Novak Djokovic beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach Australian Open third round
Denis Shapovalov next for world No 1 while Alexander Zverev survives a scare
Thursday 17 January 2019 14:38, UK
Novak Djokovic remains on course for a seventh Australian Open title after a second round victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the man he beat to claim his first.
In 2008, Djokovic prevailed over the Frenchman to pick up a second Grand Slam title but first in Melbourne and more than a decade on he proved too strong once again - winning 6-3 7-5 6-4.
The Serb, back up to world No 1 and chasing a 15th Grand Slam singles title, was not at his best but with Tsonga still feeling his way back to form and fitness, Djokovic had enough to come through on an arduous day that didn't finish until 12.30am.
Djokovic ended last year with the titles at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows and at the tournament he loves most of all, he is the favourite to claim the title and a run of three successive majors for the third time in his career.
Tsonga, who beat Djokovic in the 2010 quarter-finals at Melbourne Park, has dropped outside of the world's top 100 after knee surgery last year but showed glimpses of getting back to his best.
However the Frenchman could not find the consistency to match Djokovic, who continually forced his opponent into one more shot to draw the mistake, and more importantly break back almost immediately on the rare occasion Tsonga forged an opening.
A first career meeting with 19-year-old Denis Shapovalov is next for Djokovic, the 25th seed was too strong for Taro Daniel winning 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
Alexander Zverev showcased his good and bad side in booking a place in the last 32, he needed five sets and almost four hours to beat Jeremy Chardy at 12.30am on Margaret Court Arena.
The German, seeded fourth but yet to go beyond the last eight of any of his 14 Grand Slam appearances, looked to be coasted to his showdown with home hope Alex Bolt, but Chardy rallied to force the match into a fifth-set decider.
However, having done the hard work the Frenchman folded in the fifth as Zverev was able to power away and record a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 5-7 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory that sees him into the third round for the third successive year.
It's also the round where six of his Grand Slam defeats have come, including each of the last two years in Melbourne where this year he will also face the crowd on Saturday.
Aussie wild card Bolt is next up for Zverev and he also needed more that four hours before coming through a five-set epic with 29th seed Gilles Simon to follow up his first-round win over Jack Sock.
Earlier in the day Dominic Thiem had become the second highest profile exit, the seventh seed followed Kevin Anderson as an early casualty when he was forced to limp out of his second-round contest with teenage Australian wild card Alexei Popyrin.
The Austrian got through a first-round five-setter against Benoit Paire that finished in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and he never looked fully fit so it was no surprise when he retired trailing 7-5 6-4 2-0.
Popyrin will meet 28th seed Lucas Pouille, who saw off Maximilian Marterer in four sets, while 21st seed David Goffin and 15th seed Daniil Medvedev also advanced to the third round.
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