Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after successful the Brisbane Worldwide tennis match. Picture: AFP
MELBOURNE:
The second spherical of the Australian Open begins on Wednesday with prime seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka in motion, together with Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz v Hanfmann
Trying to win the one Grand Slam that has eluded him, Alcaraz started his newest Australian Open marketing campaign with a win over Adam Walton and the 22-year-old just isn’t anticipated to agonize by Yannick Hanfmann within the second spherical.
Alcaraz has been bundled out within the quarter-finals in his final two visits to Melbourne Park, although he was stunned to be up towards elite expertise like Zverev and Novak Djokovic at that stage of the match.
“I feel it is uncommon to play gamers (like that) in a quarter-final in case you are (quantity) one or two on the earth,” he stated. “However it is not an excuse. I simply actually wish to carry out higher than I did earlier years. I am simply feeling this yr… I will in all probability have the prospect to go additional.”
Sabalenka v Bai
World primary Sabalenka was examined early in her first-round match earlier than occurring to file a straight-sets win over French qualifier Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah and she or he could also be in for an additional struggle towards Bai Zhuoxuan.
The Chinese language qualifier dug deep within the tiebreak to safe a 6-4 2-6 7-6(10) win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Sabalenka, 27, stated she was mixing up her recreation as she bids for a 3rd Australian Open crown.
“I favor to be unpredictable. I used to be undoubtedly engaged on the serve and volley,” the Belarusian stated. “Within the follow is one factor, however to have the ability to be fearless and go there within the match is one thing else… I am actually proud I can present this tennis.”
De minaur no ‘punching bag’
World quantity six Alex de Minaur carries residence hopes on his shoulders and he faces Serbian up-and-comer Hamad Medjedovic, who recorded wins over high-ranked gamers like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas final yr.
“He’s extraordinarily gifted. He is obtained loads of firepower,” De Minaur stated. “He is obtained an enormous serve, huge groundstrokes, so it may be as much as me to try to neutralise as a lot as I can and hopefully not be a punching bag.”sss
