MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Ninth seed Johanna Konta cruised past youngster Naomi Osaka to book a spot in the third round at Melbourne Park.
Johanna Konta, who made a spirited run to the semifinals at last year’s Australian Open, will attempt to advance to the third round when she kicks off Day 4 action at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
Konta plays Naomi Osaka of Japan in what should be perfect weather conditions at Melbourne Park – sunny skies, a light breeze and a late morning temperature of 19 degrees Celsius (66 Fahrenheit).
Six-time champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams had matches later in the day on Rod Laver. Djokovic was playing Denis Istomin in the last afternoon match and Williams was against Lucie Safarova to open the evening program.
Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic and Agnieszka Radwanska also aimed to book their spots in the third round.