Tennis - Australian Open:World number one Roger Federer sent out an ominous warning to his rivals with the most comfortable of second-round victories over Victor Hanescu at the Australian Open. Federer needed only an hour and 39 minutes to overcome the 47th-ranked Romanian 6-2 6-3 6-2.
It was a convincing performance at the end of a day on which just one seed fell out of the men’s draw — 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis came from two sets down to beat 17th seed David Ferrer 4-6 3-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-3 6-1.
Third seed Novak Djokovic, the in-form Nikolay Davydenko, 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and last year’s semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco all progressed as the reputation for surprises at the season-opening grand slam continued to be undermined.
Robin Soderling, the eighth seed, remains the only player inside the top 12 to have been eliminated after he lost in the opening round.
And while the tournament poses as a tight affair, grand slam record holder Federer gave a reminder of his greatness, albeit against clay-court specialist Hanescu.
“Tonight was extremely special. For me it was a big honour that he came and watched me,” Federer said afterwards. “I’ve just briefly had a chance to talk to him. I’m not going tell you everything he just said to me. You’ve got to have a little bit of a secret.
“But he said he was happy that I played a little bit longer for him, because the match could have ended even shorter.”
He added: “I was very happy with the way I played. I moved well and played some amazing shots. It was great.”
Earlier, Djokovic, the 2008 winner, overcame his first-set histrionics to defeat Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli 3-6 6-1 6-1 6-3. The Serbian cut an agitated figure as he lost the opening set and at one point needed a new racquet after crashing it into the court, but eventually turned his aggression into winners — he hit 58 — to overwhelm his opponent.
“Definitely I was frustrated, especially at the start of the match, because he was really giving it to me,” said Djokovic, who will play Uzbek qualifier Denis Istomin next.
“That was a little issue there, but I managed to make that transition from being defensive to being offensive.”
Davydenko proved why he has been considered as a contender to win his first grand slam title as he swept past Illyan Marchenko 6-3 6-3 6-0.
The 28-year-old is arguably the form player on tour after his success at the ATP World Tour Finals last November and in Doha to start the year — where he beat both Federer and Rafael Nadal — but after his second successive straight-sets win he played down talk he has stronger claims to the title than those two.
“I never think that I am favourite at any tournaments because I know I can also lose not only to top-10 guys, but I can lose also number 15 or 100,” he said. “It’s depends how you feel. I know I’m a very good player. If I feel good, for sure I can beat everyone.”
Baghdatis continued his hot streak in Australia to dump Ferrer out in an enthralling match that lasted four hours and nine minutes on Hisense Arena.
The Cypriot is now on a seven-match winning streak after winning in Sydney last week and will next play local hope Lleyton Hewitt, which will evoke memories of their epic five-set match two years ago when the Australian edged to victory at 4.30am.
Hewitt, the 22nd seed, won through by beating American Daniel Young 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 6-1.
Tenth seed Tsonga only needed three sets to beat Taylor Dent 6-4 6-3 6-3 while Verdasco also raced through his night match with Ivan Sergeyev 6-1 6-2 6-2.
Juan Monaco came from two sets behind as the 30th seed survived 3-6 3-6 7-6 (7/5) 6-1 6-3 against Michael Llodra.
Tommy Haas, the 18th seed, was also taken the full distance by Serbian Janko Tipsarevic before prevailing 4-6 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-3 in three hours and 20 minutes. Others seeds to progress today were Mikhail Youzhny (20) and Nicolas Almagro (26) and Albert Montanes (31).
Australian Open – Thursday results
Men's Singles 2nd round:Stefan Koubek (Aut) bt Ivan Dodig (Cro) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 6-2, (18) Tommy Haas (Ger) bt Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) 4-6 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-3, (31) Albert Montanes (Spa) bt Stephane Robert (Fra) 4-6 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3 6-2, (30) Juan Monaco (Arg) bt Michael Llodra (Fra) 3-6 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-3, Denis Istomin (Uzb) bt Michael Berrer (Ger) 7-5 6-3 6-4, (20) Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt Jan Hajek (Cze) 6-2 6-1 6-1, (10) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra) bt Taylor Dent (USA) 6-4 6-3 6-3, (26) Nicolas Almagro (Spa) bt Benjamin Becker (Ger) 6-4 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-3, Lukasz Kubot (Pol) bt Santiago Giraldo (Col) 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-1, (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Victor Hanescu (Rom) 6-2 6-3 6-2, Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) bt (17) David Ferrer (Spa) 4-6 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-1, (9) Fernando Verdasco (Spa) bt Ivan Sergeyev (Ukr) 6-1 6-2 6-2, (22) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Donald Young (USA) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-1, Alejandro Falla (Col) bt Marcel Granollers-Pujol (Spa) 6-4 6-1 6-3, (3) Novak Djokovic (Ser) bt Marco Chiudinelli (Swi) 3-6 6-1 6-1 6-3, (6) Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) bt Illya Marchenko (Ukr) 6-3 6-3 6-0
Women's Singles 2nd round:(1) Serena Williams (USA) bt Petra Kvitova (Cze) 6-2 6-1, (32) Carla Suarez-Navarro (Spa) bt Andrea Petkovic (Ger) 6-1 6-4, Alberta Brianti (Ita) bt (21) Sabine Lisicki (Ger) 2-6 6-4 6-4, (29) Shahar Peer (Isr) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) 6-1 6-4, (22) Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) 6-4 6-1, (17) Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Julie Coin (Fra) 6-3 6-4, (10) Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (Rus) 6-0 6-2, Gisela Dulko (Arg) bt (20) Ana Ivanovic (Ser) 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-4, (16) Na Li (Chn) bt Agnes Szavay (Hun) 3-6 7-5 6-2, Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-0, (4) Caroline Wozniacki (Den) bt Julia Goerges (Ger) 6-3 6-1, (9) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Iveta Benesova (Cze) 6-0 6-3, (13) Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt Kristina Barrois (Ger) 7-5 6-3, (7) Victoria Azarenka (Blr) bt Stefanie Voegele (Swi) 6-4 6-0, (6) Venus Williams (USA) bt Sybille Bammer (Aut) 6-2 7-5, Casey Dellacqua (Aus) bt Karolina Sprem (Cro) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (8-6)
Men's Doubles 1st round:Fabio Fognini (Ita) & Potito Starace (Ita) bt Jeremy Chardy (Fra) & Marc Gicquel (Fra) 5-1 ret, Feliciano Lopez (Spa) & Rainer Schuettler (Ger) bt Frederico Gil (Por) & Kristof Vliegen (Bel) 6-3 6-2, (11) Simon Aspelin (Swe) & Paul Hanley (Aus) bt Marcos Daniel (Bra) & Daniel Koellerer (Aut) 6-1 6-2, Igor Andreev (Rus) & Evgeny Korolev (Rus) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukr) & Mischa Zverev (Ger) 6-1 7-6 (8-6), Ivo Karlovic (Cro) & Dusan Vemic (Ser) bt (9) Christopher Kas (Ger) & Dick Norman (Bel) 6-4 3-6 6-4, Julien Benneteau (Fra) & Steve Darcis (Bel) bt (13) Michael Llodra (Fra) & Andy Ram (Isr) 7-5 3-6 7-5, Carsten Ball (Aus) & Stephen Huss (Aus) bt Benjamin Becker (Ger) & Florian Mayer (Ger) 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3), John Isner (USA) & Sam Querrey (USA) bt Jeff Coetzee (Rsa) & Rogier Wassen (Ned) 6-4 6-1, (3) Lukas Dlouhy (Cze) & Leander Paes (Ind) bt Leos Friedl (Cze) & David Skoch (Cze) 6-3 6-1, Simone Bolelli (Ita) & Andreas Seppi (Ita) bt Lukas Lacko (Svk) & Michael Russell (USA) 6-4 6-2, Eric Butorac (USA) & Rajeev Ram (USA) bt Thomaz Bellucci (Bra) & Andre Sa (Bra) 6-3 6-4, (14) Martin Damm (Cze) & Filip Polasek (Svk) bt Marinko Matosevic (Aus) & Bernard Tomic (Aus) 6-2 6-1, Igor Kunitsyn (Rus) & Dudi Sela (Isr) bt Marco Chiudinelli (Swi) & Viktor Troicki (Ser) 6-4 6-2, Fernando Gonzalez (Chi) & Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) bt (6) Frantisek Cermak (Cze) & Michal Mertinak (Svk) 6-3 7-6 (9-7), Michael Kohlmann (Ger) & Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) bt (4) Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind) & Max Mirnyi (Blr) 6-4 6-4
Women's Doubles 1st round:(16) Iveta Benesova (Cze) & Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (Cze) bt Sara Errani (Ita) & Carla Suarez-Navarro (Spa) 6-2 6-1, Sally Peers (Aus) & Laura Robson (Gbr) bt Jill Craybas (USA) & Abigail Spears (USA) 6-3 7-5, (13) Gisela Dulko (Arg) & Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Alona Bondarenko (Ukr) & Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) 6-4 2-6 6-3, (9) Elena Vesnina (Rus) & Jie Zheng (Chn) bt Alize Cornet (Fra) & Sharon Fichman (Can) 7-5 6-3, (12) Chia-Jung Chuang (Tpe) & Kveta Peschke (Cze) bt Ipek Senoglu (Tur) & Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) 6-0 7-5, (10) Sania Mirza (Ind) & Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) bt Yayuk Basuki (Ina) & Kimiko Date Krumm (Jpn) 6-4 6-2, Agnes Szavay (Hun) & Roberta Vinci (Ita) bt Olga Govortsova (Blr) & Tatiana Poutchek (Blr) 7-5 6-4, Victoria Azarenka (Blr) & Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Kaia Kanepi (Est) & Jasmin Woehr (Ger) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, Carly Gullickson (USA) & Vladimira Uhlirova (Cze) bt Alexandra Dulgheru (Rom) & Edina Gallovits (Rom) 6-3 3-6 6-3, Elena Baltacha (Gbr) & Liga Dekmeijere (Lat) bt Lucie Safarova (Cze) & Aleksandra Wozniak (Can) 7-5 6-2, Vera Dushevina (Rus) & Anastasia Rodionova (Rus) bt (5) Nadia Petrova (Rus) & Samantha Stosur (Aus) 3-6 6-4 6-1, (14) Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) & Vania King (USA) bt Shannon Golds (Aus) & Marija Mirkovic (Aus) 6-0 6-1, Jelena Jankovic (Ser) & Shenay Perry (USA) bt Dominika Cibulkova (Svk) & Michaella Krajicek (Ned) 6-1 6-4, (7) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) & Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Alberta Brianti (Ita) & Urszula Radwanska (Pol) 4-6 7-5 7-6, Virginie Razzano (Fra) & Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt Maria Kondratieva (Rus) & Anastasija Sevastova (Lat) 7-5 3-6 6-2, Shahar Peer (Isr) & Galina Voskoboeva (Kaz) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) & Renata Voracova (Cze) 6-2 7-5, Sarah Borwell (Gbr) & Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) bt Polona Hercog (Slo) & Petra Martic (Cro) 6-4 7-6 (7-3), (15) Maria Kirilenko (Rus) & Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea (Rom) & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 6-2, Melinda Czink (Hun) & Natalie Grandin (Rsa) bt Sabine Lisicki (Ger) & Aravane Rezai (Fra) 6-3 6-2, Ioana Raluca Olaru (Rom) & Olga Savchuk (Ukr) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzb) & Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 4-6 6-1 6-2