With top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz additionally absent by way of harm, it presents an enormous alternative for Djokovic, who even earlier than that was scorching favorite to win a tenth Melbourne crown.
Novak Djokovic. Picture: Twitter/@DjokerNole
MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic scrapped his method into the Australian Open third round on Thursday to ramp up his bid for a twenty second Grand Slam crown, however a number of males’s seeds crashed out.
Second seed Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman had been all despatched packing on day 4 at Melbourne Park.
With the shock exit on Wednesday of hobbling defending champion Rafael Nadal, the highest two seeds are each now gone.
With top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz additionally absent by way of harm, it presents an enormous alternative for Djokovic, who even earlier than that was a scorching favorite to win a tenth Melbourne crown.
The 35-year-old Serb required a medical timeout and had heavy strapping on his left thigh in opposition to 191st-ranked qualifier Enzo Couacaud.
He was additionally bothered by some rowdy followers and at one level in the course of the match demanded {that a} drunken fan be thrown out.
But Djokovic recovered his poise and health to beat the Frenchman 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-0 and faces twenty seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov in round three.
“There was a lot happening tonight in the match,” Djokovic, who has been scuffling with a hamstring harm, informed Rod Laver Arena.
His on-court interview was momentarily paused when a spectator shouted out.
“I love you too, thank you,” stated Djokovic, who has loved a heat return to Melbourne Park following his deportation a yr in the past due to his stance on Covid vaccines.
“I love playing night sessions and let’s keep it going,” he added.
Fellow seeds Andrey Rublev, Dan Evans, Holger Rune and Roberto Bautista Agut all additionally received within the second round.
But it was a foul day for among the main males’s gamers.
World quantity three Ruud was all the time struggling in opposition to hard-hitting Jenson Brooksby and the Norwegian went down in 4 units to the American, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2.
The Thirty ninth-ranked Brooksby, who’s on his Australian Open debut, will face compatriot Tommy Paul in round three.
Ruud, who might have change into world primary in Melbourne, refused responsible an belly harm.
“I gave it my all, but in the fourth set especially it wasn’t enough,” he stated.
Eighth seed Fritz was additionally on his method house after wildcard native hope Alexei Popyrin beat him 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2.
“This is a dream, and I don’t want to wake up at all,” stated 113th-ranked Popyrin, who was decreased to tears by the gang chanting his identify.
Zverev, the twelfth seed, suffered one other setback on his return from critical harm as he misplaced to 107th-ranked Michael Mmoh.
OMINOUS SABALENKA
In the ladies’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka confirmed why she is a critical contender for the title by powering into the third round.
Also, safely by way of was France’s fourth seed Caroline Garcia, a 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 winner over former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.
Belarus’s Sabalenka swept previous 51st-ranked American Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-1 in an hour and 27 minutes and faces Twenty sixth-seed Elise Mertens.
Sabalenka, who reached the semi-finals on the US Open final yr, prolonged her 2023 unbeaten file to 6 matches. She received the current Adelaide International with out dropping a set.
It is a marked distinction to the beginning of final season when her serve fully abandoned her, decreasing her to tears throughout an Australian Open warm-up occasion.
Sabalenka served three aces in opposition to Rogers however, tellingly, no double faults. She talked brazenly in regards to the arduous work concerned in turning her fortunes round.
“I worked a lot on my serve. You can’t even imagine,” she informed reporters.
“Oh my God, I did, I think, almost everything to try to fix my serve.”
American qualifier Katie Volynets dumped out Russian world quantity 9 Veronika Kudermetova.
The 21-year-old Volynets received 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena after which paid a heartfelt tribute to her prolonged household in war-ravaged Ukraine.
“It’s really a difficult time. Before, everyone used to be able to move about the country however they want to and go on with their days,” stated Russian-speaking Volynets.
“And now it’s just, you know, day-to-day.
“I actually really feel for them and to have their assist by way of all of that is unimaginable.”
Other seeds crushed in round two had been Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, who misplaced to Magda Linette of Poland, and Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova.