Australian Open 2017: Tuesday Results, Highlights, Scores Recap from Melbourne

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, both seeded second in their respective draws, turned in confident performances to progress into the second round of the 2017 Australian Open on Tuesday. 

Djokovic, the defending champion in Melbourne, played some sparkling stuff against Fernando Verdasco to win 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Williams, chasing a record 23rd Grand Slam singles crown, was also a straight-sets victor, as she overcame Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-3.

Elsewhere, Rafael Nadal, seeded ninth, was on form against Florian Mayer, while third seed Agnieszka Radwanska needed three sets to advance in her opener with Tsvetana Pironkova.

Here is a look at some of the key results from Melbourne and a recap of some of the best moments from another fascinating day:

Men's Singles	Result
Women's Singles
(2) Novak Djokovic bt. Fernando Verdasco	6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2
(3) Milos Raonic bt. Dustin Brown	6-3, 6-4, 6-2
(6) Gael Monfils bt. Jiri Vesely	6-2, 6-3, 6-2
(8) Dominic Thiem bt. Jan-Lennard Struff	4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
(9) Rafael Nadal bt. Florian Mayer	6-3, 6-4, 6-4
(2) Serena Williams bt. Belinda Bencic	6-4, 6-3
(3) Agnieszka Radwanska bt. Tsvetana Pironkova	6-1, 4-6, 6-1
(5) Karolina Pliskova bt. Sara Sorribes Tormo	6-2, 6-0
(6) Dominika Cibulkova bt. Denisa Allertova	7-5, 6-2

For full Tuesday results, visit the Australian Open website.

Tuesday Review

With six titles already to his name in this event, Djokovic was the star attraction at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, and those fortunate enough to be in attendance wouldn’t have been disappointed by his exceptional start to the match.

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The 12-time Grand Slam champion was at his pugnacious best in the early exchanges, rattling off five games in succession to immediately put Verdasco on the back foot. Although the Spaniard did avoid an opening bagel, Djokovic's dominance was a measure of the challenge ahead of him.

While the second set was much more even, in a crucial tiebreak, it was Djokovic who was more assured on clutch points, and following an early break in the third set, Verdasco’s fate was essentially secured.

Afterward, Djokovic spoke about how challenging it is being away from his young son, Stefan, per George Bellshaw of Metro:

Joining him in the hat for the next round is Nadal, who took a shade over two hours to eliminate Mayer. 

The Spaniard’s serve is usually an area opponents seek to exploit, but Nadal was imperious, utilising the ball in hand in this one. He didn’t concede a single break point in the contest and was able to assert himself in general play with some sizzling groundstrokes.

GREG WOOD/Getty Images

As we can see here, courtesy of Eurosport UK, it was a contest that contained plenty of entertaining rallies:

Also through to Round 2 is sixth seed Gael Monfils, who coasted past Jiri Vesely in straight sets. Grigor Dimitrov, who is a dark horse for this title following his win at the recent Brisbane International, also progressed, as he overcame 22-year-old Australian Christopher O’Connell.

In the women’s draw, Williams got her tournament off to the best possible start with a comprehensive win against Bencic.

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The American star wasn’t at her best on Tuesday, although she was ruthless when chances materialised. Williams always put herself in a position to capitalise on her opponent’s mistakes and has shown in the past that as these big competitions go on, she’s capable of moving through the gears.

“Every match I'm playing for fun,” the 35-year-old said after the match, per BBC Sport. “I get to travel the world and do what I do best—play tennis.”

Former world No. 1 Chris Evert was impressed with the way in which Williams started against a potentially tricky opponent:

Next up for Williams will be Lucie Safarova, who was involved in a remarkable match against Yanina Wickmayer on Tuesday. Safarova saved a staggering nine match points to eventually come through 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1.

The other big name in action in the women’s draw was an in-form Radwanska, although after taking the lead, she suffered a wobble in the second set against Pironkova. The Pole, searching for her first-ever Grand Slam title win, was able to compose herself to dominate in the third set, though.