TENNIS – Novak Djokovic rolled back the years to reach the Australian Open third round yesterday but Jannik Sinner, the man who has usurped him as king of Melbourne Park, showed why he is favourite to claim a hat-trick of titles.
Women’s defending champion Madison Keys overcame a second-set wobble against Ashlyn Krueger to also advance while former champion Naomi Osaka toned down her outfit but not her power game as she also reached round three.
Iga Swiatek continued her quest to complete her career Grand Slam with a 6-2 6-3 victory over unseeded Marie Bouzkova.
Fourth seed Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th Grand Slam trophy overall to break the deadlock with Margaret Court, eased past Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli 6-3 6-2 6-2.
The 38-year-old Serb maintained his steady grip on the second-round clash without needing to shift into top gear.
The man to beat on blue Melbourne hard courts these days, however, is Sinner.
He was supreme as he thumped home wild card James Duckworth 6-1 6-4 6-2 in the Rod Laver Arena evening session, banging down 18 aces in a dominant display.
Sinner, bidding to join Djokovic by becoming only the second man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles, has now won 12 successive Tour-level matches without dropping a set and looks razor sharp.
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