The Fort Worth Press - Nadal lights up Melbourne, Barty and Osaka on collision course

USD -
AED 3.67301
AFN 71.503264
ALL 91.374972
AMD 391.160011
ANG 1.790208
AOA 916.999806
ARS 1072.662301
AUD 1.589297
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.696828
BAM 1.811219
BBD 2.018475
BDT 121.482648
BGN 1.806617
BHD 0.376906
BIF 2926
BMD 1
BND 1.343366
BOB 6.907601
BRL 5.662404
BSD 0.999699
BTN 85.449031
BWP 13.836501
BYN 3.271549
BYR 19600
BZD 2.008011
CAD 1.422335
CDF 2870.999956
CHF 0.882213
CLF 0.024908
CLP 955.839755
CNY 7.268097
CNH 7.299475
COP 4147.25
CRC 502.211006
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 102.050048
CZK 22.976803
DJF 177.720197
DKK 6.876296
DOP 63.324988
DZD 133.713032
EGP 50.568204
ERN 15
ETB 129.85024
EUR 0.921595
FJD 2.327851
FKP 0.773835
GBP 0.76925
GEL 2.759668
GGP 0.773835
GHS 15.454482
GIP 0.773835
GMD 72.127796
GNF 8649.682527
GTQ 7.713223
GYD 209.94982
HKD 7.782825
HNL 25.564942
HRK 6.947303
HTG 130.445587
HUF 372.296894
IDR 16718.576893
ILS 3.725755
IMP 0.773835
INR 85.554357
IQD 1308.299078
IRR 42104.284763
ISK 133.051944
JEP 0.773835
JMD 156.330273
JOD 0.708996
JPY 149.165499
KES 129.247253
KGS 86.535048
KHR 3993.237165
KMF 455.492709
KPW 900.019816
KRW 1471.238741
KWD 0.308329
KYD 0.831751
KZT 503.440561
LAK 21634.158301
LBP 89322.563868
LKR 294.670386
LRD 199.943579
LSL 18.386538
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.811016
MAD 9.629604
MDL 17.958258
MGA 4670.178386
MKD 56.942607
MMK 2099.510008
MNT 3481.383862
MOP 8.013924
MRU 39.697342
MUR 45.624205
MVR 15.4421
MWK 1731.877317
MXN 20.173585
MYR 4.436466
MZN 63.884802
NAD 18.386538
NGN 1536.893581
NIO 36.760755
NOK 10.39571
NPR 136.951137
NZD 1.739509
OMR 0.384995
PAB 1
PEN 3.668903
PGK 4.090104
PHP 57.238189
PKR 279.631053
PLN 3.872133
PYG 7946.798552
QAR 3.640171
RON 4.608694
RSD 108.488768
RUB 84.529386
RWF 1418.368583
SAR 3.750044
SBD 8.500308
SCR 14.484863
SDG 600.465319
SEK 9.873235
SGD 1.343437
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.829972
SLL 20969.501083
SOS 570.385514
SRD 36.855947
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.749777
SYP 13002.468687
SZL 18.386538
THB 34.186323
TJS 10.900219
TMT 3.497766
TND 3.103211
TOP 2.407834
TRY 37.944991
TTD 6.767183
TWD 33.248604
TZS 2646.107198
UAH 41.255737
UGX 3649.561079
UYU 42.148301
UZS 12911.275778
VES 69.589677
VND 25640.752098
VUV 123.375609
WST 2.83707
XAF 607.323613
XAG 0.029495
XAU 0.000319
XCD 2.707403
XDR 0.752731
XOF 607.323613
XPF 110.484353
YER 246.006073
ZAR 18.900395
ZMK 9001.199873
ZMW 28.143801
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    68

    0%

  • CMSC

    0.0600

    22.5

    +0.27%

  • RYCEF

    -0.2700

    9.78

    -2.76%

  • NGG

    0.0000

    65.78

    0%

  • RIO

    -0.3300

    59.9

    -0.55%

  • RELX

    0.3100

    50.98

    +0.61%

  • SCS

    0.1400

    11.46

    +1.22%

  • AZN

    -0.3800

    72.22

    -0.53%

  • GSK

    -0.2300

    37.64

    -0.61%

  • BTI

    -0.8500

    40.25

    -2.11%

  • CMSD

    0.0100

    22.83

    +0.04%

  • JRI

    0.0600

    13.04

    +0.46%

  • VOD

    -0.1500

    9.12

    -1.64%

  • BCC

    3.1600

    102.07

    +3.1%

  • BCE

    -0.9600

    21.82

    -4.4%

  • BP

    0.0000

    33.81

    0%

Nadal lights up Melbourne, Barty and Osaka on collision course
Nadal lights up Melbourne, Barty and Osaka on collision course

Nadal lights up Melbourne, Barty and Osaka on collision course

Rafael Nadal steps up his march towards a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Wednesday, with Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka also taking centre stage.

Text size:

Defending champion Osaka and Wimbledon winner Barty will be one victory away from colliding if both come through their second-round encounters unscathed.

Japan's Osaka, who has won two Australian and two US Opens, faces American Madison Brengle in the night session on Rod Laver Arena.

Red-hot Barty, the top seed and home hope, comes up against Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti in an early afternoon encounter.

Nadal, who recently won his first tournament after five months out battling a foot injury, was highly impressive in racing past American Marcos Giron in straight sets on Monday to open his campaign.

"I am super-happy about all the work that we have done to try to be back. We are here enjoying the tennis," said the Spanish sixth seed, who will face German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann after Barty's match ends.

Nadal's half of the draw was made easier when the unvaccinated nine-time champion Novak Djokovic was thrown out of Australia.

- In the mood -

The ultra-consistent Barty, who won a warm-up tournament in Adelaide, hasn't dropped her serve for 41 straight games over four matches and destroyed Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-1 on Monday.

"I think obviously the last five or six matches I felt like I found a really good rhythm on my service games," said the Australian, who is chasing a first home Grand Slam.

Osaka beat American Jennifer Brady in last year's Melbourne Park final, but then withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon over mental health issues. She took an indefinite break after the US Open in September.

But the 24-year-old said she felt much more positive after her first-round win over Colombia's Camila Osorio.

"I just want to have fun, first of all," said the 13th seed.

"I can't expect myself to win every match, but I do expect myself to have fun and challenge myself."

Men's third seed Alexander Zverev is looking to follow his Olympic gold in Tokyo last year with a first Grand Slam title.

He safely came through a tricky late-night first-round clash against fellow German Daniel Altmaier despite not being at his best.

"It's the first round of hopefully a very long Grand Slam, you are not always going to play your best tennis," said the 24-year-old.

He will play Australia's John Millman, who will garner plenty of partisan vocal support in another late-night encounter on Rod Laver Arena.

French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova was ruthless in her dismissal of German veteran Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-0 in the first round, and a repeat of that form should see her past China's world number 100 Wang Xiyu.

Spanish eighth seed Paula Badosa, who beat Krejcikova in a three-set thriller to win the Sydney warm-up tournament, opens proceedings at 11:00am (0000 GMT) against Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan.

On the men's side, seventh seed Matteo Berrettini, who endured frequent toilet trips in a gutsy four-set win on Monday, will hope he doesn't need to reach for the Imodium again when he comes up against American qualifier Stefan Kozlov.

D.Ford--TFWP