Federer, Djokovic, Wawrinka advance to second round
MELBOURNE, Australia — Roger Federer picked up where he left off at the last Australian Open on a day when Novak Djokovic ensured there were multiple successful comebacks.
Defending champion Federer beat Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in a night match, his first in Rod Laver Arena since clinching a career reviving title here last year. He’s been met on the court after wins here by tennis greats Laver, John McEnroe and Jim Courier.
On Tuesday night, he got something different. Comedian Will Ferrell stepped out of the crowd and, slipping into character as Ron Burgundy from the movie “Anchorman,” conducted the interview.
Six-time champion Djokovic and 2014 Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka stuck to business, returning from long injury layoffs with victories in their first matches since Wimbledon.
Djokovic tweaked his service motion while recovering from an injured right elbow, and used it to good effect in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Donald Young. Djokovic lost in the second round here last year, but won five of the previous six Australian Open titles.
“Obviously I wanted to start with the right intensity, which I have,” Djokovic said. “I played perfect tennis, like I never stopped.”
Former Australian junior champion Marta Kostyuk, who entered the season-opening major ranked No. 521, followed up her opening win over 25th-seeded Peng Shuai with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Australian wild-card entry Olivia Rogowska on Wednesday.
Kostyuk is the youngest player since Martina Hingis in 1996 to win a main-draw match at the year’s opening major.
And that came after three three-set matches in qualifying over six hours.
Wawrinka rolls on
Wawrinka, who had six months out after surgery on his left knee, beat Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2).
No. 4-ranked Alexander Zverev and No. 7 David Goffin advanced, but No. 20 Roberto Bautista Agut lost to Fernando Verdasco, a semifinalist here in 2009, and former Wimbledon fi- nalist Milos Raonic lost 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to Lukas Lacko.
No. 13 Sam Querrey restored some order for the U.S. men with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Feliciano Lopez.
Two other U.S. hopefuls, No. 8 Jack Sock and No. 16 John Isner, were knocked out on opening day.
Sloane Stephens, Venus Williams and CoCo Vandeweghe were eliminated Monday.
No. 17-seeded Madison Keys, the runner-up at the U.S. Open, had a 6-1, 7-5 win over Wang Qiang. No. 9 Johanna Konta beat Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-1 and will meet another American, Bernarda Pera in the second round.
No. 1-ranked Simona Halep was in serious trouble twice — having to save set points at 5-2 down in the first set, and badly twisting her left ankle early in the second — before beating 17-year-old Australian wild-card entry Destanee Aiava 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Halep to play Bouchard
Halep, who lost back-to-back, first-round matches here in the previous two years, will play Eugenie Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist who beat Oceane Dodin 6-3, 7-6 (5).
“It’s always really cool to go up against the best in the world,” Bouchard said. “You use it as a measuring stick. I want to try to play my game and go out there and do some damage.”
Other seeded players advancing included Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, No. 6 Karolina Pliskova, No. 8 Caroline Garcia, No. 16 Elena Vesnina, and No. 29 Lucie Safarova.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 to Andrea Petkovic.