Murray and classy Konta sail through
While Jamie Murray was in the unfortunate position of having to play his Airbnb flatmate at the Australian Open, brother Andy is based in a city-centre five-star hotel.
No awkward silences over breakfast for the world No 2, who is into the third round of the singles, in which he will play regular Grand Slam foe Joao Sousa of Portugal.
As for Jamie, he is in the second round of the doubles with new Brazilian partner Bruno Soares after they beat Sheffield’s Johnny Marray — his co-habitant — and Pakistan’s Aisam Ul-haq Qureshi 6-3, 6-4.
While the Murrays’ paths and lifestyles are often separate outside of Davis Cup play, Britain’s best player finds himself increasingly converging with his female opposite number, Jo Konta. Just as at the US Open, they are both through to the third round, with a healthy chance that — as they did in New York — they will make it through to the last 16 together.
Konta has a decent draw in playing world No 66 Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic, who upset former Wimbledon finalist Sabine lisicki. They are in what has become a very open part of the draw in which No 9 seed Karolina Pliskova is the highest-ranked player.
Murray looks in the kind of form that means he will not have to worry too much about who he meets, at least until the gradient gets steeper in the fourth round.
On a day when the humidity and early rain slowed down the conditions, the No 2 seed was imperious in overcoming the power of Australian bruiser Sam Groth 6-0, 6-4, 6-1, taking just an hour and half to do so on the Rod laver Arena.
Now for world No 33 Sousa, whom he has played three times in the last four years at Melbourne Park, as well as at Roland Garros, all with the same result. The Portuguese is managed by the same football agent who looks after avid tennis fan Jose Mourinho. Sousa likes to modestly admit that ‘i am not the special one’, but then neither is Mourinho if you look at recent months.
‘i will have faced three very different players here,’ said Murray. ‘Zverev in the first round has a huge serve and a fantastic backhand, while Sousa doesn’t serve as well but moves terrifically well and uses his forehand more. Groth is the opposite to both of them, coming forward all the time. So my preparation will have to be different.’
if Konta can make the last 16 for the second Grand Slam in a row it would surely be hugely significant for her career. She has faced the pressure of having to back up her formidable improvement in 2015 and so far has done it admirably here. After she beat China’s Saisai Zheng 6-2, 6-3, it was easy to forget that Konta had not even played in the Australian Open main draw before this week.
Now she faces Allertova, whom she played in an epic French Open first round last year, which the Czech won after taking the first- set tiebreak 19-17, a record for the women’s game.
it was after this that Konta’s career surge began in earnest, and she is a very different player now, certainly far more composed.
‘i don’t think you could quantify it,’ she reflected. ‘All i can say is that i have definitely gained more experience because of the situations i have been in since. But she is better as well probably. i’m a big believer in new match, new day.’
While there is a growing awareness of her around the wider game she played it down. ‘There’s no rock-star status for me,’ she said.
The centrepiece of the day was lleyton hewitt’s final singles match in his 20th Australian Open — which he lost 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 to David Ferrer — leaving to a tumultuous ovation.
There was drama in Ana ivanovic’s win over Anastasija Sevastova when play was held up for nearly half an hour after a female spectator fell down some stairs.