Australian Open 2022 Results: Wednesday's Singles Bracket Winners, Scores, Stats
It was a tough day to be an underdog at the 2022 Australian Open, as Day 3 saw a number of top seeds cruise to victory and upsets were scarce.
Women's No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty put on a dazzling display in the early matches, scoring a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 victory over Lucia Bronzetti in the second round. The 25-year-old Australian looks primed for a deep tournament run, having dropped just three games in her first two matches in Melbourne.
Barty wasn't the only women's singles player with a strong showing, as Barbora Krejcikova, Maria Sakkari, Paula Badosa and Naomi Osaka all notched straight-sets wins as well.
There was a pair of upsets on the women's side, with Amanda Anisimova of the United States beating No. 22 Belinda Bencic 6-2, 7-5, and Marta Kostyuk defeating No. 32 Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets as well.
The biggest shocker of the day came on the men's side, when Adrian Mannarino beat No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. The Pole never looked comfortable against the veteran Frenchman, committing 40 unforced errors in the match.
It was business as usual elsewhere in men's singles play, though some had it easier than others. Alexander Zverev cruised to victory over John Millman in straight sets, while Denis Shapovalov had to battle through a spirited showing from Soonwoo Kwon to win a five-set marathon.
Women's Singles Results
No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova def. Xiyu Wang 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 Maria Sakkari def. Qinwen Zheng 6-1, 6-4
No. 8 Paula Badosa def. Martina Trevisan 6-0, 6-3
No. 13 Naomi Osaka def. Madison Brengle 6-0, 6-4
No. 15 Ekaterina Svitolina def. Harmony Tan 6-3, 5-7, 5-1 (retired)
No. 21 Jessica Pegula def. Bernarda Pera 6-4, 6-4
Amanda Anisimova def. No. 22 Belinda Bencic 6-2, 7-5
No. 24 Victoria Azarenka def. Jil Teichman 6-1, 6-2
No. 26 Jelena Ostapenko def. Alison Riske 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 28 Veronika Kudermetova def. Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-2, 7-5
No. 30 Camila Giorgi def. Tereza Martincova 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Marta Kostyuk def. No. 32 Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (5), 6-3
Madison Keys def. Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 7-5
Qiang Wang def. Alison Van Uytvanck 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz def. Maryna Zanevksa (walkover)
There wasn't a ton of drama to be found in women's singles play on Wednesday, as 12 of the 15 contests saw the winner punch their ticket to the next round in just two sets.
Barty was dominant against Bronzetti, dispatching the qualifier in under an hour. She will now take on No. 30 Camila Giorgi in the third round. The Aussie is a perfect 3-0 against the Italian, including a win at the 2018 Australian Open, per MatchStat.com.
Barty, who is still looking for her first Australian Open title, could find her toughest test of the tournament sooner rather than later. No. 13 Osaka is in her side of the bracket, and the two could clash in the fourth round if they both win on Friday.
Osaka also looked to be in fine form on Day 3. She cooked up a bagel for Madison Brengle in 20 minutes to take the first set, showing off all the skills that have made her a four-time Grand Slam champion.
Brengle put up a better fight in the second set, even breaking Osaka's serve to go up 4-3. Osaka kept her composure and broke back immediately before going on to win the set 6-4.
"I returned pretty well today," Osaka said, per France24.com. "I've been really working on it during the offseason so glad it came in handy."
Osaka could be in for a difficult test in the third round against the unseeded Anisimova. The 20-year-old American has won seven matches in a row and will be feeling confident after knocking out Bencic, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist.
While a potential Osaka-Barty showdown is tantalizing, many of the other top players on the women's side are proving to be in excellent form as well.
No. 5 Maria Sakkari was superb against Qinwen Zheng in the evening match, winning 10 out of 10 net points.
No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova has been excellent through her first two matches and faces No. 26 Jelena Ostapenko on Friday. The 26-year-old Czech has to like her odds, as Ostapenko has never made it past the third round at the Australian Open.
Paula Badosa, the eighth seed, notched five aces in a drubbing of Martina Trevisan. She also played a much cleaner game, with 15 unforced errors to Trevisan's 29. The Spaniard will take on the unseeded Marta Kostyuk next.
Men's Singles Results
No. 3 Alexander Zverev def. John Millman 6-4, 6-4, 6-0
No. 6 Rafael Nadal def. Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
No. 7 Matteo Berrettini def. Stefan Kozlov 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Adrian Mannarino def. No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
No. 14 Denis Shapovalov def. Soonwoo Kwon 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2
No. 16 Cristian Garin def. Pedro Martinez 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 17 Gael Monfils vs. Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-0, 6-4
No. 18 Aslan Karatsev def. Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
No. 19 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4
No. 23 Reilly Opelka def. Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
No. 25 Lorenzo Sonego def. Oscar Otte 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
No. 28 Karen Khachanov def. Benjamin Bonzi 6-4, 6-0, 7-5
No. 31 Carlos Alcaraz def. Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-1, 7-5
Radu Albot def. Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-4
Sebastian Korda def. Corentin Moutet 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-6 (6)
Miomir Kecmanovic def. Tommy Paul 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (8)
It's six sets up, six sets down for Alexander Zverev, who was in complete control against John Millman on Wednesday. He dominated from start to finish, with the disparity in their service games telling the story.
Zverev had 14 aces to the Australian's zero, and he won 85 percent of his first serves while Millman was an abysmal 46 percent in the same category.
The German, who is still looking for his first Grand Slam title, has to feel good about his play so far. He gets what should be an easy matchup against qualifier Radu Albot in the third round.
No. 6 Rafael Nadal also won in straight sets, beating Germany's Yannick Hanfmann. The 35-year-old Spaniard is about a month removed from contracting COVID-19 and wasn't sure he was going to be able to play due to the illness and chronic foot problems.
Nadal is tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the most career Grand Slam titles in men's singles play with 20, and the latter two aren't in this tournament. It's a fine opportunity for the Spaniard to break the deadlock, but he's going to have to be at his best to do it.
In the day's final match, No. 17 Gael Monfils entertained the prime-time crowd with a straight-sets victory of his own over Alexander Bublik. The Frenchman handled Bublik's hard serves with ease, and he should be confident heading into an enticing third-round matchup with No. 16 Cristian Garin.
While the aforementioned stars breezed through their second-round matches, the same can't be said for No. 14 Shapovalov. The Canadian had to fight for every point in a marathon contest that lasted four hours and 25 minutes.
Down two sets to one against Kwon, Shapovalov rallied thanks to strong play at the net and a powerful serve (12 of his 29 aces in the final two sets). He will need to recover quickly as he's set to face No. 23 Reilly Opelka in the third round on Friday.
All stats courtesy of AusOpen.com.