Djokovic rolls back years, Sinner supreme as holder Keys books third round berth at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic rolled back the years to reach the Australian Open third round on Thursday but Jannik Sinner, the man who has usurped him as king of Melbourne Park, showed why he is favourite to claim a hat-trick of titles.

Women’s defending champion Madison Keys overcame a second-set wobble against Ashlyn Krueger to also advance while former champion Naomi Osaka toned down her outfit but not her power game as she also reached round three.

Iga Swiatek continued her quest to complete her career Grand Slam with a 6-2 6-3 victory over unseeded Marie Bouzkova.

Fourth seed Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and ⁠25th Grand Slam trophy overall to break the deadlock with Margaret Court, eased past Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli 6-3 6-2 6-2.

The 38-year-old Serb maintained his steady grip on the second-round clash without needing to shift into top gear.

“I didn’t know much about him (Maestrelli) until a few days ago, it happens more often than not these days,” Djokovic said of his 23-year-old opponent.

He raced through the opening set and pounced again in the opening game of the second set to heap pressure on world number 141 Maestrelli. The win was Djokovic’s 399th in Grand Slams and his 101st in Melbourne, leaving him one shy of record-holder Roger Federer. Djokovic will next meet Botic van de Zandschulp.

There was something of a retro feel about day five in the men’s singles with Swiss former champion Stan Wawrinka, 40, outlasting Arthur Gea 4-6 6-3 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-3) while Marin Cilic, 37, dispatched 21st seed Denis Shapovalov 6-4 6-3 6-2.

In 2009, Djokovic, Cilic and Wawrinka all reached round three and 17 years later they are still going strong.

The man to beat on blue Melbourne hard courts these days, however, is Sinner. He was supreme as he thumped home wild card James Duckworth 6-1 6-4 6-2 in the Rod Laver Arena evening session, banging down 18 aces in a dominant display.

Sinner, bidding to join Djokovic by becoming only the second man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles, has now won 12 successive Tour-level matches without dropping a set and looks razor sharp.

“I know how much work I’ve put in so the body feels good and the mind is in a good moment,” he said. The world number two will face American Eliot Spizzirri next.

KEYS STUMBLES ON WAY TO WIN OVER KRUEGER

Keys, the ninth seed in the draw, notched up a 6-1 7-5 win over fellow American Krueger but was less than convincing after powering her way through the opening set.

The defending champion allowed doubts to creep into her game in the second set, handing Krueger two breaks on serve with a succession of double faults before battling back to progress to the next round to face Karolina Pliskova.

Swiatek shrugged off the sluggishness of her first-round match with a much more lively display against Bouzkova.

“It felt great playing today, I felt more free than in the first round so I wanted to go for it,” Swiatek said.

Osaka, champion in 2019 and 2021, ditched the parasol, veil and broad-brimmed hat for her walk-on against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea but continued making waves in her jellyfish-inspired outfit, battling to a 6-3 4-6 6-2 win.

There was no love lost between the two players though with a frosty exchange at the net after match point with Cirstea upset by Osaka’s antics. “(There were) apparently a lot of ‘come ons’ that she was angry about,” Osaka said.

Sixth seed Jessica Pegula had few issues against doubles partner McCartney Kessler, handing out a comprehensive 6-0 6-2 defeat to her fellow American in 58 minutes to set up a meeting with Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva in the third round.

Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, also from the U.S., eased to a 6-1 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova and the fourth seed will next face compatriot Peyton Stearns while fifth seed Elena Rybakina beat Varvara Gracheva, also in straight sets.

MUSETTI DOWNS SONEGO

Men’s fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti won the battle of the Italians on Margaret Court Arena as he beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 6-3 6-4 and will face Czech Tomas Machac next after he overpowered Greek 31st seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(5).

“It was not an easy match to prepare, to play, and to deal with because Lorenzo is one of my best friends on tour,” said Musetti. “We shared a lot of nice memories, so it’s not easy to separate those things in the court.”

Eighth-seeded Ben Shelton had few issues against Australia’s Dane Sweeny, the American claiming a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win to set up a third-round meeting with Valentin Vacherot, who defeated Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in four sets.

Reuters