Nadal eases into third round
MELBOURNE: Top seed Rafael Nadal continued his relentless progress through the Australian Open draw on Thursday, muscling his way into the third round with a 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-1 victory over Argentine Federico Delbonis. The Spaniard, hunting for a second Australian Open title 11 years after his first, has lost only three sets in his last nine matches at Melbourne Park, all in his defeat to Novak Djokovic in last year’s final. The world No 1 will meet compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round.
THIEM WINS
World No 5 Dominic Thiem admitted he was “freaking out” after dropping two sets before regaining composure to beat gutsy home hope Alex Bolt on Thursday. The Austrian, targeting a maiden Grand Slam crown, looked fragile as the crowd got behind the wildcard but ultimately prevailed 6-2, 5-7, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2 in 3 hrs 22 mins. Thiem is among a clutch of players tipped to win a Major after reaching the last two Roland Garros finals.
MEDVEDEV ADVANCES
Daniil Medvedev insisted a midmatch nosebleed was not a serious problem as he overcame an underarm serve and stiff resistance from Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez to book his thirdround ticket. The Russian fourth seed prevailed 7-5, 6-1, 6-3.
KYRGIOS POWERS ON
Nick Kyrgios blasted Frenchman Gilles Simon off court with his raw talent shining through in front of an adoring home crowd.
The 24-year-old had the measure of the veteran early on then lost concentration and became agitated before refocusing to win 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on his favoured Melbourne Arena.
MUD STOPS PLAY
An Australian Open hit by weather extremes faced a new challenge on Thursday: dirty rain, as overnight downpours left courts muddy and unplayable.
Workers armed with squeegees and high-pressure hoses rushed to clean the surfaces, delaying some matches for several hours.
The dirty rain, the result of dust storms becoming caught up in a cold front, coated cars with orange mud, forced public pools to close and turned Melbourne’s Yarra River brown.