After scorching heat then rain wreaked havoc on Tuesday, the Australian Open has been hit with more frustrating delays on Wednesday.
On the court, a gigantic shock looms as reigning men’s champion Rafael Nadal battles a left hip complaint that saw him require medical treatment during the second set of his second-round match against American Mackenzie McDonald.
‘Tough to watch’: Injury blow rocks Aus Open as No.1 seed Nadal on brink of exit
Tuesday’s weather forced the postponement – including mid-match in many cases – of 22 singles matches (10 men’s and 12 women’s).
But the organisers’ nightmare continued on Wednesday morning as Melbourne Park was struck down by rain – with no play taking place on the outside courts until at least 5pm!
With an already-packed schedule of matches – including big tests for Aussies Rinky Hijikata, John Millman and Jason Kubler against top-20 stars – it forced a big schedule change.
Luckily, there’s been plenty of action on the three enclosed show courts!
Follow Day 3 of the Australian Open in our live blog below, with a full order of play and updates at the bottom of the article!
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INJURED NADAL IN DIRE STRAITS
Reigning champion Rafael Nadal is in severe physical strife and looks close to retiring from his second-round Australian Open match.
Nadal hasn’t exited a Grand Slam in the 2nd round or earlier since the 2016 Australian Open.
Nadal was broken early in the first set by American Mackenzie McDonald and lost the set 4-6. The pair traded a series of breaks in the second set, before disaster struck the struggling Spaniard.
With the American serving at 4-6 3-4, Nadal pulled up at the back of the court mid-point. He sunk to the ground and hunched over, before making no effort at the next two points as McDonald comfortably held serve.
Nadal immediately trudged to the umpire and called for a medical time-out. A physiotherapist came and inspected his left hip, before Nadal disappeared from court for lengthy further treatment.
His wife was shown in tears in the player’s box.
Tournament chief Craig Tilley was spotted entering the treatment room, before Nadal returned to court and opted to play on to rapturous applause from the Melbourne fans.
He was clearly physically hampered by his injury, but held serve – before McDonald comfortably served out the set.
Nadal continued to battle on into the third set despite his clear physical struggles.
“Nadal’s body has betrayed him but his will to compete continues to keep him in this match,” Nine commentator Jim Courier said.
Nadal had been uncharacteristically frustrated during the first set, as he reignited one of his complaints from the opening match – that the towels were too far away from the court, and therefore he did not have enough time to wipe his sweat off between points.
He ranted at the chair umpire: “I cannot always towel (off). Every time I am on a rush. Even serving normal, without a towel, every time I see the (serve) clock at five, four – with you it is always the same. For you it does not matter, I cannot take the towel any time.
“The towel is there, the farthest part of the court. You don’t know.”
Nadal broke back once, but McDonald survived some nerves to serve out the set 6-4.
CANADA GUN SEALS EPIC FIVE-SET COMEBACK
Sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada lost the first two sets to Slovak Alex Molcan 3-6 3-6, but roared back to seal an incredible five-set comeback victory on Margaret Court Arena.
At one point in the third set, Auger Aliassime blew up deluxe about the state of the balls – an issue many players have shared this week.
“I never complain about this… but the balls are not bouncing,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s a batch of cans.. I’ve never seen it before.”
UKRAINE GUN PULLS OFF HUGE UPSET
Czech 15th seed and 2019 finalist Petra Kvitova was dumped out in the second round in straight sets by Anhelina Kalinina.
Kvitova – a two time Wimbledon champion and former world number two – lost 7-5 6-4 to Ukraine’s rising star ranked 39th in the world.
Kalinina had already beaten US star Coco Vandeweghe in the first round, but now journeys into the third round of a grand slam for the first time in her career.
TOP SEED FUMES IN TOUGH WIN… THEN GIVES ADVICE FOR RIVAL
Tensions nearly boiled over on Margaret Court Arena with sixth seed Maria Sakkari threatening to call the referee on her teen opponent.
Sakkari was facing the prospect of being bundled out of the Australian Open at one-set down when she clashed with 18-year-old Diana Shnaider at 5-4 in the second set.
After blowing a set point earlier in the game, Sakkari took exception to Schnaider yelling in celebration of a point.
“If she screams one more time in my face, I’m going to call the referee,” she told the chair umpire.
“I don’t think it’s to you,” the chair umpire said of her rival’s antics.
But Sakkari furiously replied: “No, no, no. She’s coming towards me.”
Sakkari regained her composure to take the second set 7-5.
She then broke Shanider in the third to take a 3-1 lead and eventually claimed the set 6-3 to move through to the third round.
After the match, Sakkari said: “I think that, you know, during a match you can be very pumped or, you know, the way that some players celebrate their points, it’s not appropriate. I wasn’t happy with that.
“But, you know, she never did it again. That was very nice of her, so it was, yeah, that
was it.”
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BARTY’S HUGE PRAISE AS WORLD NO. 1 RUNS RIOT
Ash Barty returned to the Australian Open on Wednesday morning for the inaugural First Nations Day alongside fellow Aussie legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
And the retired reigning champion had plenty of praise for current world number one Iga Swiatek ahead of her second-round match.
The Polish gun has more than double the ranking points of her nearest challenger in the world rankings (Ons Jabeur), such was her dominance in 2022 as she won the US Open and French Open.
“In the women’s draw, there’s so much depth spread across the board and you have to have quality over the whole calendar to be a top player,” Barty said.
“I think Iga (Swiatek) has obviously shown she was probably that level above most for most of last year, but there are certainly some very good players in there that may not have had slam success in terms of winning it but have made quarters and semis.
“I think it will come down to whoever can handle the occasion best, trust themselves and play their best tennis.”
Swiatek demolished fellow 21-year-old Camila Osorio in a massive statement of intent, winning 6-2 6-3 – before delivering a hilarious interview.
‘Cannot sleep’: Player reveals biggest issue from Aus Open’s delay disaster
The new king of late night: Aussie storms back, wins five-set Open thriller at 2:02am
CONTENDER’S X-RATED COMMENT LEAVES CROWD IN STITCHES
World number two Ons Jabeur was left red-faced after her round one 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Tamara Zidansek.
The Tunisian was interviewed on the court after progressing and set set tongues wagging with an x-rated remark about her husband.
Jabeur was asked about her recovery with her response raising a few eyebrows.
“Yeah ice baths and I’m going to make my husband work tonight … lot of massage and good recovery,” Jabeur said.
After a brief pause and some cheers from the crowd, Jabeur clarified.
“Massage guys, massage,” she said.
“For those who don’t know my husband is also my fitness coach and does everything for me.”
‘TANKING’ CALLS SURROUND FORMER WORLD NO.9
Thanasi Kokkinakis will attempt to claim the five points needed for a round one victory on Wednesday amid a “tanking” claims surrounding his opponent.
Kokkinakis was up two sets, 4-2 and 15-40 against Italian Fabio Fognini when play was suspended.
Earlier Fognini’s lackluster play raised plenty of eyebrows.
Tennis commentator Adam Peacock was left stunned by an errant shot from the former world No.9 in the third set.
“I don’t know how to explain that,” he said on Nine’s coverage. “Spoke for itself.”
Co-commentator Roger Rasheed agreed.
“Shots like that have come off the Italian’s racquet again and again.”
It prompted criticism from tennis reporters who claimed Fognini was close to tanking.
Kokkinakis will resume his match with Fognini on Kia Arena today.
But the Italian could ‘unleash’ given he has ‘nothing to lose’, former Australian stars declared.
“Going to get four-two up, two games away from winning can be very annoying as well. Fabio might come out with a different attitude,” says Dylan Alcott on Nine’s coverage.
“If he decides to unleash, Fabio, he can do some damage because he has nothing to lose,” Todd Woodbridge adds.
“Especially when you feel like you should have been done out of the tournament, like you said booking a ticket home. Thanasi will finish that match off, shut it down, any sense of that comeback or anything at all, just get back into the locker room,” says Jelena Dokic.
Ump chases down alleged towel thief! | 00:22
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2023
Day 3 Order Of Play (All courts from 11am)
Rod Laver Arena
[1] Iga Swiatek (POL) def. Camila Osorio (COL) 6-2 6-3
[3] Jessica Pegula (USA) v Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR)
Not before 2pm
[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Mackenzie McDonald (USA)
Night session from 7pm
Emma Raducanu (GBR) v [7] Coco Gauff (USA)
[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) v Rinky Hijikata (AUS)
Show Court 1
[6] Maria Sakkari (GRE) def. Diana Shnaider (RUS) 3-6 7-5 6-3
Alex Molcan (SVK) v [6] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
[10] Madison Keys (USA) v Xinyu Wang (CHN)
Night session from 7pm
John Millman (AUS) v [7] Daniil Medvedev (RUS)
Karolina Muchova (CZE) v [13] Danielle Collins (USA)
John Cain Arena
[15] Jannik Sinner (ITA) def. Tomas Matin Etcheverry (ARG) 6-3 6-2 6-2
Anhelina Kalinina (UKR) v [15] Petra Kvitova (CZE)
Juncheng Shang (CHN) v [16] Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Not before 5pm
[18] Karen Khachanov (RUS) v Jason Kubler (AUS)
[22] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) v Kaja Juvan (SLO)
Aussies in action
Kia Arena, not before 12:30pm
Round 1 match to be completed: Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-1 6-2 4-2, Fognini serving 15-40
Kia Arena, Match 4
Olivia Gadecki (AUS) v Marta Kostyuk (UKR)
1573 Arena, not before 12:30pm
Round 1 match to be completed: Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v Brandon Holt (USA) 4-6 6-1 2-4, Holt serving
‘If she screams at me one more time…’ | 00:46
Suspended matches from late Tuesday night
Kia Arena – Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-1 6-2 4-2, Fognini serving 15-40
1573 Arena – Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v Brandon Holt (USA) 4-6 6-1 2-4, Holt serving
Court 3 – John Isner (USA) v Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 7-6(5) 3-4, Isner serving 30-0
Court 5 – Joao Sousa (POR) v [24] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 3-6 1-0, Bautista Agut serving
Court 6 – Alison Riske-Amritraj (USA) v Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 4-1, Vondrousova serving 30-15
Court 7 – Claire Liu (USA) v Madison Brengle (USA) 4-2, Liu serving 0-15
Court 12 – Maxime Cressy (USA) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) 7-6(2) 7-5 3-6 2-2, Cressy serving
Court 13 – Michael Mmoh (USA) v Laurent Lokoli (FRA) 4-6 6-2 7-6(7) 4-6 3-1, Lokoli serving 30-30
Court 15 – Donna Vekic (CRO) v Oksana Selekhmeteva (RUS) 6-2 2-6 6-6 [5-1 in match tiebreak], Vekic serving
Court 17 – Lauren Davis (USA) v Danka Kovinic (MNE) 1-6 7-5 4-1, Kovinic serving 15-0
Follow updates from the Australian Open in our live blog below!