Melbourne (AFP)

The strong wind that blew Wednesday in Melbourne pushed the favorites in the back: neither the defending champions Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic, nor the world N.1 Ashleigh Barty did not linger on the courts in the 2nd round of the Open d 'Australia.

While waiting for Serena Williams and Roger Federer in the evening, Osaka dismissed the Chinese Saisai Zheng (42nd) 6-2, 6-4 in 1:20, Djokovic defeated the Japanese Tatsuma Ito (146th) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in 1h35 and Barty sent the Slovenian Polona Hercog (48th) 6-1, 6-4 in 1h06.

Despite his victory, Osaka was not entirely happy with his game.

"What did I do best today? It was winning the game," said the 22-year-old Japanese woman, who feared for a moment that she would get into a third set after losing her service twice. the second run.

"She sent everything away! I said to myself + but will I end up making a winning move? + And she: + No, I will send everything back to you! +", Added the 4th world who expected to feel this kind of " frustration "against this opponent.

Djokovic said he was "generally satisfied with his performance", he who had sold a set in the first round.

"With these weather conditions, you have to accept having to fight not only against the opponent, but also against the wind. I accepted it, I played extremely well at the start of the match and I led 5-0 after 15 minutes ", he analyzed, emphasizing the efficiency of his service during the first two rounds of the tournament.

- Easy stitches -

"This is one of my goals in training: to find a way to earn points easily," he said.

In front of his audience, Barty wanted to gain momentum "on the return games by applying himself to create break opportunities".

She made three of her seven break points and saved the six she had conceded to Hercog. "It was very important to play these important points well," she said.

Good news also for the tournament, the qualification of the youngest player of the Open, rising tennis star, Coco Gauff who, after having once again eliminated Venus Williams in the first round, as at Wimbledon last year, has ruled out Sorana Cirstea (74th) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 and will face Osaka.

The Japanese defeated the American in the third round at Flushing Meadows last year. "But this time I think I will be less nervous, warned Gauff. I will be more confident now that I know what his ball looks like."

Caroline Wozniacki, 36th in the world, has offered herself a career extension. By eliminating the Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska (21st) 7-5, 7-5, she added an additional match to her program, having decided to leave the circuit at the end of this tournament which she won in 2018.

Last year's finalist Petra Kvitova had to fight against the Spanish Paula Badosa (97th), but she ended up winning.

On the other hand, a bad day for Matteo Berrettini: the Italian was revealed by reaching the semi-finals of the last US Open, this time was eliminated in the 2nd round by the 100th world, the American Tennys Sandgren, 7-6 ( 9/7), 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 7-5.

© 2020 AFP