Karolina Pliskova and Daniil Medvedev wasted no time in advancing to the third round of the 2020 Australian Open while former Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza needed three sets to do the same.
The Czech world number two Pliskova, who is still aiming to win her first ever Grand Slam title, was 6-3, 6-3 winner over Lura Siegemund in her second round match early on Thursday. She had earlier gotten past Kristina Mladenovic in her opener.
Calling it an “ugly match”, Pliskova was pleased at advancing to the third round after early morning showers had disrupted the start of the day’s play. Muguruza was the first player on court at the Rod Laver Arena and she was stretched to a second successive three-setter before he overcame local favourite Ajla Tomljanovic in her second round match.
The match was tied at one set apiece when the roof had to be closed because of the rains and she completed the match, winning 6-3 in the final set.
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Also making it to the third round were the sixth seeded Belinda Bencic and Croatia’s Donna Vekic. Bencic was a straight-set winner over Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 7-5 while Vekic, who had earlier gotten past Maria Sharapova in round one, had an easy 6-4, 6-2 win over French woman Alize Cornet.
Bencic expressed delight at her win in difficult conditions. She said:
“I’m super happy to get the match out of the way. I didn’t know the courts were, like, wet and dirty and all that. But for sure it was difficult today. It was sometimes sunny and then suddenly was almost raining. Then windy. Yeah, you just kind of have to accept it and go with it and try your best.”
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Medvedev was stretched in his first set by Spain’s qualifier Pedro Martinez Portero before he came into his own to win in three. The Russian won 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 to make it to the third round.
He needed treatment for a nosebleed when he was leading 5-0 in the second set and then endured four break-points in the very next game before seeing off his opponent.
In some of the other matches in the day, Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep will all be in action at the Rod Laver Arena, while Stan Wawrinka and Elina Svitolina will take to the Margaret Court Arena.
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