However, the Serbian has won five of the last seven matches including in their last meeting, in the championship round of the 2015 ATP World Tour Finals where Djokovic defeated Federer in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.
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Three years ago, Stephens, then 19, reached the Australian Open semifinal.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum, avenging her upset loss in the first round here in 2014, and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska beat Christina McHale 6-2, 6-3.
“I haven’t played in a long time, but I have been playing for 30 years, so it’s kind of I try to focus on that”, said Williams, who dropped only one service game against Giorgi. “I’m just happy to finish off today and be able to get ready for the next one”, said the Russian.
“It wasn’t quick, so that actually worked to my advantage as well”, Williams said.
“For me, my child is more important to me, and my wife is more important to me, than a tennis match”, said the British second seed.
Nishikori’s second-round opponent is the 25-year-old Krajicek, who made short work of Chinese qualifier Wu Di, winning 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in only his third appearance at a major.
I’d say it’s a pretty “s– start to the season”, she said.
The world number one had barely played any competitive tennis since her U.S. Open exit last September and entered a sweltering Rod Laver Arena with doubts over her fitness to face the highest-ranked unseeded player in the draw.
The hours before the tournament began were overshadowed by news reports alleging match fixing that had gone unchecked.
“The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence of match-fixing has been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated”, Kermode told reporters.
An investigation carried out by the BBC and Buzzfeed alleges that over the last decade a core group of 16 players have repeatedly been brought to the attention of the sport’s governing bodies over suspicions they have fixed matches. And there’s some negative, like, ‘Oh, she looks fat today, ‘ or ‘Now, she looks too skinny.’ There are so many things people can say, and a lot of them are not true because the only thing you know about me is what you see on the court when I play.
Tennis Integrity Unit leader Nigel Willerton, who enforced fair play following the 2008 investigation, said players suspected of fixing matches faced a full disciplinary investigation.
ATP chairman Chris Kermode and the Tennis Integrity United used a hastily convened news conference to reject reports that match-fixing in the sport has gone unchecked. Sharapova, who pulled out of the Brisbane International with a left forearm injury, appeared to show no side effects from the ailment in her 73-minute win over the Japanese player.
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Victory would enable Djokovic to join Australia’s Roy Emerson as the only six-times winners of the tournament and his performance at the Qatar Open this month would have sent an ominous shudder through the rest of the men’s field. The players each held their serves until the score got to 5-4.
