Australian Open 2015: Day 4 Results, Highlights and Scores
The top seeds in both the men’s and women’s competitions booked their places in Round 3 on Thursday, as Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams sashayed to straight-sets victories in their respective matches at the Australian Open.
Djokovic had far too much in his armoury for Andrey Kuznetsov, dropping just five games in an emphatic win over the Russian. Williams was made to work a little harder for her spot in the last-16, but eventually she had far too much for the experienced Vera Zvonareva.
Elsewhere, reigning men’s champion Stanislas Wawrinka picked up a straight-sets win, but it was far from comfortable for the Swiss against Marius Copil. Venus Williams also triumphed on Day 4, beating compatriot Lauren Davis in two stanzas.
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Here’s a look at the results from a day bristling with quality from the first Grand Slam of the season:
| Vasek Pospisil | 6(3)-7 7-6(4) 6-3 6-4 | Paolo Lorenzi |
| (12) Feliciano Lopez | 4-6 4-6 7-6(3) 4-0 ret | Adrian Mannarino |
| (5) Kei Nishikori | 4-6 7-5 6-2 7-6(0) | Ivan Dodig |
| (4) Stanislas Wawrinka | 7-6(4) 7-6(4) 6-3 | Marius Copil |
| (1) Novak Djokovic | 6-0 6-1 6-4 | Andrey Kuznetsov |
| Guillermo Garcia-Lopez | 6-1 6-3 6-3 | Alejandro Gonzalez |
| Steve Johnson | 6-3 6-4 6-2 | Santiago Giraldo |
| Jarkko Nieminen | 7-6(4) 7-5 7-5 | Matthias Bachinger |
| (19) John Isner | 6-4 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4 | Andreas Haider-Maurer |
| Malek Jaziri | 1-6 6-3 6-4 1-6 6-3 | Edouard Roger-Vasselin |
| Samuel Groth | 3-6 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-1 | Thanasi Kokkinakis |
| Jerzy Janowicz | 6-4 1-6 6(3)-7 6-3 63 | (17) Gael Monfils |
| Camila Giorgi | 6-1 6-4 | Tereza Smitkova |
| (11) Dominika Cibulkova | 6-2 6-0 | Tsvetana Pironkova |
| (30) Varvara Lepchenko | 6-1 7-6(1) | Ajla Tomljanovic |
| (6) Agnieszka Radwanska | 6-0 6-1 | Johanna Larsson |
| (24) Garbine Muguruza | 6-1 1-6 6-0 | Daniela Hantuchova |
| Timea Bacsinszky | 6(7)-7 6-3 6-2 | Anna Tatishvili |
| (1) Serena Williams | 7-5 6-0 | Vera Zvonareva |
| (18) Venus Williams | 6-2 6-3 | Lauren Davis |
| (31) Zarina Diyas | 3-6 6-2 8-6 | Anna Karolina Schmiedlova |
| Bethanie Mattek-Sands | 7-6(3) 7-6(6) | Kristina Mladenovic |
| (7) Eugenie Bouchard | 6-0 6-3 | Kiki Bertens |
| Victoria Azarenka | 6-4 6-2 | Caroline Wozniacki |
Easy Work for Djokovic
Djokovic looks to be carrying some serious momentum into this competition after a strong finish to 2014, and he put on a clinic for the first nine games of his match with Kuznetsov. After winning the first set 6-0, the Serb kept up the pressure early in the second, and at one point, it was questioned whether the Russian would even win a game, per ESPN Tennis:
"Djokovic now leads Kuznetov 6-0, 3-0. Do you foresee a triple bagel coming? #ESPNTennis #AusOpen
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 22, 2015"
Eventually Kuznetsov dug in to take one in the second stanza and another four in the third, but after that initial blitz, Djokovic looked to be switching down the gears. As noted here by the tournament’s official Twitter account, the top seed was immaculate in the early stages of the match:
Djokovic spoke about how pleased he was with the manner in which he began the contest, per atpworldtour.com:
"First two sets definitely have been great. Overall I executed the game plan. Everything I intended to do, almost 100 per cent, from every second in my game, serve, baseline play, aggressive shots and aggressive returns.
He dropped his first-serve percentage a lot in the second set and obviously allowed me to have a lot of looks at the second serves. That, as well, gave me an opportunity to step in and just swing through the ball.
"
A win for Djokovic here would see him become only the second man in the game’s history to win five Australian Open titles. And while competition will surely get stiffer as he surges through the rounds, at this juncture—especially with men such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal enduring early struggles—it’s difficult to see anyone stopping the Serbian sensation.
Serena Overcomes Early Jitters in Style
It was a difficult start to the match for Williams as Zvonareva showed her class early in the set, pushing into a 5-3 lead over the American. But Serena saved three set points to haul her way back into contention and eventually take the set 7-5. As noted here by ESPN Tennis, from that point, it was always going to be difficult for the Russian:
"Serena fights back from down 3-5 to take the 1st off Zvonareva. World No.1 is 233-7 in Slams after winning 1st set. pic.twitter.com/XFqBFdqyEu
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 22, 2015"
Indeed, Williams turned on the style in the second set. After winning the final four games in the first stanza, she pummelled her opponent with a barrage of powerful stroke play in the second, taking another six games in succession to win the second set to love.
The 33-year-old admitted afterward it was vital she clicked into gear against an opponent like Zvonareva, per the tournament’s official Twitter account:
It clearly took the 18-time Grand Slam winner a while to get going here, but the level she showcased in the latter stages of the match will have made the rest of the women in the draw sit up and take note. Couple that talent with the fight that was on display at the end of the first and the five-time Aussie Open champion is going to be very tough to dislodge.
Wawrinka Made to Work Hard
The Swiss star picked up his first-ever Grand Slam title at this tournament last season, and you suspect it’s a trophy he’ll be especially keen to defend. That resilience was on show in earnest in his match against Marius Copil, as he battled to win tiebreaks in the first two sets before a much-easier third helped the fourth seed take victory.
Copil, ranked No. 194 in the world, has an enormous serve, and it was something Wawrinka failed to get a grip of early in the match. The Romanian hammered down 17 aces throughout the course of the match, but as noted by tennis writer Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times, when it comes to the crunch he seems to struggle:
Nonetheless, we should give big credit to Wawrinka. Copil is a dangerous opponent who was playing well in the opening stages of the match, but the Swiss showcased the composure of a reigning champion to remain patient and snaffle opportunities when they did eventually emerge.
SB Nation sports writer Ryan Nanni noted that the match—which lasted 136 minutes—wasn't really comparable to a standard straight sets win:
Wawrinka looks settled at the early stage of his defence, and this test against a powerful opponent should ensure he’s tuned up for some sterner tests to come. Next up for the reigning champ will be a different challenge entirely, as he faces the experienced Jarkko Nieminen in Round 3.
All statistics via atpworldtour.com
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