Australian Open 2016: Friday Results, Highlights, Scores Recap from Melbourne
Multiple top contenders took to the court on Day 5 at the 2016 Australian Open, and they did not disappoint, as most marched one step closer to a potential title-winning moment.
The best performance of the day came courtesy of women's No. 1 Serena Williams, who thrashed Daria Kasatkina in well under an hour. No. 5 Maria Sharapova was also in action, and although it took her three sets, she managed to get past American Lauren Davis.
On the men's side, No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Roger Federer each took down seeded opponents in No. 28 Andreas Seppi and No. 27 Grigor Dimitrov, respectively, en route to the fourth round.
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Here is a full rundown of Friday's singles results from Melbourne, as well as further analysis regarding the biggest matches of the day.
Day 5 Men's Singles Results
| 3 | (1) Novak Djokovic | (28) Andreas Seppi | 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(6) |
| 3 | (3) Roger Federer | (27) Grigor Dimitrov | 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| 3 | (7) Kei Nishikori | (26) Guillermo Garcia-Lopez | 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 3 | (9) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Pierre-Hugues Herbert | 6-4, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) |
| 3 | (15) David Goffin | (19) Dominic Thiem | 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 |
| 3 | (14) Gilles Simon | Federico Delbonis | 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 3 | (24) Roberto Bautista-Agut | (12) Marin Cilic | 6-4, 7-6(5), 7-5 |
| 3 | (6) Tomas Berdych | (29) Nick Kyrgios | 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 |
Day 5 Women's Singles Results
| 3 | (1) Serena Williams | Daria Kasatkina | 6-1, 6-1 |
| 3 | (5) Maria Sharapova | Lauren Davis | 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-0 |
| 3 | (12) Belinda Bencic | Kateryna Bondarenko | 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 3 | (4) Agnieszka Radwanska | Monica Puig | 6-4, 6-0 |
| 3 | (10) Carla Suarez Navarro | Elizaveta Kulichkova | 6-4, 2-0, Ret. |
| 3 | Anna-Lena Friedsam | (13) Roberta Vinci | 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 3 | Daria Gavrilova | (28) Kristina Mladenovic | 6-4, 4-6, 11-9 |
| 3 | Margarita Gasparyan | Yulia Putintseva | 6-3, 6-4 |
Serena Overwhelms Kasatkina
In what was perhaps the most dominant showing in either draw at the Australian Open thus far, Williams wasted little time in dispatching Russia's Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-1 in just 44 minutes.
Williams was in control from start to finish, and the match stats reflect that, as she won a ridiculous 96 percent of her first-serve points and fired 27 winners as opposed to just four for her 18-year-old opponent.
While Serena is known as a ferocious competitor, she showed a great deal of class after the match by complimenting the young Russian at the net, according to BBC's David Law:
Williams was understandably pleased with her own performance as well, and she admitted that she surprised even herself with how well she played Friday, per the Australian Open's official Twitter account:
The 21-time Grand Slam champion appears to be in ideal form entering the fourth round of the tournament, and that is a scary thought for her impending opponents.
As pointed out by Kasatkina in her post-match press conference, Serena could essentially do no wrong on the court Friday, according to WTA Insider:
On the heels of her 6-1, 6-1 win, Williams will take on another unseeded Russian in the fourth round in the form of Margarita Gasparyan, who defeated Yulia Putintseva on Day 5.
While Williams will undoubtedly be a heavy favorite in that match, things figure to get far more difficult in the quarterfinals and beyond.
With a quarterfinal match against either Sharapova or Belinda Bencic and a potential semifinal clash with No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska on the horizon, Williams will truly be put to the test for the first time in the tournament over the next few rounds.
If her win over Kasatkina is any indication, though, the 34-year-old American is still very much the woman to beat.
Djokovic, Federer Cruise Into Fourth Round
The possibility of a Djokovic versus Federer semifinal excited many tennis fans entering the Australian Open, and it is still very much within reach after both men turned in impressive third-round performances Friday.
Djoker continued his dominance over Italian players with a 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(6) victory over Seppi to clinch a spot in the fourth round.
Nole has yet to drop a set Down Under, and he certainly seemed happy to keep that streak rolling against Seppi, as seen in this video courtesy of the Australian Open:
As for Fed, he received a slightly stiffer challenge from Dimitrov, but he still managed to get past the Bulgarian star in four sets by a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 score.
While beating a talented, young player at a Grand Slam event is always a major accomplishment, the Swiss veteran's victory on Day 5 was even more special than usual.
That is because he joined an extremely exclusive club by picking up the 300th Grand Slam victory of his illustrious career:
Although Federer has done some remarkable things in his career, including winning 17 Grand Slams, he seemed humbled by the fact that he reached win No. 300 Friday, per ATPWorldTour.com:
"It's very exciting, I must tell you. Like when I reached 1,000 (tour-level wins) last year, it was a big deal for me. Not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but when it happens, it's very special. You look deeper into it, I guess, where it's all happened and how. So it's very nice. I'm very happy.
"
While it is likely easy for Djokovic and Federer to look ahead to each other rather than focusing on the task at hand, they can't afford to do that since their opponents over the next two rounds won't be pushovers.
Nole will take on No. 14 Gilles Simon in the fourth round, and Fed must deal with a tricky Belgian in the form of No. 15 David Goffin.
Things will get even tougher in the quarters when Djokovic faces either No. 7 Kei Nishikori or No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Federer will clash with No. 6 Tomas Berdych or No. 24 Roberto Bautista-Agut, who upset No. 12 Marin Cilic Friday.
Both Djokovic and Federer will be better off and more prepared for the big matches at the end of the tournament if they can get through those challenges, but that is far from a guarantee—even with how well they have played to this point.
Sharapova Outlasts Davis in Three Sets
Although it wasn't an easy victory by any means, Sharapova stamped her ticket into the fourth round Friday with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-0 win over Davis.
The 28-year-old Russian seemed poised to prevail in blowout fashion after an excellent opening set, but the underdog American showed a great deal of resiliency by winning a second-set tiebreak to force a decisive third set.
It was at that point that Sharapova's experience and mental toughness came to the forefront, as she took control of the match and held Davis to a bagel in the third.
Much like Federer, Sharapova's win held extra significance as it was the 600th of her career. Even after being pushed to the limit, the five-time Grand Slam champion was in a jovial mood about the accomplishment, according to Nick McCarvel of USA Today:
With the first three rounds now in the book, though, Sharapova undoubtedly must turn up her level of play moving forward.
That starts with an extremely difficult fourth-round match against Bencic, who was one of only three players to defeat Williams last season.
Should Sharapova get past Bencic, another clash with Serena is likely on the horizon, which is far from a desired situation for the fifth-seeded player, as evidenced by this stat courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info:
Sharapova is just 2-18 in her career against Williams, and hasn't beaten her since 2004. Despite being one of the most accomplished women's tennis players of all time, Serena is one hurdle Sharapova seemingly can't overcome.
She will get yet another opportunity to do so if the fourth round plays out as expected, but based on how well Williams played Friday, flipping the script seems like a longshot.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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