Australian Open 2015: Schedule, Preview and Predictions for Top Seeds on Day 3
Day 3 will see some of the favourites for the 2015 Australian Open crown take to the court for their second-round matchups, as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep will look to build on impressive wins in the opening round.
The foursome didn't drop a single set on Monday, and all put in strong performances, underlining their title credentials. With plenty of top seeds already out of the women's event, the path seems wide open for Sharapova and Halep to make a deep run in the tournament.
Here's the schedule for the top seeds on Wednesday:
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| Women's | 12 a.m. | Ekaterina Makarova (10) | Roberta Vinci | Makarova wins |
| 1.30 a.m. | Maria Sharapova (2) | Alexandra Panova | Sharapova wins | |
| 8 a.m. | Eugenie Bouchard (7) | Kiki Bertens | Bouchard wins | |
| 9.30 a.m. | Simona Halep | Jarmila Gajdosova | Gajdosova wins | |
| Men's | 12 a.m. | Tomas Berdych (7) | Jurgen Melzer | Berdych wins |
| 1.30 a.m. | Andy Murray (6) | Marinko Matosevic | Murray wins | |
| 3 a.m. | Roger Federer (2) | Simone Bolelli | Federer wins | |
| 6 a.m. | Ivo Karlovic (23) | Nick Kyrgios | Karlovic wins | |
| 8 a.m. | Rafael Nadal (3) | Tim Smyczek | Nadal wins | |
| 9.30 a.m. | Philipp Kohlschreiber (22) | Bernard Tomic | Tomic wins |
For the complete schedule, visit the event's official website by clicking here.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to Progress with Ease
Predicting the second and third seed will qualify for the third round without breaking much of a sweat may seem like a bit of a cop-out, but until a couple of months ago, that feat wouldn't have been a given.
Federer dropped out of the final of the World Tour Finals against Novak Djokovic due to injury—Nadal looked dreadful in preparations for the Australian Open, still recovering from a series of setbacks in 2014.
Both looked excellent in their first round, however, and their matchups look relatively straightforward as well. Fed Express will play Italy's Simone Bolelli, who is 0-33 against top-10 players, according to ESPN. Caroline Wozniacki predicts no issues for the Swiss veteran, per W&S Open:
Meanwhile, Nadal put together arguably the best performance of all top seeds against Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, a former top-10 player who some believed had the power to knock the Spaniard out in the first round.
As shared by Eurosport.com, top favourite Djokovic sees Nadal as a real contender after witnessing the trashing he handed Youzhny on Monday:
Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard also look like sure bets to advance to the next round with relative ease, but other top seeds may struggle on Wednesday.
Andy Murray, Simona Halep on Upset Alert
Scotland's Andy Murray should advance to the third round, that much is certain. But going up against Marinko "Mad Dog" Matosevic, the flamboyant Australian playing in front of a home crowd, the former Wimbledon champion will have to put in the effort.
Murray comes in with some extra incentive to perform well after Matosevic made comments about the fact he's coached by Amelie Mauresmo, and while he has since apologised in person, via BBC Sport's Russell Fuller, fans can still expect a tense atmosphere:
The Scot has a tendency to let his emotions get the best of him—against the vocal and flamboyant Matosevic, that could land him in trouble. I still expect Murray to advance, but he'll spend more time on the court than he would like and might even drop a set.
Halep's situation is undoubtedly worse. The 23-year-old looked solid in her win over Karin Knapp on Monday but has somewhat struggled in recent weeks, and Jarmila Gajdosova comes into the match in red-hot form.
She finally notched her first ever win in Melbourne, has the full force of the home crowd behind her and beat two top-15 opponents in Sydney in preparation for the Open.
The women's top seeds have been falling like flies so far, and if Halep isn't fully focused on Wednesday, she could be next in line.
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