Day 5 Australian Open preview: Roger Federer faces tough American opponent
MELBOURNE, Australia — The third round kicks off at Melbourne Park on Friday, and the best of the action is set to take place on Rod Laver Arena.
Local hope and 15th seed Ashleigh Barty is first up on center court, followed by Roger Federer, who faces American Taylor Fritz. A showdown between defending champion Caroline Wozniacki and former Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova will close out the day session.
The night matchups will feature Alex De Minaur, who takes on No. 2 Rafael Nadal, and Australian wild card Kimberly Birrell, who will face Angelique Kerber.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev served 29 aces in a late-finishing win over Jeremy Chardy to reach the third round of the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori also won their second-round matches.
US Open champion Naomi Osaka reached the third round of the Australian Open after beating Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday. Also advancing were Karolina Pliskova and Madison Keys.
Day session
ESPN3 & ESPN+: Starting at 7 p.m. ET
ESPN2: Starting at 11 p.m. ET
Night session
ESPN2: Starting at 3 a.m. ET
*Full Day 5 schedule here
Day 5 matches here
Federer to meet up-and-coming American Fritz
Six-time Australian Open winner Federer will need to overcome a challenge from world No. 50 Taylor Fritz if he is to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Fritz, 21, was outside the top 100 at the start of 2018 but has played impressive tennis in recent months. He beat No. 30 Gael Monfils and Cameron Norrie in the first two rounds here.
The pair have met just once, at Stuttgart in 2016, and while Federer won, Fritz did manage to take a set.
Sharapova clashes with defending champion Wozniacki
Wozniacki faces 2008 winner Maria Sharapova, who has dropped just three games through two rounds.
It’s also been a solid start for Wozniacki, who has lost just 11 games.
“I think her results, specifically in the past year, speak for her game, how she’s been able to raise her level,” Sharapova said. “I think the Grand Slam was the one trophy she was looking for. With determination she got there last year.
“She loves playing here, loves everything about this tournament. Certainly have a tough match ahead of me.”
Sharapova is 6-4 lifetime against Wozniacki.
Aussies de Minaur and Birrell aim to dethrone No. 2 seeds
There are five Australians in the third round of their home Slam for the first time since 2004, but both de Minaur and wild card Birrell will need to play well in order to keep the party going.
Birrell, who defeated 29th seed Donna Vekic on Wednesday, has never faced Kerber on tour, while de Minaur was beaten by Nadal in straight sets at Wimbledon last year.
Stephanie Brantz and Darren Cahill look ahead to big games for Ashleigh Barty and Alex de Minaur