MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Kei Nishikori will be hoping for a better start Thursday in his second-round match against Ivo Karlovic on Margaret Court Arena than he did in his first at the Australian Open.
The Japanese star lost the first two sets against Kamil Majchrzak and advanced when the Polish qualifier had to retire with an injury while trailing 3-0 in the deciding set. Nishikori has won his two most recent matches against Karlovic, including at the 2016 U.S. Open.
Rod Laver Arena has afternoon matches between Milos Raonic and former champion Stan Wawrinka and top-ranked Simona Halep against American Sofia Kenin.
Serena Williams plays Eugenie Bouchard to open night play on the main show court, followed by top-seeded Novak Djokovic’s match against former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
It’s mostly cloudy at Melbourne Park with the temperature expected to rise to 33 Celsius (91 Fahrenheit).
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