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Tennis

Big guns hit their stride at Australian Open

───   ADRIAN BOTHA 10:19 Wed, 17 Jan 2018

Big guns hit their stride at Australian Open | News Article
Photo: ausopen.com

After a roller-coaster start to the year's first major, the Australian Open has hit its stride much like some of the big gun participants who are expected to battle it out to the bitter end.


Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic stamped their mark on the tournament after Federer beat Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 while twelve-time Grand Slam winner, Djokovic, who has been out of action for six months, cruised to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 thrashing of American Donald Young.

No. 6 seed Marin Cilic made his Australian Open intentions clear with a comprehensive 6-1 7-5 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa of Portugal while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was tested by 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov.

Shapovalov took the fight to Tsonga but in the end, Tsonga won 3-6 6-3 1-6 7-6 7-5 to see himself into the next round.

In the women's competition World No 1 Simona Halep booked her place in round two with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 win over Destanee Aiava.

A heavily strapped third-seeded Garbine Muguruza made her way into the 2nd round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over French wildcard Jessika Ponchet.

Incredibly, Marta Kostyuk, who is just 15 years old, became the youngest player to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni’s run at the 1997 US Open after defeating Australia’s Olivia Rogowska 6-3 7-5.

Just two days after dismissing last year’s finalist Venus Williams in the first round, Belinda Bencic suffered her own shock 6-1 6-3 defeat at the hands of qualifier Luksika Kumkhum.

Caroline Wozniacki, in her turn, took on 21-year-old Croatian Jana Fett, but was in early trouble when she dispatched a pair of match points at 1-5 in the deciding set before pulling off an improbable 3-6 6-2 7-5 escape.

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