Tennis News

Although it was not the cleanest of matches on his part, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer found his way into the third round of the Australian Open in four sets and will now look to further his campaign when he meets Italy’s Andreas Seppi for the 11th time on the professional tour. Federer holds a 10-0 undefeated Head to Head record against Seppi and will look to maintain that unblemished streak en route to the fourth round of the event.

Watch the match live here: Federer vs Seppi Live

Following a tight start to the previous round match, second seed Roger Federer quickly foud himself a set down and in need of a change of pace. He managed to turn the tides on his Italian opponent Simone Bolelli and won the next three sets with total command of the match. Federer, who won 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, hit 15 aces, 36 winners and won 79% of his first service point to earn the victory.

“I thought he played two really good sets against me in Davis Cup, so I felt like he was really, you know, imposing his strength at the baseline. I could sense there that he had a good forehand; committed, you know, on the return; solid backhand with the option to hit the slice. I wasn’t that surprised, to be honest, you know. I was just surprised how well, how consistently he was doing that, and especially how well he was serving actually. But then again, conditions were fast, which made it easier to serve well and harder to return.

“Maybe the break, I shouldn’t be broken, but he was really playing very well from the baseline. I guess in these conditions sometimes a break can be a set. That’s when I was under pressure for a while in the second set, but I’m happy I fought my way out of it.”

Italy’s Andreas Seppi also advanced to the third round in four sets, as he defeated France’s Jeremy Chardy to secure his spot. He won the match 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in 2 hours and 32 minutes. He struck 8 aces, 31 winners and won 76% of his first service points.

This marks the 11th time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour and the first time since a 2013 meeting in Shanghai. Seppi was unable to tarnish Federer’s record against him during Federer’s worst season on the tour, and he will certainly not be able to stand in his way this time around either.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Straight Sets

It was almost another dark day at a Grand Slam event for Rafael Nadal. The king of clay was pushed his maximum on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night and barely clawed his way out of the match with a break in the fifth and final set. Now that he has lived to fight another day, Nadal will come up against Israel’s Dudi Sela, whom the Spaniard has never faced previously on the tour.

Watch the match here: Nadal v Sela Live

When the former champion stepped out on court, few anticipated that his American adversary would give him such difficulties. Nadal, however, quickly found himself down 2-1 in sets and was forced to crawl back to level terms. In the final set, the match came down to a first serve, which Smyczek gave back to Rafa in a sign of great sportsmanship, but which also cost him the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-5. The Spaniard withstood 15 aces from Smyczek, hit 42 winners and won 69% of his first service points to salvage his campaign in Melbourne.

“Well, I saw him play some videos. I checked some videos. Well, I think he played well, but is true that what he did at the end of the fifth is just amazing. Congratulate. I say on the court, but I want to say here, too. Very few players can do that after four hours something of match, 5-All, Love-30. So just will say thanks to him because he’s a great example what he did today.”

While not faced with as difficult a task as Rafa, Dudi Sela needed four sets to dispatch Czech No. 2 Lukas Rosol and advance to the third round in Melbourne. Sela withstood 17 aces, won 71% of his first service points and hit 37 winners to earn the victory.

This is the first time that Nadal and Sela cross paths on the professional tour and could make for another surprisingly competitive match, given Nadal’s current form. While I cannot imagine Sela beating Nadal, this does have the makings of a four-set battle.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Four Sets

The fourth day of the Australian Open almost saw a colossal upset on the women’s side, but it was eventually averted as Maria Sharapova displayed her trademark resiliency to claw her way to a close three-set win. She will next meet Zarina Diyas for a spot in the fourth round of the tournament.

Watch the match here: Sharapova v Diyas Live

The second seed looked to be on her way to a straightforward win on Wednesday afternoon in Melbourne but quickly found herself in a tough match when Alexandra Panova stole the second set to force a decider between the two Russians. All eyes were on Rod Laver Arena as Panova took an early break in the third set and consolidated it with a second break minutes later. All appeared lost for the former champion, but she perservered and eventually managed to save two match points for 5-5. From there, the tides turned in dramatic fashion, and Sharapova won the following two games to close out the match 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

Sharapova hit 8 aces, won 67% of her first service points and struck 38 winners. However, she also hit 51 unforced errors, which contributed to her difficulties on court.

“I thought my thought process through the match to that point was pretty negative. I think I was dwelling too much on my mistakes, what I was doing wrong, not really being in the present, something that I’m really usually good at. At that point when you’re behind and you feel like you’re making a lot of errors, you don’t feel like you have a good rhythm out there, I just really tried to take it a point at a time, think positively, and change my thought process a little bit. When other things aren’t working, maybe the mental side of things will help you out. I think in the end maybe that’s what did.”

The Russian will next come up against rising star Zarina Diyas, who also needed three sets to advance to the third round of the tournament. She struck 7 aces, 38 winners and won 62% of her first service points to win in 2 hours and 40 minutes.

This marks the first time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour. While Diyas is capable of taking a set of Sharapova, she does not have the intensity to match the Russian’s resiliency.

Prediction: Maria Sharapova in Three Sets

Newly engaged Tomas Berdych continued his quest through the Australian Open draw with another straight sets victory to set up a third round encounter with Viktor Troicki. This marks the seventh time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with the Berdych v Troicki head to head standing at 5-1.

Watch the match here: Berdych v Troicki Live

In his second round match-up against Jurgen Melzer, Tomas Berdych faced minimal difficulties following a tight opening set. He struck nine aces, won 83% of his first service points and 36 winners to close out the match 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-2 and advance in 2 hours and 3 minutes.

“The whole match was not easy one. The tough condition again today. He was playing very smart. His game plan was actually good to go. But after the first set I find the way how to deal with that, how to handle it, and, you know, even though I was each set break down, I managed to come back and to play some good tennis.”

While Berdych’s match was straightforward, Viktor Troicki needed four sets against Leonardo Mayer to find his way into the third round of the Australian Open. He struck 11 aces, won 81% of his first service points and managed 27 winners en route to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.

This marks the seventh time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the series 5-1. Their most recent encounter took place last season in a meeting that Berdych won in straight sets. Based on their series trajectory, this should be another win for Berdych, granted he maintains his serve.

Prediction: Tomas Berdych in Straight Sets

After meeting twice in 2010 then never again, Simona Halep and Bethanie Mattek-Sands will meet for the third time on the professional tour, with the head to head series tied at 1-1. However, there is little doubt that Halep, who has progressed to become one of the top players on the WTA tour, will take the lead in the series come Friday afternoon.

Watch the match here: Halep v Mattek-Sands Live

The third seed at the Australian Open was on last on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, as she was forced to play after the extended match between Rafael Nadal and Tim Smyczek.

“I didn’t expect that,” Halep said after the match. “But, you know, that’s tennis. Sometimes we have to wait few hours to play. But was okay. If I won, everything was okay. I just stay in the locker room or in the lounge, players lounge, with my team. We are speaking, laughing. Normal things. Nothing special.”

However, the Romainain would not spend much time on court, as she defeated local talent Jarmila Gajdosova 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the third round of the tournament. Halep hit 7 aces, 21 winners and won 79% of her first service points to close out the win in 1 hour and 7 minutes of court time.

While Mattek-Sands only needed just the two sets to reach the third round, her victory over Kristina Mladenovic came in the form of a pair of tiebreakers. She hit 74% of her first serves in, 38 winners and converted three break points to finish the match in exactly two hours.

“I played once against her in French Open few years ago,” Halep said of her upcoming match-up. “I expect tough match. She’s playing well. She’s fighting till the end. So I have confidence that I can win that match. But, you know, I have to be very focused for every point and to play my game.”

This marks the third time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, and the second time at a Grand Slam event. Halep leads the head-to-head series and will likely add to that lead, even though this will be their first meeting in well over four years.

Prediction: Simona Halep in Straight Sets

There was much talk and concern regarding the expected performance of Eugenie Bouchard at the season-opening Grand Slam event given her abysmal ending to 2014. However, in her two matches to date this week in Melbourne, she has passed with flying colours and is yet to face a challenge in her draw. That will change on Friday, as the Canadian is scheduled to come up against Caroline Garcia, who defeated her in their only career meeting last year in Acapulco. Check out the Bouchard v Garcia Head to Head.

Watch the match here: Bouchard v Garcia Live

Against Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, Bouchard required minimal effort and only faced a slight hiccup at the end of the match en route to her straight sets victory. Bouchard only dropped three games in the match, all of which took place in the second set. She won 70% of her first service points, hit 20 winners and 14 unforced errors to beat Bertens in 54 minutes of court time.

“I think I put pressure on her a lot and I think probably forced her to make some errors,” Bouchad said. “I was happy with the way I was able to step in and control the, points, whether I did the winner or she did the error. In the end I think that’s how I want to play. Just need to stay a bit more focused at the end to try to close it out. More on my terms.”

Faced with a durable opponent in Stefanie Voegele, France’s Caroline Garcia fired 11 aces, 39 winners and won 94% of her first service points to close out the match 6-3,6-4. The contest lasted 1 hour and 9 minutes and was an entirely lopsided affair on Court 6.

“I know it’s going to be super tough,” said Bouchard of Garcia. “I know she’s a good up-and-comer. She can have some big shots. She’ll definitely, yeah, do some big shots and play well. It’s up to me to try to not let her do that as much as I can, you know, and try to focus on my game and play aggressive. But, yeah, I know I’m going to be up against a tough player who’s going to go for it.”

This marks the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Garcia leading the series 1-0 with a win in Acapulco on hard court. These two will likely be in for another three-set thriller, particularly given their most recent performances in Melbourne, but this time it will be Bouchard who will find her best tennis to claw her way to victory.

Prediction: Eugenie Bouchard in Three Sets

Former three-time finalist Andy Murray looked to be in quite the hurry on Margaret Court Arena when he ran through his opponent in straight sets, barely breaking a sweat. The British No. 1, who is yet to drop a set in Melbourne, will next face Portugal’s Joao Sousa, whom he has faced on three previous occasions. The British No. 1 leads the head-to-head series 3-0.

Watch the match here: Murray v Sousa Live

Following his breezy victory over Bhambri, Andy Murray took on Australia’s Marinko Matosevic, who he needed even less time to dispatch and secure his spot in the third round of the Australian Open. Murray, who won the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, fired 5 aces, won 85% of his first service points and struck 21 winners to close out the match in 1 hour and 42 minutes.

“I definitely started quite quickly today,” said Murray. “I was timing the ball well on the return and serving well from the beginning of the match, and it helped a lot because, you know, obviously the crowd were behind him. You know, managed to take the crowd out of it a little bit by starting that quickly.”

While Joao Sousa spent longer on court than his upcoming opponent, he still won the match via retirement when Martin Klizan was forced to withdraw from the contest. Sousa was leading 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 1-0 before the Slovakian retired in the fourth set. The Portuguese No. 1 hit 8 aces, 8 winners and won 72% of his first service points before the premature ending of the match.

This marks the fourth time that Murray and Sousa will meet on the professional tour. Murray leads the head-to-head series 3-0, which include two straight sets victories in 2014. Both those wins took place on hard courts, which only adds to the expectation that the Briton will ease into the fourth round of the tournament.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets