Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Karolina Pliskova are all in action on Saturday as the third round of the Australian Open comes to a close.
The Spaniard is yet to drop a set in Melbourne this year, after breezing through the first two rounds.
Nadal dispatched 76th-ranked Federico Delbonis of Argentina in the second round on Thursday, winning 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
The Spaniard was made to work hard in the second set but kept his bid for a first Australian Open triumph since 2009 alive and will now face fellow Spaniard and 27th seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.
Nadal and Carreno Busta are due on court in the final match of the morning session, which should begin early in the afternoon local time (overnight in the U.S.).
World No. 4 Medvedev, meanwhile, reached the third round after a 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 win over Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez and will face Australia's Alexei Popyrin, whom he defeated in the second round at Wimbledon last year.
The Russian, who lost the 2019 U.S. Open final to Nadal, played under the roof at the Margaret Court Arena after a deluge fell on Melbourne and admitted adapting to different conditions was crucial to succeed at the Australian Open.
"I like to play outdoors. I like to play indoors. I just like hard courts," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
"As soon as the roof is closed, everything is different. It gets hotter, more humid inside. The ball goes faster. The sound of the ball, even, is different. [...] Playing on Rod Laver [Arena] or Court 3, it's going to be completely different. You just have to adjust."
Meanwhile, Pliskova faces Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the world No. 30, in the day's opening match on the Rod Laver Arena. The Czech has reached at least the quarterfinal in her last three appearances at the Australian Open and is yet to drop a set in Melbourne this year.
Following Serena Williams' shock third round loss against China's Wang Qiang, Pliskova is now the bookmakers' second favorite to win the tournament behind world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.
Here's everything you need to know to keep up with the third-round action.
Third-round start time
The second day of Round Three of the Australian Open gets underway at 11 a.m. local time on Saturday morning.
However, because of the 16-hour difference between Melbourne and the east coast of the U.S., that means matches get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
TV channel
The Australian Open is broadcast exclusively across ESPN channels, with ESPN2 carrying the bulk of the tournament. Coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday and runs until 7 a.m. on Friday.
A replay will be available on ESPN2 between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturday.
Live stream
Fans can watch the action online via the WatchESPN app and on ESPN.com.
Third round full schedule
Aside from Nadal, Medvedev and Pliskova, a number of other seeded players are in action on Saturday.
World No. 7 Alexander Zverev takes on Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the opening match of the night session at the Margaret Court Arena, while world No. 5 Dominic Thiem plays the U.S. Taylor Fritz, the No.29 seed, and world No. 11 David Goffin faces world No. 16 Andrey Rublev of Russia.
No. 10 seed Gael Monfils takes on Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis, while local favorite Nick Kyrgios, the No. 23 seed, faces world No. 17 Karen Khachanov in the evening session at the Melbourne Arena.
Among the women, world No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep plays Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, while World No. 7 and last year's U.S. Open semifinalist Belinda Bencic faces Estonia's Anett Kontaveit, the No. 28 seed.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber faces Italy's Camila Giorgi, while world No. 20 Donna Vekic plays Poland's Iga Swiatek.
In the evening session, No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina faces two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza.
Australian Open odds
According to Oddschecker, Novak Djokovic is an even odds favorite to defend his title, followed by Rafael Nadal at 22/5, while Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev are at 7/1 and 15/2.
Following Serena Williams' shock exit, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty is a 4/1 favorite to win the women's tournament, followed by Karolina Pliskova at 6/1.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
