Tennis News

While Rafael Nadal got off to a less-than-stellar start to his 2015 season, he more than made up for it in his opening match at the Australian Open. Now, the Spaniard will look to secure a spot in the third round of the tournament when he meets American Tim Smyczek on Wednesday. This marks the first time that these two will cross paths on the tour.

Watch the match live here: Nadal v Smyczek

Against Mikhail Youzhny, Nadal dominated the encounter en route to a straight sets victory. He defeated the Russian 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour and 50 minutes of court time. Nadal struck four aces, won 89% of his first service points and hit 37 winners to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Very positive result for me. I think very good start. Very important, no? Always before the first match you always have the doubts, especially in this situation I’m arriving here. Never easy, but it was an important match for me. Every match is very important for me today. Was a comfortable victory that give me some confidence.”

His opponent reached the second round with a straight sets win against Luke Saville. Tim hit six aces, won 73% of his first service points and hit 33 winners to set up an encounter with Nadal.

“All opponents are going to be difficult, and with the maximum respect for everybody and knowing that anything can happen in every round against anyone,” Nadal said. “So just going to go on court with the same spirit as today, maximum respect, trying to be very focus, and try to play little bit the same way like I did today. I think I did very positive things. I am trying to improve in the thing that I need to improve a little bit more.”

This marks the first time that Nadal and Smyczek will meet on the tour and based on the Spaniard’s most recent effort, it will likely be a one-sided affair in his favour.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

Grigor Dimitrov and Lukas Lacko will meet for the first time on the professional tour on Wednesday afternoon to determine who will advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

Watch the match live here: Dimitrov v Lacko

The Bulgarian No. 1 took part in a straightforward match-up, where he lost a mere seven games to defeat Germany’s Dustin Brown 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. Dimitrov struck 11 aces, won 90% of his first service points and hit 30 winners to close out the match in 1 hour and 19 minutes. The longest of the three sets took just 26 minutes.

“It was a good start for me. Of course, I expected it to be tricky. It’s never easy to play against him. I believe I played against him on clay court maybe three, four years ago. I remember it was tight three sets. You don’t know what to expect against him. I think the biggest thing for me today was that I just came out on the court and I was really composed.

“I knew what I had to do, and I just didn’t — I didn’t feel like I gave him chance to do his game, so to speak. Didn’t give him chance to play his shots. I think that discouraged him a little bit. After a couple breaks I already knew the match can go on my side, but at the same I have to stay focused. It’s best-of-five sets and you never know what kind of shot or ball can take you out of that momentum.”

Lukas Lacko took part in one of the first five-set matches at this year’s Australian Open, as he went the distance with Maximo Gonzalez to ultimately close out the contest 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1. He struck 18 aces, won 82% of his first service points and 18 winners to secure his spot in the second round of the tournament.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Straight Sets

Following a strong showing in her first round match, Simona Halep will further her campaign Down Under when she comes up against Jarmila Gajdosova, whom she has never faced previously on the professional tour. Of the announced second round matches on tap so far, this is easily one of the more intriguing ones.

Watch the match live here: Halep v Gajdosova

The Romanian No. 1 needed minimal effort to dispatch of her first challenge at the Australian Open, as she defeated Karin Knapp in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round of the tournament. Halep, who went down a break early in the match, hit 57% of her first service points, struck 15 winners and 26 unforced errors to close out the match in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Her opponent, Jarmila Gajdosova, defeated Alexandra Dulgheru 6-3 6-4 to advance to the second round of the tournament. She won 76% of her first service points and 19 winners to win the match in 1 hour and 28 minutes.

“Obviously she’s been playing well. She’s 3 in the world,” said Jarmila. “As I said, I been playing lately seems like all the top 10ers the last three weeks, so it’s just another person on the other side of the net. I’m going to go to play the way I played today, the way I played last week, and I will fight and do my best. We’ll see who comes on top.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour and could make for an entertaining and competitive affair. Gajdosova looked motivated to compete last week and has managed to carry that momentum over to Melbourne. If she plays her cards correctly, she could be primed for an upset.

Prediction: Simona Halep in Three Sets

Brisbane International champion Maria Sharapova maintained her undefeated streak in 2015 with a quick start to the Australian Open on Monday evening. Following her first round win, Sharapova will now meet fellow Russian Alexandra Panova to determine who will arrive in the third round of the tournament. This is the first time that the two Russians will cross paths on the professional tour.

Watch the match live here: Sharapova v Panova

Against Croatia’s Petra Martic, Sharapova dropped only five games to ease her way into the second round. She struck 5 aces, won 73% of her first service points and hit 26 winners to close out the match 6-4, 6-1 in I hour and 26 minutes. Given her recent victories, Sharapova cannot deny that this is a fantastic start to her year.

“I’m in a much more comfortable situation than I was last year,” Sharapova admitted. “My goal last year at this time was just to play as many matches as I could to get a good feeling to see where my shoulder was, where I was physically, how I would cope with playing a lot of matches.

“It was definitely great to get a title in last week. I don’t think I’ve done that in my career, winning a title to begin the year. That was nice. But when you come here, everything is new and fresh – of course, it’s a nice feeling to have that victory, but you have to start from scratch.”

Her opponent, Alexandra Panova, reached the second round with a straight sets win over Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. She even managed to hit a bagel second set to close out the match in 1 hour and 7 minutes.

Although this is the first time that Sharapova and Panova will meet on the professional tour, it is not a contest that requires much analysis to offer a prediction. The five-time Grand Slam champion is far more experienced than her opponent and will likely cruise into the third round in Melbourne.

Prediction: Maria Sharapova in Straight Sets

Following up on her strong run to the semi-final stage of the event last season, Eugenie Bouchard kicked off her 2015 campaign in promising fashion and needed just a pair of sets to advance to the second round of the Australian Open. She will next encounter Kiki Bertens, whom she has never faced previously on the professional circuit.

Watch the match live here: Bouchard v Bertens

In her opening match, Bouchard needed 1 hour and 18 minutes to dispatch Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-2, 6-4. She struck 3 aces, won 72% of her first service points and hit 20 winners to reach the second round of the tournament. While the score may not show it, the two ladies played several remarkable points that covered the entire court.

“The Genie Army started here last year, I’m happy they are still alive and strong,” Bouchard said. “The first match of a Grand Slam is never easy. I’m happy to get through,” she said. “I’m so happy to be back in Melbourne. The support here is crazy.”

“I was happy to start strong,” said Bouchard after the match. “Conditions were tough; it was a bit windy and she’s a good player. I was happy to stay solid, but there are still a lot of things to improve.”

Her opponent, Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, defeated Australian Daria Gavrilova 7-5 (10-8), 5-7, 6-2 to reach the second round of the tournament. Bertens hit 3 aces, won 57% of her first service points and managed 31 winners to secure the much needed win to set up her encounter with Bouchard.

This marks the first time that Bouchard and Bertens will meet on the professional tour and will likely serve as another straightforward contest for the Canadian youngster. She appears determined and motivated to blossom at the season-opening Grand Slam event.

Prediction: Eugenie Bouchard in Straight Sets

After meeting in the third round of the Australian Open back in 2013, Tomas Berdych and Jurgen Melzer will cross paths at the Happy Slam once again, this time in the second round of the tournament. This will mark their sixth overall encounter on the tour, with Berdych leading the head-to-head series 3-2.

Watch the match live here: Berdych v Melzer

After reaching the final in Doha last week, Berdych took to court in Melbourne with an apparent confidence in his shotmaking that kept Alejandro Falla out of his element for the entire duration of the contest. Berdych hit 7 aces, won 80% of his first service points and 32 winners to close out the contest 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-3 in 1 hour and 54 minutes.

“I think it was a good test for me for the first round. I’m glad to handle it the way I did. You know, even I drop some games of my serve, then I was able to find it right away back, you know, bring the breaks up again, winning the tiebreak. So, yeah, I think for the occasion and the circumstances, it was a very good match today.”

Berdych also reiterated that he is certainly confident with his game after strong showings in Doha last week.

“There is a confidence in my game. I mean, I had a great week in Doha. Played very good matches there. And then just took the time to make the transition from time difference and stuff, use the time here for preparation. Everything went well. Everything was good. I’m really happy with the way, you know, it’s been last couple of days. Feeling good on the court.”

Next for Berdych is Jurgen Melzer, who defeated Victor Estrella Burgo in straight sets to reach the second round of the tournament. The Austrian fired 10 aces, won 81% of his first service points and hit 10 winners to close out the match 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

This marks the sixth time that Berdych and Melzer will meet on the professional tour, with Berdych leading the series 3-2. Given their last meeting took pace at the Australian Open two years ago, there is a clear blueprint as to how the Czech No. 1 can steer his way into the third round of the tournament.

Prediction: Tomas Berdych in Straight Sets

For the third consecutive year on the tour, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens will cross paths at the season-opening Grand Slam tournament. It is the only time of year that the two competitors meet on circuit and has always brought about Stephens’ exit from the tournament. Azarenka leads the head-to-head series 3-0. However, while their first meeting was in the semi-final stage of the event, and their second was in the fourth round, their respective drops in the rankings means they will meet in the opening round of the tournament this season.

Watch the match live here: Azarenka vs Stephens

After taking part in a tempestuous 2014 season on the tour, Victoria Azarenka hoped for a brighter start to 2015, but was awarded with a premature exit from the Brisbane International instead. The defending champion, who spent most of last season on the sidelines, lost to Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 after leading by a set.

However, she told Tennis.com that she was prepared to regain her ranking position this season.

“For me, in my mind, I skipped the whole season,” she said. “I was never healthy, I was never prepared. I was never training full time the way I wanted to train. I wasn’t … mentally there. … But I am prepared to be ready again.”

The Belarusian will look to set herself on the path to redemption with a strong start against Sloane Stephens, the American whom she has never lost to previously. Stephens had a slightly better start to her season, as she defeated Sílvia Soler-Espinosa before losing to Lauren Davis in the second round of the ASB Classic.

This marks the third consecutive time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour – also the third time at the Australian Open. Azarenka leads the head-to-head series 2-0 and, with some dedication and confidence, will be able to stay undefeated against the young, flaky American.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka in Three Sets