MELBOURNE, Australia - The heat wave didn’t claim any major casualties Friday at the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams extended their winning streaks to move into the fourth round, and all except one of the leading contenders made it through to the weekend.
Five-time champion Williams made it through the worst of the searing, once in-a-century conditions that scorched Melbourne for four consecutive days, beating Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3.
Melbourne Park didn’t quite reach the forecast peak of 111 degrees - it did get to 109 degrees - that had some players complaining about “inhumane” conditions.
Williams has never been one to be seriously affected by the heat, but even she had to admit she was looking forward to the cooler conditions expected today. She also admitted to a little bit of relief after an injury to her sister, Venus, meant they had to withdraw from the doubles.
Djokovic used to struggle in the heat, but has grown accustomed to it with three consecutive Australian titles. He’s aiming to be the first man in the Open era to win four in a row, and thinks he’s getting there.
He benefited from the cool change that swept in late Friday before his 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Denis Istomin. He wrapped it up at 12:10 a.m., and thanked the crowd - including new coach Boris Becker - for staying past midnight.
The only time he was broken was serving for the match - he was clearly irritated but quickly recovered and finished it off two games later.
“As the tournament progresses, I play better and better,” Djokovic said.
He has won 24 consecutive matches at Melbourne Park. It’s not in the league of Roger Federer’s reign at Wimbledon, but he is in contention to be the first man in the Open era to win four consecutive Australian titles.
“Well, if I can compare myself to Roger’s success in Wimbledon, that’s definitely a compliment,” he said. “There’s still a lot more years to come from me, a lot more to prove.
“This is definitely one of my best Grand Slams by far. Results are showing that.”
Djokovic’s overall winning streak stands at 27 matches - he hasn’t lost since the U.S. Open final last September, when he was beaten by a resurgent Rafael Nadal. He subsequently lost his No. 1 ranking to Nadal, despite winning four consecutive tournaments at the end of 2013.
The other active major winners are either on the opposite side - Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer play their third-round matches today - or out of the competition. No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, was the biggest casualty of the second round.
Of the contenders on Djokovic’s side, third-seeded David Ferrer beat No. 29 Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-2 and No. 7 Tomas Berdych defeated Bosnian qualifier Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Two-time defending women’s champion Victoria Azarenka has a match tonight, with No. 3-seeded Maria Sharapova opening play on Day 6 against Alize Cornet. Both advanced before the extreme heat policy was imposed on Thursday, with Cornet sobbing as she described the conditions as being like “an oven,” and Sharapova surviving 3 1/2 hours on court.
Lucky for them, the weather forecast this week is much cooler, with showers.
Williams will set another record when she plays former No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic on Sunday - her 70th main draw match at Melbourne Park will be the most by any woman in the Open era.
Ivanovic had a 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-2 victory over 2011 U.S. Open champion and local favorite Sam Stosur, while two-time finalist Li Na beat No. 26-seeded Lucie Safarova 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
“Serena is on top of the game for so long now. You know, she’s someone we admire actually,” Ivanovic said. “It’s going to be very tough task, but I look forward to that challenge.”
Williams’ victory over Hantuchova was her 61st at the Australian Open, surpassing Margaret Court’s mark of 60.
Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia - A look at the fifth day of the Australian Open tennis championships on Friday: WEATHER High of 109 degrees, although a late-afternoon change dropped temperatures significantly, followed by evening rain showers which caused some delays to the schedule.
ATTENDANCE Day session: 31,644. Night session: 25,530 SEEDED WINNERS Men: No. 2 Novak Djokovic, No. 3 David Ferrer, No. 7 Tomas Berdych, No. 8 Stanislaw Wawrinka (injury walkover), No. 15 Fabio Fognini, No. 17 Tommy Robredo, No. 19 Kevin Anderson. Women: No. 1 Serena Williams, No. 4 Li Na, No. 9 Angelique Kerber, No. 14 Ana Ivanovic, No. 22 Ekaterina Makarova, No. 28 Flavia Pennetta, No. 30 Eugenie Bouchard SEEDED LOSERS Men: No. 9 Richard Gasquet, No. 20 Jerzy Janowicz, No. 28 Vasek Pospisil (injury walkover), No. 29 Jeremy Chardy. Women: No. 17 Sam Stosur, No. 26 Lucie Safarova, No. 31 Daniela Hantuchova STAT OF THE DAY 61. Record number of matches won by Serena Williams at the Australian Open, beating Margaret Court’s mark with her victory Friday over Hantuchova.
Sports, Pages 29 on 01/18/2014