AT A GLANCE
LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY
Two big Grand Slam rematches are set for Melbourne Park, both from U.S. Opens past: Defending champion Naomi Osaka vs. Coco-Gauff and Roger Federer vs. John Millman. Osaka beat Gauff in the third round at last year’s U.S. Open, prompting tears from the 15-year-old American. Less than five months later, they’ll meet in the third round again. “I think I’ll be less nervous this time,” Gauff said after her second-round win. “We’re both familiar with each other’s games. She plays really aggressive. This time coming in I’m going to be more aggressive.” Federer was beaten in the fourth round by Millman at the 2018 U.S. Open, a match played in high humidity and extreme temperatures. The two have played since — last year at Halle when Federer won in straight sets. But the 20-time major winner hasn’t forgotten the conditions that night in New York when he lost to the unheralded Aussie. “I don’t know anything remotely close,” Federer recounted. “I was just happy it was over. I never had that. (Usually) I would rather go back in time, if I could play that match again, but I don’t have that feeling about that match.” In other key women’s matches, 23time major winner Serena Williams plays Wang Qiang and top-seeded Ash Barty takes on Elena Rybakina. Seven-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic meets his second Japanese player in a row when he takes on Yoshihito Nishioka, and Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Milos Raonic.
THURSDAY’S KEY RESULTS Men’s second round:
No. 1Rafael Nadal beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-1; No. 4 Daniil Medvedev beat Pedro Martinez 7-5, 6-1,
6-3; No. 5Dominic Thiem beat Alex Bolt 6-2,
5-7, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2; No. 7Alexander Zverev beat Egor Gerasimov 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-5; No. 10 Gaels Monfils beat Ivo Karlovic 4-6, 7-6(8),
6-4, 6-4, 7-5; No. 11David Goffin beat PierreHugues Herbert 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 6-3; No. 15 Stan Wawrinka beat Andreas Seppi 4-6, 7-5,
6-3, 3-6, 6-4; No. 16Karen Khachanov beat Mikael Ymer 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(8); No. 19 John Isner beat Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; No. 23-Nick Kyrgios beat Gilles Simon 6-2,
6-4, 4-6, 7-5; No. 29Taylor Fritz beat Kevin Anderson 4-6, 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2.
No. 2 Karolina Pliskova beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3; No.
4-Simona Halep beat Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-4; No.
5Elina Svitolina beat Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-6(6); No. 6Belinda Bencic beat Jelena Ostapenko
7-5, 7-5; No. 9Kiki Bertens beat Arina Rodionova 6-3, 7-5; No. 17Angelique Kerber beat Priscilla Hon 6-3, 6-2; CiCi Bellis beat No. 20 Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-4; Yulia Putintseva beat No. 26-Danielle Collins 6-4, 2-6, 7-5; No. 30Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Taylor Townsend 7-5, 7-6(1); Garbine Muguruza beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Women’s second round: STAT OF THE DAY 2:
years since 20-year-old CiCi Bellis was fit enough to play at a major. She’s had four operations on her arm and is ranked 600th. Now she’s beaten a seeded player to reach the third round at Melbourne Park.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I apologized as soon as I went back into the locker room. They don’t deserve that. They do a lot of things for me on and off the court. No, it’s not acceptable from me. Nothing to do with them.” Kyrgios on his court-side remarks directed at his support team during the third set against Simon.