In his first round at the Australian Open 2019, two-time defending champion Roger Federer proved that he is in no mood to relent. Continuing from where he had left at the Hopman Cup, the six-time champion at Melbourne Park simply cantered into Round 2, producing a performance that was as immaculate as the man himself.
Against the World No. 99 Denis Istomin, who had once accounted for Novak Djokovic at this very tournament, the 20-time Grand Slam winner thundered 14 aces and had 52 winners to show for at the end of the day. Even when Istomin settled into the match in the third set and started showing more resistance, Federer refused to break down. The Uzbek did not even earn any break point in the 1 hour 57 minutes encounter.
That in itself makes the prospect of facing Federer ominous for any of his early round opponents.
For the World No. 190 Dan Evans, this is his first Major since serving a one-year drug suspension. In a battle of qualifiers, the Briton beat Japan's Tatsuma Ito in straight sets, which would surely give him the confidence that he needs before facing someone of the stature of Federer.
But given how easily the Swiss maestro was able to take care of him in their only previous meeting at 2016 Wimbledon, this is definitely a tall order for the British player.
Here is all you need to know about the match:
Match: (3) Roger Federer vs (Q) Dan Evans
Date: 16. 01. 2019.
Round: Second
Time: Not before 2 pm AEDT or 8.30am IST on the Rod Laver Arena
Where to Watch Details:
India: Matches will be shown live on TV on Sony SIX, Sony SIX HD, Sony Ten 2, and Sony Ten 2 HD. Matches can also be streamed live on SonyLiv.
USA: ESPN2 and Tennis Channel.
Australia: Channel 9 - Wide World of Sports, 9Gem, and 9Now.
Europe: Eurosport TV channel and on the Eurosport Player live streaming service
All matches can also be streamed live on the official Australian Open website.
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