Rain delays outdoor play at Australian Open

Asked if she would do it again, Williams said, “Oh, God, no. I reacted and I didn’t think”.

Seven-time grand slam champion Williams, who won the inaugural WTA Elite Trophy in 2015 as well as tournaments in Auckland and Wuhan, never got her game going.

Top-seeded Serena Williams cruised to her 70th Australian Open win with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 90 Su-wei Hsieh of Taiwan in the second round Wednesday as she marches to what she hopes will be her seventh title Down Under.

Federer, playing his 65th major, advanced 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 over Alexandr Dolgopolov.

“Very happy, conditions are extremely quick”, he said.

The sun sets as France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga serves during his second round match against Australia’s Omar Jasika at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 20, 2016.

Williams looked nearly certain to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988, and just the sixth overall, to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam after reaching the semi-finals of the US Open in September. “I think it’s just absurd”, Djokovic said. It’s actually something that I had to add, because I was getting really frustrated losing to my hitting partner all the time. “He’s a very nice guy outside of the court – on the court he’s very tough”.

Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko shocked 23rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova as she continues her comeback after having a baby in 2013.

Snapping at the heels of the two veterans are world number two Simona Halep and third ranked Garbine Muguruza, who have also had less than ideal preparations with illness or injury affecting their build-up.

Catch all the action of the Australian Open until January 31st LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2.

Williams is the reigning champion of the Australian Open and after Wednesday, remains the favorite to repeat.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat Thai qualifier Luksika Kumkhum, avenging her upset loss in the first round here in 2014, and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska beat Christina McHale 6-2, 6-3.

Earlier in the day, with persistent rainfall and the roof on Rod Laver Arena closed for the first time this tournament, the world No. 5 took care of Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1.

The 24-year-old hit 5 aces to Williams’ 1 as she won 71% of her points on first serve, compared to Williams’ 52.

Lauren Davis, United States, def. Magdalena Rybarikova, Slovakia, 7-6 (7), retired. The reports alleged 16 players, all ranked in the top 50 at some stage and half of them playing at the Australian Open, had repeatedly raised suspicion due to their results and had been flagged with tennis authorities, but had not been sanctioned.

Djokovic has said he didn’t believe any elite players were involved.

Melbourne Park has three stadiums with retractable roofs – Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and Hisense Arena.

She next faces either Russian Daria Kasatkina with a potential quarter-final clash against arch-rival Maria Sharapova awaiting.