MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO THURSDAY
Andy Murray tries to back up his first-round victory over Matteo Berrettini by winning again and earning a trip to the third round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2017. The 35-year-old Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion and a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park. He played Berrettini for more than 4 1/2 hours in the first round. Novak Djokovic is also in action in the second round as he continues his quest for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and 22nd Grand Slam trophy overall. That would tie the men’s record currently held by Rafael Nadal, who lost in the second round Wednesday after hurting his hip. The most intriguing women’s match on Thursday’s schedule pits WTA Finals champion and No. 4 seed Caroline Garcia against 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.
THURSDAY’S FORECAST
Cloudy. High of 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius).
WEDNESDAY’S KEY RESULTS
Women’s Second Round: No. 1 Iga Swiatek beat Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-3; No. 3 Jessica Pegula beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 7-6 (5); No. 6 Maria Sakkari beat Diana Shnaider 3-6, 7-5, 6-3; Anhelina Kalinina beat No. 15 Petra Kvitova 7-5, 6-4.
Men’s Second Round: Mackenzie McDonald beat No. 1 Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 7-5; No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Alex Molcan 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; No. 15 Jannik Sinner beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; No. 16 Frances Tiafoe beat Shang Juncheng 6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
STAT OF THE DAY
2 — Number of times since 2005 that Nadal has lost at the Australian Open before the quarterfinals — a first-round exit in 2016 and Wednesday’s second-round defeat.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s OK. It’s allowed. It’s allowed. I’m not going to get fined or anything.” — Maria Sakkari, defending her coach’s instructions during her match, which is permitted this year at the Australian Open for the first time.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports