A de Minaur (Aus)
E Ruse (Rom) v M Andreeva (Rus)
Margaret Court Arena
D Medvedev (Rus) v F Marozsan (Hun)
C Gauff (USA) v H Baptiste (USA)
E Svitolina (Ukr) v D Schnaider (Rus)
A Bublik (Kaz) v T Etcheverry (Arg)
