Rafael Nadal knocked out in the first round of Australian Open

Roger Federer has moved into the third round at the Australian Open with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 win over Alexandr Dolgopolov.

For the first time in a long time, the resurgent Williams was on the long list of women’s favorites coming into a Grand Slam tournament.

Six-time champion Serena Williams was playing Hsieh Su-wei in the following match on Rod Laver Arena. “It was an incredible moment to be in the final of this event again”, said Sharapova, who played her first-round match on Margaret Court Arena, one of three e two other covered stadiums at Melbourne Park. Win or lose, there is always a next time for me and for them. She even played one of those round-the-post miracle shots, the ball barely reaching the height of the net as it whizzed down the line.

“I think Australian tennis is doing quite well, to be honest”, she said. “I was like, “Yay”.

On Wednesday, Federer extended his streak of reaching the third round at the Australian Open to 17 consecutive years.

Andy Murray cruised into the second round after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-1 6-2 6-3.

“It’s the least I expect to be in the third round of a Slam, obviously, so I’m pumped up, playing well, feeling good”, Federer said. “I think I played unbelievable – the fifth set from the break that he made me, I just started hitting winners”.

“But there’s always a danger, you know. I don’t really shy away from that”.

Other seeded players joining in the third round included No. 6 Tomas Berdych, No. 7 Kei Nishikori, 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, No. 14 Gilles Simon, No. 15 David Goffin, No. 19 Dominic Thiem and No. 24 Roberto Bautista Agut.

His last grand slam triumph came at the French Open in 2014, while 2015 saw him dumped out of Wimbledon in the second round and the third round at the U.S. Open.

Williams’ next opponent will be an 18-year-old – she’ll face the victor of the match between Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and Croatia’s Ana Konjuh, who were both born the year before Williams’ first Australian Open.

No. 13 Vinci beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-3 to advance in the opposite quarter of the same half of the draw.

Djokovic lost only one match at a Grand Slam tournament previous year – the French Open final.

Third-seeded Garbine Muguruza had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Kirsten Flipkens to reach the third round for the third straight year.

“He likes playing here, ” Djokovic said of Seppi, who has advanced to the fourth round in two of the past three years.

World No. 92 Bondarenko broke through for her first win over the Russian with a 6-1 7-5 victory and will now face promising Swiss teen Belinda Bencic.

Agnieszka Radwanska’s sky-high confidence took another leap upwards when she halted Eugenie Bouchard, back in form after suffering concussion at the US Open, 6-4, 6-2.

On a night of upsets and some remarkable tennis, Australia’s Daria Gavrilova put out the sixth seed and former Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova, 6-4, 6-4, and Kristyna Pliskova struck 31 aces but could not stop the Puerto Rican Mónica Puig winning a tremendous battle, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 9-7 on an outside court.