Australian Open glance: Respect between Williams, Bouchard
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A quick look at the Australian Open:
LOOKAHEAD TO THURSDAY
Seven-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams plays Eugenie Bouchard in the second round and if their pre-match comments are any indication, there's some mutual respect there. "She does everything well, and I really like that she doesn't quit," Williams says. "People write her off, and she doesn't let that bother her. She continues to fight and do what she needs to do." Bouchard's ranking has dropped from a career-high of No. 5 in 2014 to 79th following a spate of injuries and poor results. Asked to comment on Williams' strengths, Bouchard replies: "Well, it's a long list, she's the greatest ever. It's just so cool that I'll be able to share the court with her and an opportunity to see how I compare to one of the best players. Her ranking is top 20 right now, but to me she's always basically No. 1." The official No. 1, Simona Halep, plays Sofia Kenin. The men's No. 1 and six-time Australian titlist Novak Djokovic takes on 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. No. 4 Alexander Zverev plays Jeremy Chardy and 16th-seeded Milos Raonic takes on 2104 champion Stan Wawrinka.
THURSDAY'S FORECAST
Partly cloudy, high of 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).
WEDNESDAY'S WEATHER
Mostly cloudy in the afternoon and light rain showers that caused a brief suspension in play on Rod Laver Arena. High of 27 degrees C (81 F).
WEDNESDAY'S KEY RESULTS
Men's 2nd round: No. 2 Rafael Nadal beat Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; No. 3 Roger Federer beat Daniel Evans 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3; No. 6 Marin Cilic beat Mackenzie McDonald 7-5. 6-7 (9), 6-4 6-4; Frances Tiafoe beat No. 5 Kevin Anderson 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5; No. 14 Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Viktor Troicki 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5; No. 27 Alex de Minaur beat Henri Laaksonen 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3.
Women's 2nd round: No. 2 Angelique Kerber beat Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-3; No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki beat Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3; No. 5 Sloane Stephens beat Timea Babos 6-3, 6-1; No. 8 Petra Kvitova beat Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 6-3; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat No. 9 Kiki Bertens 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; No. 15 Ashleigh Barty beat Wang Yafan 6-2, 6-3; Amanda Anisimova beat No. 24 Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-2; wild-card entry Kimberly Birrell beat No. 29 Donna Vekic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; No. 30 Maria Sharapova beat Rebecca Peterson 6-2, 6-1.
STAT OF THE DAY
20 - number of consecutive years that Federer has reached the third round at Melbourne Park.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I went to a different place. I dug insanely deep" - Tiafoe on his comeback win over Anderson.
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