Victory first, then cake for Kerber

Germany’s Angelique Kerber, the No. 5 seed in the women’s draw, hits a forehand to Madison Keys of the United States during a 6-2, 7-5 victory at the Australian Open.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber, the No. 5 seed in the women’s draw, hits a forehand to Madison Keys of the United States during a 6-2, 7-5 victory at the Australian Open.

— Angelique Kerber survived some nervous moments before fending off American teenager Madison Keys in the third round of the Australian Open, then got to blow out the candles on a cake to celebrate her 25th birthday.

Fifth-seeded Kerber won 6-2, 7-5 to move into the fourth round, further than she’s ever gone in six trips to the Australian Open.

Local organizers brought Kerber a cake onto court immediately after the match and the crowd at Rod Laver Arena sang “Happy Birthday.” She blew out the candles and said thank you.

“Madison is a great young player and it was very tough,” said Kerber, a semifinalist last year at Wimbledon. “So happy I won today on my birthday!”

The 17-year-old Keys was playing in the main draw for only the second time at the Australia Open.

Fourth-seeded Angieszka Radwanska, meanwhile, won her 12th match in a row with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Britain’s Heather Watson on the second of the show courts at Melbourne Park.

Radwanska won tournaments in Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney before coming to Melbourne.

“I’m extremely happy to be playing my best tennis from the beginning of the year,” Radwanska said. “Hopefully I’ll play on the same level the rest of the tournament.”

After soaring to 106 degrees on Day 4, the temperature dropped into the mid-70s, and light rain briefly interrupted play on some courts.

Roger Federer has won four Australian Open titles among his 17 majors, and is ordinarily one of the most popular athletes in Australia.

The only problem is this: His 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Nikolay Davydenko set Federer on course for a third-round match against Bernard Tomic, the last remaining Australian in the men’s or women’s draws.

The 20-year-old Tomic beat German qualifier Daniel Brands 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8) in the last afternoon match on the center court at Melbourne Park, keeping his cool on a long, searing day.

Federer praised Tomic’s play for the crowd, and later said he won’t mind for whom or how loud fans are cheering.

“I don’t think it matters whether he’s the last Australian or 10 more,” Federer said. “There’s always excitement about Aussies playing here. I played him here last year. The crowd was great. I expect something similar. If it’s not, if it’s totally for him, that’s fine, too. I’m always excited when the crowd gets into it.”

The daytime temperature got progressively hotter until late afternoon, meaning topranked Victoria Azarenka had it slightly easier in her second-round match — a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Eleni Daniilidou, Greece — than thirdranked Serena Williams did in the very next match on Rod Laver Arena, a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

There was concern after she hurt her right ankle two days ago that an injury might ruin Williams’ run at a third consecutive major title. She said the ankle didn’t bother her as much as a split lip, which she did by accidently hitting herself in the face with the racket in the sixth game.

“It’s OK,” she said. “It’s a war wound.”

“I have never busted it wide open like that,” she added, “I was like, ‘Oh, no. I can’t have a tooth fall out.’ That would be horrible.”

She next plays Ayumi Morita, one of two Japanese women already in the third round. The other, 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, downed Shahar Peer of Israel 6-2, 7-5.

Other women advancing included former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, No. 14 Maria Kirilenko, No. 16 Roberta Vinci, No. 20 Yanina Wickmayer and Elena Vesnina, who beat No. 21-seeded Varvara Lepchenko of the United States 6-4, 6-2.

After her singles match, Williams attempted to show there was no serious damage to her ankle by teaming with sister Venus in a first-round doubles victory later in the afternoon.

That was good preparation for Venus’ third-round match against No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova. Novak Djokovic resumes his bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title when he takes on Radek Stepanek in the third round in the afternoon. No. 4 David Ferrer plays Marcos Baghdatis in the last match in what should be another late finish.

British teenager Laura Robson ensured that the Day 4 program ran into Day 5 when she rallied to oust No. 8-seeded Petra Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, 2-6, 6-3, 11-9. After coming from a break down in the third set, she missed a chance to serve out the match at 6-5. She made no mistake the second time.

Robson, who teamed with Andy Murray to win an Olympic silver medal in the mixed doubles, will next play 19-yearold American Sloane Stephens, who beat Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4, 6-3.

Murray, who won the Olympic gold medal in singles and then went on to break a long British drought for British men by winning the U.S. Open, beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the third round in Australia.

Australian Open results

At Melbourne Park Melbourne, Australia Purse: $31.608 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Hard-Outdoor

SINGLES

Men Second Round

Ricardas Berankis, Lithuania, def. Florian Mayer (25), Germany, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. Philipp Kohlschreiber (17), Germany, def. Amir Weintraub, Israel, 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (7), France, def. Go Soeda, Japan, 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-3. Milos Raonic (13), Canada, def. Lukas Rosol, Czech Republic, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-3. Andy Murray (3), Britain, def. Joao Sousa, Portugal, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Andreas Seppi (21), Italy, def. Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-2. Blaz Kavcic, Slovenia, def. James Duckworth, Australia, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 10-8. Bernard Tomic, Australia, def. Daniel Brands, Germany, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8). Marin Cilic (12), Croatia, def. Rajeev Ram, United States, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Jeremy Chardy, France, def. Marcel Granollers (30), Spain, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Gael Monfils, France, def. Yen-hsun Lu, Taiwan, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 0-6, 6-1, 8-6. Richard Gasquet (9), France, def. Alejandro Falla, Colombia, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Gilles Simon (14), France, def. Jesse Levine, Canada, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Ivan Dodig, Croatia, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1. Roger Federer (2), Switzerland, def. Nikolay Davydenko, Russia, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Juan Martin del Potro (6), Argentina, def. Benjamin Becker, Germany, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Women Third Round

Angelique Kerber (5), Germany, def. Madison Keys, United States, 6-2, 7-5. Agnieszka Radwanska (4), Poland, def. Heather Watson, Britain, 6-3, 6-1. Julia Goerges (18), Germany, def. Zheng Jie, China, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Ekaterina Makarova (19), Russia, def. Marion Bartoli (11), France, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4. Ana Ivanovic (13), Serbia, def. Jelena Jankovic (22), Serbia, 7-5, 6-3. Li Na (6), China, def. Sorana Cirstea (27), Romania, 6-4, 6-1.

Second Round

Victoria Azarenka (1), Belarus, def. Eleni Daniilidou, Greece, 6-1, 6-0. Ayumi Morita, Japan, def. Annika Beck, Germany, 6-2, 6-0. Roberta Vinci (16), Italy, def. Akgul Amanmuradova, Uzbekistan, 6-3, 6-2. Elena Vesnina, Russia, def. Varvara Lepchenko (21), United States, 6-4, 6-2. Maria Kirilenko (14), Russia, def. Peng Shuai, China, 7-5, 6-2. Serena Williams (3), United States, def. Garbine Muguruza, Spain, 6-2, 6-0. Jamie Hampton, United States, def. Luksika Kumkhum, Thailand, 6-1, 6-2. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, def. Hsieh Su-wei (26), Taiwan, 6-2, 6-1. Lesia Tsurenko, Ukraine, def. Daria Gavrilova, Russia, 7-5, 6-3. Yanina Wickmayer (20), Belgium, def. Jana Cepelova, Slovakia, 7-6 (8), 7-5. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain, def. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Caroline Wozniacki (10), Denmark, def. Donna Vekic, Croatia, 6-1, 6-4. Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japan, def. Shahar Peer, Israel, 6-2, 7-5. Bojana Jovanovski, Serbia, def. Lucie Safarova (17), Czech Republic, 7-5, 7-5. Sloane Stephens (29), United States, def. Kristina Mladenovic, France, 6-4, 6-3. Laura Robson, Britain, def. Petra Kvitova (8), Czech Republic, 2-6, 6-3, 11-9.

Sports, Pages 25 on 01/18/2013

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