Defending champion Rafael Nadal headlines a star-studded schedule Wednesday on the 2023 Australian Open, the place the Spaniard seeks to hold the momentum from his opening win right into a second-round conflict in opposition to Mackenzie McDonald.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are among the many different ATP Tour stars in motion from the highest half of the draw on Day 3 on the first Grand Slam of the season, whereas 10 rescheduled bottom-half matches can even be performed. They embody dwelling hope Thanasi Kokkinakis’ interrupted match in opposition to Fabio Fognini, through which the Australian is simply two video games in need of victory.
ATPTour.com runs via a few of the key matchups on present at Melbourne Park.
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[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Mackenzie McDonald (USA)
A second Grand Slam assembly for defending champion Nadal and the World No. 65 McDonald is scheduled third on Rod Laver Arena, the place the Spaniard will hope for the same outcome to his 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 victory in opposition to the American on the Roland Garros clay in 2020.
McDonald has scaled new heights since that match in Paris, nonetheless. He broke the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the primary time in February final 12 months and is undoubtedly a distinct proposition on the laborious courts of Melbourne Park, the place he loved his equal-best run at a Grand Slam by reaching the fourth spherical in 2021.
It will nonetheless take an almighty effort for the 27-year-old to upset Nadal. The Spaniard is chasing a record-extending twenty third main title this fortnight and is prepared to attract confidence from his opening victory in opposition to fast-rising Briton Jack Draper as he seeks to create extra historical past in Melbourne.
“I’m prepared for the problem,” stated Nadal after clinching simply his second win in eight matches with the win in opposition to Draper on Monday. “I’m able to preserve combating for it. And victory helps, I can not lie [to] you [about] that. When you win matches, you might be extra relaxed. You are extra assured. You have higher possibilities to withstand these [difficult] moments.”
VAMOS ????????@RafaelNadal defeats Jack Draper 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1 to advance to R2 ????@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 16, 2023
[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas [GRE] vs. [WC] Rinky Hijikata (AUS)
Tsitsipas can rise to No. 1 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the primary time by lifting his maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne. With that double-reward in thoughts, the Greek will hope to again up his spectacular first-round win in opposition to Quentin Halys by seeing off dwelling hope Hijikata.
The 21-year-old Hijikata is driving excessive after rallying from two-sets-to-love down in opposition to Yannick Hanfmann to assert his maiden Grand Slam win in dramatic circumstances on Monday. Taking on three-time Australian Open semi-finalist Tsitsipas subsequent could seem a frightening process, however the former University of North Carolina student-athlete is able to give it his finest shot.
“I’m pumped. It’s the identical factor once I stated I performed Daniil [Medvedev in Los Cabos] and similar factor I stated once I performed Rafa [at the 2022 US Open],” Hijikata instructed ATPTour.com this week. “I’m very excited. I’m not going to shrink back from these matches. These are those you dream of taking part in when you find yourself a child and why you’re employed so laborious.
“I’m going to return out and attempt to play my sport. I’m not going to depart any stone unturned. That’s for positive. I’m going to go on the market and provides it an enormous crack.”
[7] Daniil Medvedev (SRB) vs. [WC] John Millman (AUS)
Medvedev can even be making ready to tackle a partisan dwelling crowd on Wednesday in his first tour-level assembly in opposition to John Millman.
Like his countryman Hijikata, Millman got here via a five-set thriller to guide his spot within the second spherical. The 33-year-old ousted Marc-Andrea Huesler in 4 hours, five-minutes, and can hope he has recovered nicely as he plots to carry down one of many Tour’s most constant Australian Open performers of latest years.
The 26-year-old Medvedev is bidding to succeed in the third spherical for the fifth 12 months in a row and keep on monitor to grow to be the fourth man within the Open Era to succeed in three consecutive Australian Open finals. Perhaps simply as ominously for Millman, the seventh seed dropped simply three video games in his first-round victory in opposition to Marcos Giron.
Also In Action…
The fourth Top 10 participant taking to courtroom Wednesday is Felix Auger-Aliassime. The sixth seed overcame a difficult begin to down Vasek Pospisil in 4 units in his Melbourne Park opener, and Auger-Aliassime will look to construct on his robust end in that match in opposition to World No. 53 Alex Molcan. The Slovakian received the pair’s solely earlier tour-level assembly in a deciding-set tie-break final 12 months in Marrakech.
Hubert Hurkacz additionally trails his second-round opponent, Lorenzo Sonego, of their ATP Head2Headvert collection. The Tenth-seeded Pole has received simply one among his 4 tour-level conferences with the Italian, however that victory got here within the pair’s sole conflict on outside laborious courts in Auckland in 2020. Hurkacz is making an attempt to succeed in the third spherical for the primary time on his fifth Australian Open primary draw look.
Cameron Norrie, Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe are among the many different seeds looking for second-round success on Wednesday. The Eleventh-seeded Norrie faces Constant Lestienne, the 30-year-old Frenchman taking part in within the Melbourne primary draw for the primary time. Sinner meets World No. 79 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, whereas sixteenth seed Frances Tiafoe will attempt to cease the surge of 17-year-old Chinese qualifier Shang Juncheng.
A gathering between thirty second seed Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour crown in Pune earlier this month, will assure Dutch illustration within the third spherical, whereas wild card Jason Kubler is the third and closing Australian hoping to push deeper at his dwelling Grand Slam. The 29-year-old takes on 18th seed Karen Khachanov.
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