Sabalenka ready to mix it up, Alcaraz coninutes career Grand Slam bid

MELBOURNE: The second round of the Australian Open begins on Wednesday with top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka in action, along with Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev.

Top men’s match: Alcaraz v Hanfmann

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Looking to win the one Grand Slam that has eluded him, Alcaraz began his latest Australian Open campaign with a win over Adam Walton and the 22-year-old is not expected to be troubled by Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.

Alcaraz has been bundled out in the quarter-finals in his last two visits to Melbourne Park, though he was surprised to be up against elite talent like Zverev and Novak Djokovic at that stage of the tournament.

“I think it’s unusual to play players (like that) in a quarter-final if you are (number) one or two in the world,” he said. “But it isn’t an excuse. I just really want to perform better than I did previous years. I’m just feeling this year… I’ll probably have the chance to go further.”

Top women’s match: Sabalenka v Bai

World number one Sabalenka was tested early in her first-round match before going on to record a straight-sets win over French qualifier Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah and she may be in for another fight against Bai Zhuoxuan.

The Chinese qualifier dug deep in the tiebreak to secure a 6-4 2-6 7-6(10) win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Sabalenka, 27, said she was mixing up her game as she bids for a third Australian Open crown.

“I prefer to be unpredictable. I was definitely working on the serve and volley,” the Belarusian said. “In the practice is one thing, but to be able to be fearless and go there in the match is something else… I’m really proud I’m able to show this tennis.”

De Minaur no ‘punching bag’

World number six Alex de Minaur carries home hopes on his shoulders and he faces Serbian up-and-comer Hamad Medjedovic, who recorded wins over high-ranked players like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas last year.

“He is extremely talented. He’s got a lot of firepower,” De Minaur said. “He’s got a big serve, big groundstrokes, so it’s going to be up to me to try and neutralise as much as I can and hopefully not be a punching bag.”