Aryna Sabalenka and a nearly faultless Coco Gauff were the top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who fought off a string of “bombs” before entering the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Daniil Medvedev, a three-time champion, fought through four sets to keep his Grand Slam hopes on track in Melbourne Park, which was cooler and overcast all day.
Alcaraz, the Spanish superstar, defeated German Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2) in a heart-wrenching arm fight to claim his second Grand Slam of his career.
Before setting up a showdown with either France’s Corentin Moutet or the American Michael Zheng, he was put through his paces by a player who was 12 years older.
Alcaraz, who has six major titles already but has never won more than the last eight in Melbourne, said, “To be honest, it was tougher than I thought at the beginning.”
“The ball didn’t feel that good,” I said. You’re aware that the ball was coming with both the forehand and backhand.
Rafael Nadal’s compatriot will become the youngest man to do so if the 22-year-old wins the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors.
The unpredictably unpredictable Medvedev, who finished second in 2021, 2022, and 2024, is trying to control his emotions this year and showed his best form in a fight against Quentin Halys.
He lost a tight first set, but his performance never came under doubt as he crossed the finish line with a score of 6-7 (9/11), 6-3, 6-4, and 6-2.
The Russian, who will next face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, said, “It was a very tough match, happy I managed to fight.”
The second round was safely negotiated by Russian Andrey Rublev, American Tommy Paul, Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, and Tomas Etcheverry, as well as Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Russian Francisco Cerundolo.
The latest obstacle facing the German as they attempt to win their first Grand Slam title in a late-night contest against France’s Alexandre Muller is Alexander Zverev.
The third-ranked player, Jannik Sinner’s last year, dropped a set in his opening match, but he argued that it was a good idea to get stretched early in the tournament.
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 , ‘Near perfect’ ,
Before giving the Chinese player a glimmer of hope, Sabalenka raced 5-0 clear of qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan, who is ranked a lowly 702, on center court.
However, the top seed was able to win the match with a score of 6-3, 6-1, and set up a meeting with Austria-born Anastasia Potapova, who defeated 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Sabalenka, who is competing for a third Australian Open title in four years, said, “Super-happy to close the (first) set, it gives me confidence that my game is there and my focus is there.”
“Step by step,” I’m thrilled with my victory. There is always room for improvement.
Sabalenka is trying to make up for her upset loss to Madison Keys last year by dropping just nine games.
Third seed Gauff put an end to Venus Williams’ tournament against Serbian Olga Danilovic in round one.
On Margaret Court Arena, the two-time major champion won with a straight-6, 6-2 lead.
Next, Hailey Baptiste, a 70th-ranked American, will face off in a showdown with Storm Hunter, who defeated him in straight sets.
Gauff, whose Melbourne semifinal performance was “near perfect,” called it “perfect.”
On day 4, Elina Svitolina, the 12th seed of Ukraine, Zeynep Sonmez, the top prospect in Turkey, and Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, the top seed, won all over in straight sets.
With Priscilla Hon taking on American Iva Jovic, sixth seed Alex de Minaur will face Hamad Medjedovic in the evening’s center court matchup.
Source: Channels TV
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