MELBOURNE, Australia — An earlier begin and sizzling climate had been no worries for defending champion Madison Keys and her fellow American Jessica Pegula on the Australian Open on Saturday.
The ninth-seeded Keys beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 within the opening match on Rod Laver Enviornment, whereas sixth-seeded Pegula defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-2 within the first match at Margaret Court docket Enviornment.
Subsequent up for the 2 People is a fourth-round encounter towards one another.
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There was an all-American encounter Saturday as properly — fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova beat Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the spherical of 16.
Play started an hour sooner than initially scheduled on Day 7 due to the forecast of searing temperatures as much as 40 levels Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Temperatures through the opening matches hadn’t fairly reached that degree — solely 32 C (89 F). Play was finally suspended briefly underneath the acute warmth guidelines on the event, nonetheless, whereas the roofs on Rod Laver, John Cain and Margaret Court docket Arenas had been shut, which pressured a delay in play. The surface courts had been additionally suspended because the forecast was for searing temperatures as much as 40 levels Celsius, or 104 Fahrenheit.
“I served properly, and general I give myself a full pat on the again for that,” Keys stated of her win. “It offers your self a lift when you will discover your finest tennis, belief your recreation and attempt to do the best issues.”
Pegula stated she did not thoughts the warmer temperatures — “being a Floridian I used to be prepared for it.”
Keys stated she expects a troublesome match towards Pegula within the fourth spherical.
“Jess is such an excellent participant, constantly doing properly in each match she performs,” Keys stated. “She is in each single match. It additionally makes it onerous being mates.”
Keys and Pegula, together with a number of different WTA gamers, do a podcast known as “The Participant’s Field,” which chronicles on a regular basis life on tour.
“I feel we have now to do [one] earlier than the match, so we’ll see how that goes,” Keys stated, smiling.
Among the many People featured in early matches Saturday, Eliot Spizzirri had the hardest task. The 24-year-old Spizzirri, who spent a part of his off day Friday enjoying desk tennis at a communal desk in Backyard Court docket at Melbourne Park, was up a break within the third set of his third-round match towards two-time defending champion and second-seeded Jannik Sinner, who was combating cramping when play was stopped for a number of minutes to permit the roof on Rod Laver Enviornment to be closed.
A match on John Cain Enviornment was additionally suspended whereas the stadium roof was closed. All matches stopped on outdoors courts when the event’s warmth index hit 5 had been anticipated to be on maintain for at the very least three hours.
The evening session at Rod Laver Enviornment featured 10-time champion Novak Djokovic as he continued his quest for a report twenty fifth Grand Slam singles title. Djokovic performs Botic Van De Zandschulp within the first of the night matches.
The concluding match on the primary court docket might have the capability crowd guessing what vogue assertion Naomi Osaka would possibly make in her third-round encounter with Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Osaka, who has two Australian Open titles amongst her 4 majors, walked onto the court docket sporting a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol for her first-round match. For her second, Osaka did not trouble with the couture hat, veil and parasol however was nonetheless sporting a jellyfish-inspired costume and matching warmup jacket.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
