Australian Open 2012: 3 Eye-Popping Results from Jan. 18

Day 3 of the Australian Open is in the books and once again there were several results that will make fans do a double take. The first Major of the season is off to a terrific start, hopefully setting the tone for a memorable year of tennis.

Here are three eye-popping results from the third day of play in Australia.

Alejandro Falla defeats Mardy Fish

Hopes were high entering the Australian Open for Mardy Fish, who is currently the top-ranked American. His career resurgence still hasn't carried over into Major play, however, as he bowed out to Alejandro Falla in the second round.

Fish has become known for being stubborn on the court. That trait came back to haunt him against the crafty Falla because he was unable to solve the Colombian's riddles. Fish fired 58 unforced errors and managed just five aces.

Until he's more willing to change his approach on the fly, his results in majors will continue to disappoint. Fish's talent and fitness are good enough to be elite, it's just a mindset battle right now.

John Isner defeats David Nalbandian

John Isner, who became a household name after his marathon match against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2011, had another long night on court against David Nalbandian. The pair battled for nearly five hours before Isner emerged 10-8 in the fifth set.

Since the rising American star relies so heavily on his serve, it's no surprise that he plays a bunch of extended matches and tiebreaks. Unfortunately for him, those extra hours on court end up costing him in the latter rounds of a two-week event like the Australian Open.

Eventually he's going to need more weapons in his arsenal if he wants to be a true threat in a Grand Slam event. Otherwise he'll continue to be stuck in his current ranking range.

Romina Oprandi defeats Francesca Schiavone

Francesca Schiavone's struggles down under continued with an upset loss to virtual unknown Romina Oprandi. Last year's quarterfinal appearance was the Italian star's best result in Australia, but she wasn't able to build off that success in 2012.

Best known for her success at the French Open, Schiavone had 35 unforced errors on Wednesday and practically gift wrapped the match for Oprandi. Schiavone simply doesn't have enough firepower to overcome that type of wild performance.

It's starting to look like she's nothing more than a clay-court specialist. The fact she was seeded 10th in the tournament just illustrates the lack of depth in the women's game.