MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Defending champions Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are back on court Friday for their third-round matches at the Australian Open.
Six-time champion Williams is playing Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina.
Djokovic, seeking his sixth Australian Open title, plays No. 28-seeded Andreas Seppi. Djokovic has never lost in 11 career meetings with the Italian player, including a straight-set victory in the third round of the U.S. Open last year, but he’s not taking anything for granted.
“He likes playing here,” Djokovic said of Seppi, who has advanced to the fourth round in two of the past three years. “He’s not really overwhelmed by a big occasion.”
If Djokovic gets past Seppi, he could face Gilles Simon in the fourth round and potentially Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals – if Nishokori wins his third-round match Friday against No. 26-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.