2012 Australian Open Recap: Day Three Sees Isner Victorious in Usual Fashion and Wozniacki Advancing

American John Isner has moved on after a long drawn out four-hour and 41-min. second-round match, which included a 99-min. final set, in Day Three action at the 2012 Australian Open. Isner defeated David Nalbandian in five sets, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 10-8, with a total of 43 aces. Throughout the course of the match, Nalbandian, on several occasions, complained to officials over a line call review that was declined. After this, Nalbandian smashed a racquet to the ground out of frustration after an unforced backhand error. 

Isner advances to face the number 18 seed, Spain’s Feliciano Lopez. Isner remains as one of the only Americans left standing in the men’s singles draw as top-ranked American Mardy Fish was defeated by Alejandro Falla from Colombia in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the second round as well.

Big Sam Querrey was another American to fall on Day Three Down Under, as the six-ft., six-in. American fell to hometown favorite, 19-year-old Bernard Tomic in four sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (3), 3-6. Tomic is a upcoming star who is now ranked 43rd, having moved into the top 100 last year as the youngest male player to do so.

“I consider myself very smart and tactical, so it’s a good thing,” Tomic said after his match with Querrey. “I know where to get balls to the opponents, like where I can create good shots for me.”

Also moving onto the third round in Melbourne were Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer. Nadal defeated German veteran Tommy Haas, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, and will next face Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko, a 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 winner over another American hopeful, Donald Young. Federer didn’t even break a sweat en route to the third round, a walkover winner over the injured German, Andreas Beck. Beck’s back injury and subsequent withdrawal propels Federer into round three where he will face Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic.

On the women’s side of the draw, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark advanced in a straight-set win over Anna Tatishvili of Georgia, 6-1, 7-6. Wozniacki was down 4-1 in the second and took a medical timeout to regain her momentum. She went on to win when Tatishvili hit a forehand wide. In order to remain at number one, she needs to reach at least the quarterfinals of the tournament. Next up for Wozniacki is Romania’s Monica Niculescu, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 winner over France’s Pauline Parmentier.

Number three-ranked Victoria Azarenka from Belarus defeated Aussie’s hometown favorite, Casey Dellacqua, in a brutal straight set 6-1, 6-0 win over Casey Dellacqua. Dellacqua, a wild card entry into the tournament, could not repeat her match play that she had back in 2008.

“I know it wasn’t my best night, but … you know I have played girls top 10 in the world before. It’s just a whole other level, and I haven’t had that in the last three years almost," said Dellacqua. 

Also moving on in the women’s side was Kim Clijsters, a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Stephanie Foretz Gacon from France. Clijsters moves on to face a tough test in the next round when she faces the 20th-ranked Daniela Hantuchova from Slovakia, a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner over Lesia Tsurenko of the Ukraine.

Also advancing on Day Three were Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, number 22 German Julia Goerges, fifth-ranked Na Li from China, and Serbian Jelena Jankovic.