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Alcaraz, Sabalenka, Gauff surge into Australian Open third round
Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff all delivered commanding performances to secure their spots in the Australian Open third round on Wednesday, while Daniil Medvedev survived a stern test to keep his campaign alive.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz weathered an early barrage from big-hitting German Yannick Hanfmann, winning 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena. "The ball was coming as a bomb," Alcaraz said afterward, acknowledging the challenge before he pulled away. The world No. 1 remains on course to complete a career Grand Slam.
Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant start, dispatching Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan 6-3, 6-1. "Super-happy with my win," said the two-time champion, who has dropped just nine games through two rounds.
Third seed Coco Gauff produced what she called a "near perfect" display, cruising past Serbia's Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 in just 78 minutes. She will face fellow American Hailey Baptiste next.
Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev dropped a tense first-set tiebreak but recovered to defeat Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-7 (9), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. "It was a very tough match, happy I managed to fight," said the Russian 11th seed.
Other notable winners included Tommy Paul, Andrey Rublev, Elina Svitolina, and Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. The evening session featured home hopes Alex de Minaur and Priscilla Hon.
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