Taiwan’s Chan sisters advanced to the third round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open yesterday, while Hsieh Su-wei made a successful start to her mixed doubles campaign at Melbourne Park.
Second seeds Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan defeated Ukrainian duo Kateryna Bondarenko and Olga Savchuk 6-3, 6-3 in 68 minutes in their second-round clash on Court 14 in front of another sizeable contingent of Taiwanese fans.
The Taiwanese sisters saved three of five break points and converted five of seven, winning 61 of the 109 points contested to advance to a third-round clash today against Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith, who won an all-British showdown against Johanna Konta and Heather Watson 6-2, 6-3.
Photo: AFP
“Tomorrow, I have to play two games. I need to borrow your strength. Melbourne friends, come together,” elder sister Yung-jan, who is also due to begin her mixed doubles campaign today alongside Rohan Bopanna of India, wrote on Facebook.
Third seeds Chan Yung-jan and Bopanna are due to take on the Australian pairing Kimberly Birrell and John Millman.
Chan Hao-ching played her opening mixed doubles match with partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus yesterday, the eighth seeds falling to a surprise 6-4, 4-6, 10-5 defeat to Sloane Stephens of the US and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands in 79 minutes.
Photo: Screengrab from Facebook
Hsieh’s mixed doubles campaign got off to more encouraging start, as the Taiwanese and her partner, Alexander Peya of Austria, cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Australian pairing Maddison Inglis and Benjamin Mitchell in just 52 minutes on Court 14.
Hsieh and Peya saved three of four break points and converted four of seven, winning 58 of the 97 points contested to advance to a second-round clash against either fifth seeds Elena Vesnina of Russia and Bruno Soares of Brazil or Zheng Saisai of China and Chung Hyeon of South Korea.
In the singles, Andy Murray advanced to the fourth round, but had to leave the court immediately to check on the welfare of his father-in-law, who needed urgent medical treatment while watching Ana Ivanovic play on a nearby court.
Four-time finalist Murray had a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 32 Joao Sousa last night and signed a few autographs, but skipped the usual on-court interview before leaving Margaret Court Arena.
Nigel Sears, father of Murray’s pregnant wife, Kim, coaches Ivanovic and was working in that capacity at Rod Laver Arena when he became ill after the first set, needed treatment and was taken to a nearby hospital.
Ivanovic was leading Keys 6-4, 1-0 before an almost one-hour delay. She knew it was Sears getting treatment before the players left the court for the match suspension. She returned to go up a break, but Keys leveled the match and then, after going down another break, won five straight games on the way to clinching a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.
Ivanovic and Keys left the court without commenting, although a stadium announcer assured the crowd that Sears was OK, and had asked for a TV to be wheeled into his hospital room to watch the end of the match.
Ivanovic’s second-round match had also been suspended when a woman fell down a set of stairs in the upper level of the same stadium.
Earlier, two-time champion Victoria Azarenka dropped her opening service game without winning a point, but recovered quickly to beat Japanese qualifier Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-1 in 56 minutes. Azarenka is growing as a favorite in the bottom half of the draw after No. 2 Simona Halep went out in the first round and No. 3 Garbine Muguruza lost in the third round.
Azarenka is to play No. 48-ranked Barbora Strycova, who upset Muguruza 6-3, 6-2.
“I will enjoy myself first because I beat No. 3 in the world,” Strycova said.
Sydney-born Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open since 1987 when she beat Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2. Her next match is against Ekaterina Makarova, who had a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 9 Karolina Pliskova.
Muguruza’s loss left No. 7 Angelique Kerber as the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the women’s draw. Kerber beat Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3 to move into a fourth-round match against fellow German Annika Beck — who beat Laura Siegemund 6-0, 6-4.
Milos Raonic dedicated his third-round victory, a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over Viktor Troicki on Margaret Court Arena, to people affected by a shooting in a remote community in Saskatchewan, Canada, which left four people dead and at least two injured.
“Today before I stepped out on court it was a difficult day back home,” the 25-year-old Canadian told the crowd. “I want to take a moment and give thoughts to that community. Today’s victory was for that community, and a quick recovery and all of Canada, and I’m sure the world is behind you.”
Raonic faces a tough fourth-rounder against Stanislas Wawrinka, who advanced with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Lukas Rosol.
No. 8-seeded David Ferrer overwhelmed Steve Johnson 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and to set up a meeting with another American in the next round: No. 10-seeded John Isner, who fired 44 aces as he advanced with a 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-4 win over Feliciano Lopez.
In other men’s games, Andrey Kuznetsov beat Dudi Sela 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), while Gael Monfils defeated Stephane Robert 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.
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