Australian Open: Venus Williams fined for media snub after Johanna Konta defeat

“I have been going non-stop since the Olympics in London, and seeing that this is another Olympic year, I kind of wanted to start the year out really fresh and really go at it again as hard as I can”.

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and today I won”. “I think… I got broken once, but other than that I was able to stay focused on that part”.

Williams pulled out of her first match at the Hopman Cup in Perth earlier this month due to knee inflammation but the 34-year-old moved freely during a testing opener against Giorgi and said it gave her no problems.

Djokovic has said he didn’t believe any elite players were involved. The four-time champion may not have won a title here since 2010, but he has extended his streak of reaching the third round at the Australian Open to 17 consecutive years. The four-time Australian Open champion, playing his 65th consecutive major, advanced 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 over Alexandr Dolgopolov. Djokovic has never lost in 11 career meetings with the Italian player, including a straight-set victory in the third round of the U.S. Open a year ago, but he’s not taking anything for granted.

“But there’s always a danger, you know. Like previous year the third round was the end for me, so I hope to go further this time”.

Seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open finalist, advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Austin Krajicek and No. 6 Tomas Berdych beat Mirza Basic 6-4, 6-0, 6-3 to advance along with No. 15 David Goffin and No. 19 Dominic Thiem.

No. 12 Belinda Bencic had a 6-3, 6-3 win over Timea Babos and 92nd-ranked Kateryna Bondarenko earned one of her biggest wins since returning from retirement after having a baby in 2013, beating two-time major victor and No. 23-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 7-5.

The effort was quickly quashed by the Russian though, who went on to take the opening set on her own serve 6-2 in 38 minutes.

“It all started here”.

Six-time champion Williams is playing Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina. “I love it every time I come here”.

The 35-year-old, seven-time major victor trudged off Rod Laver Arena, waving to the crowd at 1-55 p.m. on the second day of the tournament following a surprising 6-4, 6-2 loss to the No. 47-ranked Konta, a Sydney-born British player who was making her debut in the main draw at the Australian Open after losing twice previously in qualifying.

No. 13 Vinci beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-3 to advance, and is a potential fourth-round rival for No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 6-2 in a match featuring two former Wimbledon finalists.