The 2nd round of the Australian Open brought some more shocks, with old favourites keeping on track. But it was the final curtain call for one of the games all-time greats. Yes that’s right the legendary Aussie terrier- Lleyton Hewitt played his last ever professional Singles match, retiring after a straight set loss to fellow veteran: David Ferrer. The defeat brings to an end 20 glorious years, which bought the tenacious 34 year old: 2 Grand Slams, becoming the youngest ever ATP No1 and also reaching the Final of his beloved Home Slam in 2005. Meanwhile in other news, the other 2 sprightly 34 year olds in Roger Federer and Serena Williams eased into the last 32, with convicting victories over Alexandr Dolgopolov and Hsieh Su-wei. But there was another early casualty in the already decimated Women’s’ draw, with 2-time Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova going out in straight sets to Daria Gavrilova.
Day 3, Wed: 2nd rd
Headlines-
- Serena crushes Hsieh Su-wei to reach 3rd rd.
- Supreme Federer eases past Dolgopolov.
- Radwanska continues serene progress against resurgent Bouchard.
- Kvitova continues exodus of seeds, with Gavrilova sending the Czech tumbling out.
WS, 2nd rd results:
Daria Gavrilova (Australia) beat 6-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-4
Monica Puig (Puerto Rico) beat Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 4-6 7-6(6) 9-7
Elizaveta Kulichkova (Russia) beat Monica Niculescu (Romania) 6-4 2-6 6-4
4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-4 6-2
28-Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Nicole Gibbs (U.S.) 6-1 7-6(4)
Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) beat Han Xinyun (China) 6-3 6-1
Margarita Gasparyan (Russia) beat Kurumi Nara (Japan) 6-4 6-4
10-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Maria Sakkari (Greece) 6-7(5) 6-2 6-2
12-Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) beat Timea Babos (Hungary) 6-3 6-3
13-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat Irina Falconi (U.S.) 6-2 6-3
Darya Kasatkina (Russia) beat Ana Konjuh (Croatia) 6-4 6-3
1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 6-1 6-2
Anna-Lena Friedsam (Germany) beat Wang Qiang (China) 6-3 6-4
Lauren Davis (U.S.) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 7-6(7) (Rybarikova retired)
Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) beat 23-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 6-1 7-5
5-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Belarus) 6-2 6-1
MS , 2nd rd results:
28-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat Denis Kudla (U.S.) 7-5 6-4 6-4
1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Quentin Halys (France) 6-1 6-2 7-6(3)
29-Nick Kyrgios (Australia) beat Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) 6-4 7-5 7-6(2)
9-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Omar Jasika (Australia) 7-5 6-1 6-4
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (France) beat Noah Rubin (U.S.) 6-3 6-4 6-0
26-Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) beat Daniel Brands (Germany) 4-6 6-1 7-6(0) 6-3
27-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat Marco Trungelliti (Argentina) 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5
14-Gilles Simon (France) beat Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) 6-3 5-7 7-6(1) 4-6 7-5
12-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Albert Ramos (Spain) 6-4 6-3 7-6(4)
24-Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Dusan Lajovic (Serbia) 4-6 6-2 4-6 6-2 6-1
Federico Delbonis (Argentina) beat Renzo Olivo (Argentina) 7-6(5) 3-6 6-7(3) 7-5 6-2
6-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Mirza Basic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 6-4 6-0 6-3
3-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) 6-3 7-5 6-1
19-Dominic Thiem (Austria) beat Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 6-3 6-1 6-3
15-David Goffin (Belgium) beat Damir Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 6-4 0-6 6-4 6-2
7-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Austin Krajicek (U.S.) 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3
Day 4, Thu: 2nd rd
Headlines-
- Hewitt closes the door on his career, as he goes down to David Ferrer.
- Azarenka barrage goes on, storming past Danka Kovinic.
WS, 2nd rd results:
9-Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) beat Julia Goerges (Germany) 7-6(5) 6-1
Annika Beck (Germany) beat 11-Timea Bacsinszky (Switzerland) 6-2 6-3
21-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat Tatjana Maria (Germany) 6-4 6-2
7-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) 6-2 6-4
Zhang Shuai (China) beat Alize Cornet (France) 6-3 6-3
15-Madison Keys (U.S.) beat Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3
Laura Siegemund (Germany) beat 19-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4
Madison Brengle (U.S.) beat Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 7-5 4-6 6-1
Denisa Allertova (Czech Republic) beat 30-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-3 2-6 6-4
14-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Danka Kovinic (Montenegro) 6-1 6-2
3-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 6-4 6-2
Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) beat Vania King (U.S.) 7-6(5) 6-4
Naomi Osaka (Japan) beat 18-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 6-4 6-4
Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat Lara Arruabarrena Vecino (Spain) 7-6(7) 6-4
Johanna Konta (Britain) beat Zheng Saisai (China) 6-2 6-3
20-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) 6-3 6-3
MS , 2nd rd results:
16-Bernard Tomic (Australia) beat Simone Bolelli (Italy) 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) 7-5
John Millman (Australia) beat Gilles Muller (Luxembourg) 4-6 6-4 6-2 4-6 7-5
8-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 6-2 6-4 6-4
Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) beat 25-Jack Sock (U.S.) 7-6(6) 7-6(5) 6-3
4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-3 6-4
Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) beat 30-Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-4 7-6(5) 7-6(5)
18-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Guido Pella (Argentina) 7-6(2) 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 6-7(8) 6-4
31-Steve Johnson (U.S.) beat Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) 6-3 6-2 6-2
21-Viktor Troicki (Serbia) beat Tim Smyczek (U.S.) 6-4 7-6(5) 7-6(4)
Dudi Sela (Israel) beat Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 4-6 6-3 6-3 7-6(4)
Stephane Robert (France) beat Rajeev Ram (U.S.) 6-1 6-7(6) 4-6 7-5 7-5
13-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat Tommy Robredo (Spain) 7-6(6) 7-6(5) 7-5
2-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Samuel Groth (Australia) 6-0 6-4 6-1
32-Joao Sousa (Portugal) beat Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-1
10-John Isner (U.S.) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 6-3 7-6(6) 7-6(2)
23-Gael Monfils (France) beat Nicolas Mahut (France) 7-5 6-4 6-1
All Things Tennis- from Hamza Shakeel 