Aggressive play allows Azarenka to advance

She’ll play Krejcikova next in Australian Open. Medvedev survives Kyrgios.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Before Victoria Azarenka had a chance to analyze both players she might meet next, a question was posed to her son about the two-time Australian Open champion’s thirdround performance.

Five-year-old Leo, wearing his sunglasses in the news conference room and sitting on his mother’s knee, responded succinctly: “Awesome!” Thanks, kid. Azarenka’s own highlights from her 6-0, 6-2 win over 15th-seeded Elina Svitolina on Friday included the “amount of aggressivity I could bring point after point, applying a lot of pressure, the consistency. The break points I faced, I played really strong.

“Yeah, taking control of my end of the court,” she added. “I think that’s what I’m more happy about.”

She’ll next play French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who rallied from a set and a break down against No. 26-seeded Jelena Ostapenko to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 and advance to the fourth round in singles at Melbourne Park for the first time.

On the men’s side, Daniil Medvedev faced a hostile crowd and a full array of Nick Kyrgios’ outbursts and tricks, and still remained calm long enough to reach the third round with a 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory.

The 115th-ranked Kyrgios worked up the crowd, hit tweeners and drop shots, mixed up the pace of his groundstrokes and tossed in an under-arm serve in a bid to ruffle the second-ranked Russian.

In an on-court television interview with former champion Jim Courier, Medvedev was asked how he managed to stay so composed.

“That’s the only choice when you get booed between first and second serve,” he said, triggering some boos from the crowd.