The Day 3 of the Australian Open (AO) saw an easy passage of play with a win for top women's seed and fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty. While Victoria Azarenka also booked her place into the third round with an easy win, Rafael Nadal found a way to break the German qualifier Yannick Hanfmannin to advance. Alexander Zverev got the better of home player John Millman.
Barty didn't have many troubles in round two as she beat Lucia Bronzetti of Italy 6-1, 6-1; dropping only two games on her way through to the next round. She will be joined by eighth seed Paula Badosa of Spain, who also bettered another Italian, Martina Trevisan, beating her 6-0, 6-3 in under an hour.
Two-time AO champion Azarenka made light work of her opponent Jil Teichmann of Switzerland by winning 6-1, 6-2.
15th seed Elina Svitlonina of Ukraine was given a walkover after she led 5-1 in the third set. Her French opponent Harmony Tan had to withdraw despite winning the second set as the final score read 6-3, 5-7, 5-1.
Nadal put on a clinical performance to ease past German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday (January 19) as the Spaniard remained on course for a men's record 21st Grand Slam title. The only former champion left in the men's draw at Melbourne Park, Nadal is tied at 20 majors with Swiss Roger Federer and world no.1 Novak Djokovic, who are both absent from the tournament.
Zverev shrugged off a rowdy centre court crowd at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena to sail into the third round of the Australian Open with an impressive 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 win over local journeyman Millman. The German appeared determined to belt the cover off the ball through the two-hour romp, and Millman was powerless to withstand the firepower despite enjoying rowdy support in the terraces.
Canada's Denis Shapovalov is on to the third round of the Australian Open. Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, beat South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-2. Shapovalov beat Soon-woo when the Korean sailed a backhand return high and wide. The tightly contested match lasted nearly 4 ½ hours. Shapovalov had 29 aces to Soon-woo's three in the win.
