Australian Open 2015 Results: Day 4 Scores and Day 5 Bracket Predictions
The top seeds were in action again in Melbourne as the 2015 Australian Open wrapped up Day 4, and neither left much of a doubt of their place as the favorites.
Women's No. 1 seed Serena Williams did get tested early in her second-round bout with Vera Zvonareva, but she emerged from a tight opening set to wrap it up in convincing fashion. Novak Djokovic followed her on the Rod Laver Arena court, blowing past Andrey Kuznetsov in a straight-sets win that saw him drop just five games.
Although the buck stops with Williams and Djokovic, they were far from the only notables in action during Thursday's slate of matches that saw the likes of Venus Williams, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and others cruise to victory. Meanwhile, No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki was bounced in Round 2.
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Here's a complete look at all of the notable scores from Day 4, as well as a look forward to predictions for Friday.
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Andrey Kuznetsov | 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 |
| No. 4 Stan Wawrinka def. Marius Copli | 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-3 |
| No. 5 Kei Nishikori def. Ivan Dodig | 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-6(0) |
| No. 8 Milos Raonic def. Donald Young | 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3 |
| No. 9 David Ferrer def. Sergiy Stakhovsky | 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 |
| No. 12 Feliciano Lopez def. Adrian Mannarino | 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 4-0 (Ret.) |
| No. 18 Gilles Simon def. Marcel Granollers | 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 |
| No. 19 John Isner def. Andreas Halder-Maurer | 6-4, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 |
| No. 1 Serena Williams def. Vera Zvonareva | 7-5, 6-0 |
| No. 4 Petra Kvitova def. Mona Barthel | 6-2, 6-4 |
| No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska def. Johanna Larsson | 6-0, 6-1 |
| Victoria Azarenka def. No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki | 6-4, 6-2 |
| No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova def. Tsvetana Pironkova | 6-2, 6-0 |
| Madison Brengle def. Irina Falconi | 6-1, 6-3 |
Note: Complete Day 4 scores are available at AusOpen.com.
Day 5 Predictions
Federer Keeps Chugging Along
For one short set, the likelihood of Roger Federer making a deep run for Grand Slam No. 18 in Melbourne looked to be dwindling.
He dropped his first set in his Round 2 showdown against Simone Bolelli 3-6, but wasted no time putting away the Italian opposition, winning the next three sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Even hampered by a hand problem that Federer described to BBC Tennis, he didn't budge and blew away Bolelli:
Federer faces another step up in competition Friday in facing Andreas Seppi, but the end result will be even more convincing for the Swiss maestro.
He might not play an opponent Down Under again who he has as much of an advantage against. Federer has faced Seppi 10 times, and has beaten him 10 times. He didn't drop a single set in any of the matchups, per MatchStat.com.
Along with that, Federer also will be feeling better after an injury scare in Round 2. No virtual bee sting will hamper Federer this time out, as he cruises to a straight-set victory to move into the round of 16.
Eugenie Bouchard Emerges as Women's Sleeper
Eugenie Bouchard might want to know why everybody is talking about Williams and Maria Sharapova on the women's side of things.
The top two seeds are generating almost all of the hype after defending champion Li Na retired late in 2014, but a couple of sleeper contenders emerged last year—including Bouchard. But after bursting onto the scene in 2014, Bouchard looks to be chasing her first Slam title after coming so close at Wimbledon last year.
She showcased her hunger in Round 2 against Kiki Bertens, dominating her in the first set in just 23 minutes as Australian Open showed before wrapping it up in the second:
Bouchard goes up against the impressive Caroline Garcia in the third round, who hasn't dropped a set in two matches thus far in Melbourne. But she won't have a match for the improvements Bouchard has made, as she is flying around the court and is leaving no doubt that she will be around late into the tournament.
Another convincing win will have Sharapova—who would face Bouchard in the quarters—taking notice.
Nadal Moves on from Early Scare
Rafael Nadal's visit to the Australian Open nearly ended right as it was getting started.
The second-seeded Spaniard got all he could handle and then some in his Round 2 contest against Tim Smyczek, dropping the second and third sets before rallying from the brink of elimination to win in five sets and advance on. But even in the win, serious questions about Nadal's fitness and rustiness emerged.
Regardless, Nadal showed that he could overcome a test from the most hungry of opponents, and continued his dominance when in that sort of situation, per ESPN Stats and Information:
Should troubles crop up again for Nadal in the third round against Dudi Sela, he could be in for even more struggles. Like Smyczek, Nadal has never faced his future opponent.
But that much shouldn't be expected. While it remains to be seen whether Nadal is seriously a threat late into the tournament when he goes up against some of the top seeds, he proved to himself in Round 2 that he can overcome adversity and he'll use it to his advantage by improving against Sela.
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