Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal wasted no time in adapting to indoor conditions under closed roofs as both crushed second-round opponents on a record heatwave day at the Australian Open on Thursday.
Four-time champion Federer dispatched Slovenian Blaz Kavcic 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) as the Swiss played on the Hisense arena for the first time in a decade. Previously his time was spent on the prime-time Rod Laver venue.
The pair played under a roof after the tournament heat rule was put into effect, stopping play on unprotected outside courts due to afternoon temperatures of 43.3 degrees Celsius.
“I came over early to make sure I didn’t get lost,” joked 17-time grand slam winner Federer, making his 15th straight Melbourne appearance. “I’m excited to be playing here. This is not some little sidecourt. The crowd was great. As a player you have to be ready for any match, any court, any weather.
“I’m very happy to go through. If he had played a bit better in the (third set) tiebreaker we would still be out there. I got a bit lucky at the end.” Top seed Nadal praised teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis after crushing the Australian youngster 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 with 11 aces. The first two sets each lasted less than 30 minutes.
“The first two sets were great,” said the Spaniard. “I tried to keep the pressure on but the third was more difficult. I’m very glad the roof was closed, and happy to get through.” French 10th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4 while Japanese 16th seed Kei Nishikori produced a quick win over Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).
Fourth seed Andy Murray won in straight sets against Vincent Millot, recovering from 1-5 down in the third to eventually triumph 6-2, 6-2, 7-5, but Spain’s Bautista Agut claimed the scalp of fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro with a 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 upset.
“Today, I found the opponent tricky, I found the conditions tricky,” said Murray. “I maybe didn’t adjust to those sort of conditions and the opponent as well as I would have liked. But I did okay. I did some good things out there.” Del Potro was not in a panic after his loss following a title in Sydney.
“This is nothing dangerous, I just lost match. He play really well — that’s it.
“I need to keep working. I already won the (Sydney) tournament last week, and that gives me confidence to improve my game. But this kind of match also help me to learn something, and I will try to take my positive things about this match and change the negative to improve my game.” Maria Sharapova struggled for nearly three-and-a-half hours in the hothouse, calling upon all of her reserves in a 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 second-round defeat of Karin Knapp.
In conditions not experienced for a century, temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius have been recorded for three days in a row.
Rain also delayed play later in the day.
Women's Singles
Four-time grand slam winner Sharapova at times was forced to battle against her Italian opponent and the 2008 champion said it was a matter of survival after she needed four match points to close out the struggle.
“It was tough for both of us, we fought as hard as we could,” said the third seed. “We both had chances. I knew I had to win a few more points in the end. I was trying.
“I remember the heat in 2007 but I’m feeling much better in it now.
It’s all about recovery, but these are the matches you work for.” Sharapova is playing her first grand slam since her early defeat at Wimbledon last summer, having recovered from the shoulder injury which kept her out of action until earlier this month.
New Dutch coach Sven Groeneveld was watching nervously as his charge won with 67 unforced errors, breaks on seven of 20 chances and despite a dozen double-faults — including three in one late game.
Sharapova and Knapp played on in the non-tie-break third set for 45 minutes after the heat rule was put into effect.
The Russian had missed her chance to close out when she was leading 5-4 in the third set, failing to convert her first three match points in a game marred by two double-faults.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka progressed with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in a contest which lasted just under 90 minutes.
Romanian 11th seed Simona Halep earned a win in another dramatic encounter as opponent Varvara Lepchenko required medical treatment.
Lapchenko had her blood pressure read while stretched out on changeover chairs mid-match after being rubbed with ice to lower her body temperature.
Halep prevailed 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 as she won 14 of 15 games at one point in what turned into a rout.
Spanish 16th seed Carla Suarez Navarro beat Galina Voskoboeva, Kazakhstan, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 8-6 but Kazakhstani Zarina Diyas put out New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-4, 6-0. Elina Svitolina stopped Australian Olivia Rogowska 6-4, 7-5.
Dominika Cibulkova crushed Swiss Stefanie Voegele 6-0, 6-1 and Frenchwoman Alize Cornet shed tears of joy after beating Camila Giorgi 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.