MELBOURNE, Australia — Defending champion Roger Federer is through to the Australian Open’s third round after beating Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in a night match at Rod Laver Arena.
Federer maintained his record of always reaching the third round at Melbourne Park, and this is his 19th appearance. Five of his 19 Grand Slam singles titles have been in Australia.
Despite his straight-sets win, Federer was only able to convert three of his 11 break-point chances, and only one of six in the third set.
The 36-year-old Federer will next play French veteran Richard Gasquet. Federer has beaten Gasquet 16 of the 18 times they’ve played.
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza struggled with the heat and against Hsieh Su-wei’s game, losing 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Day 4 as the upsets intensified at the Australian Open.
No. 3-ranked Muguruza was the highest-ranked player to fall so far, but follows Venus Williams and U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens out of the tournament in the first week.
Muguruza had five double-faults, including one to give Hsieh a match point, and made 43 unforced errors. She needed a medical time out in the first set, and accidently hit a ball into a line judge in frustration.
Considered one of the contenders for the title after Serena Williams opted against defending her Australian title, Muguruza had a troubled preparation. She retired with cramps in the second round at the Brisbane International and withdrew before her quarterfinal at Sydney because of a right thigh injury.
With a forecast high of 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit), Maria Sharapova appeared to be in a hurry to get off the Rod Laver Arena court ASAP in the earlier match on Rod Laver Arena, winning the first set in 23 minutes.
The five-time major winner advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over No. 14-seeded Anastasija Sevastova.
“It’s a warm day. I did my job in two sets against someone that’s been troubling in the past for me,” said Sharapova, who missed last year’s tournament while serving a 15-month doping ban. “So third round of the Australian Open, I don’t know, I think I deserve to smile out there after that victory.”
Ninth-seeded Johanna Konta was more exposed to the heat on an outside court, and lost to U.S. lucky loser Bernarda Pera 6-4, 7-5.
No. 123-ranked Pera is making her Grand Slam debut and, after losing in the last round of qualifying, didn’t even know she had a spot in the main draw until Monday when Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan withdrew with an injury.
Konta saved three match points in the ninth game of the second set, then broke Pera to level at 5-all.
But Pera clinched it on her fifth match point when Konta, a semifinalist here in 2016, shanked an overhead at the net.
“It feels amazing. I was ready to leave on Monday and then they told me I’m in, so I was obviously excited. I was checking the tickets to fly back. I’m happy I didn’t buy one.”
Pera will next play No. 20 Barbora Strycova, who beat Lara Arruabarrena 6-3, 6-4.
Also advancing were No. 8 Caroline Garcia, who beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-7 (3), 6-2, 8-6, and No. 26 Agnieszka Radwanska, who next plays Hsieh.
Lauren Davis beat Andrea Petkovic 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 and has a potential third-round match against top-ranked Simon Halep, who was playing Eugenie Bouchard later Thursday.
Former No. 1-ranked Karolina Pliskova dropped only a game in each set of a win over Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Sam Querrey was the latest of the leading U.S. men eliminated when he lost his second-round match 6-4, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2 to 80th-ranked Marton Fucsovics. No. 8 Jack Sock and No. 16 John Isner went out in the first round.
The 13th-seeded Querrey was one of 10 American players — men and women — to reach the second round from the 32 who started the main draws.
No. 5 Dominic Thiem rallied from two sets down to defeat 190th-ranked American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-7 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. No. 21 Albert Ramos beat another American, wild-card entry Tim Smyczek 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
Sharapova is playing at Melbourne Park for the first time since her suspension for testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open. She lost to Sevastova in the fourth round at the U.S. Open last September in her return to Grand Slam tennis.
The 30-year-old Russian is one of just two Australian Open winners in the women’s draw. They could meet in the third round if Angelique Kerber, the 2016 champion, beats Donna Vekic on Thursday.
“I look forward to these matches. I want to be playing against opponents that have former Grand Slam champions,” Sharapova said of a potential match against former No. 1-ranked Kerber. “She’s had success playing out here in these conditions on these courts. I want to see where I am on that level.”
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