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Melbourne - World number five Juan Martin del Potro advanced to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-4 win over American qualifier Rhyne Williams in stifling heat on Tuesday.
The towering Argentine, who won the 2009 U.S. Open, is a dark horse to win his second grand slam title having enjoyed encouraging form in the leadup to Melbourne with victory in the Sydney International warmup event.
The 22-year-old Williams, ranked 130 in the world, had other ideas as he matched Del Potro's firepower in a tense first set and closed it out when the fifth seed stumbled in an error-strewn tiebreak.
Del Potro steadied in the second set and cruised to victory in just over three hours to set up a clash with Spain's 62nd ranked Roberto Bautista Agut.
The extreme heat at Melbourne Park on Tuesday caused a ball-boy and men's player Frank Dancevic to collapse during his first round loss, and the Canadian later slammed organisers as 'inhumane' for not suspending play.
"I tried to focus for the match in the worst conditions to play," Del Potro said in a courtside interview. "Really, really hot but the crowd kept me going.
"Hopefully the weather will be better on Thursday."
Del Potro is unlikely to get his wish, however, with the temperatures forecast to exceed 40 degrees celsius for the next three days until a cool change on the weekend.
Results from the Australian Open on Tuesday:
Men's singles:
First round:
Lu Yen-hsun (TPE) bt Jimmy Wang (TPE) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1
Michal Przysiezny (POL) bt Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5
Stephane Robert (FRA) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-0
Victor Hanescu (ROU) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5), 6-3
Milos Raonic (CAN x11) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 7-6 (7/2), 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Martin Klizan (SVK) bt John Isner (USA x13) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) ret
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x22) bt Bradley Klahn (USA) 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) bt Lucas Pouille (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 6-3
Kei Nishikori (JPN x16) bt Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x10) bt Filippo Volandri (ITA) 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Roger Federer (SUI x6) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) bt Julian Reister (GER) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) ret
Benoit Paire (FRA x27) bt Frank Dancevic (CAN) 7-6, (14/12), 6-3, 6-4
Blaz Kavcic (SLO) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-7 (3/7), 4-6, 6-1, 2-0 ret
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-2, 6-0
Blaz Rola (SLO) bt Federico Delbonis (ARG) 6-4, 6-2, 7-5
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/2)
Roberto Bautista (ESP) bt Tim Smyczek (USA) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1
Michael Berrer (GER) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP x31) bt Ze Zhang (CHN) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Jack Sock (USA) bt Tobias Kamke (GER) 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
Andreas Seppi (ITA x24) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5
Donald Young (USA) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 1-0 ret
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x5) bt Rhyne Williams (USA) 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Go Soeda (JPN) 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
Vincent Millot (FRA) bt Wayne Odesnik (USA) 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-3
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x26) bt Somdev Devvarman (IND) 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-4 ret
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) bt Igor Sijsling (NED) 7-6 (7/4), 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2
Gael Monfils (FRA x25) bt Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Stephane Robert (FRA) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-0
Thomaz Belluci (BRA) bt Julian Reister (GER) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) ret
Women's singles:
First round:Alize Cornet (FRA x25) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 1-0 ret
Simona Halep (ROU x11) bt Katarzyna Piter (POL) 6-0, 6-1
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x10) bt Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) 6-0, 6-2
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x16) bt Vania King (USA) 6-3, 6-2
Christina McHale (USA) bt Chan Yung-jan (TPE) 7-5, 6-4
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) bt Hsieh Su-wei (TPE) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x2) bt Johanna Larsson (SWE) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) bt Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x20) bt Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
Zarina Diyas (KAZ) bt Katerina Siniakov (CZE) 6-2, 6-4,
Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Storm Sanders (AUS) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x29) bt Teliana Pereira (BRA) 7-6 (9/7), 6-4
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x8) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 6-1, 6-2
Mandy Minella (LUX) bt Carina Witthoft (GER) 6-1, 6-4
Stefanie Vogele (SUI) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 7-5, 7-5
Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x5) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Duan Ying-Ying (CHN) 6-0, 7-6 (8/6)
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) bt Kaia Kanepi (EST x24) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
Olivia Rogowska (AUS) bt Mariana Duque (COL) 6-3, 6-3
Ayumi Morita (JPN) bt Nadiya Kichenok (UKR) 6-2, 7-6 (7/5)
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x32) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-2, 6-3
Marina Erakovic (NZL) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM x21) 6-4, 7-6 (8/6)
Karin Knapp (ITA) bt Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 6-4, 6-2
Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) bt Timea Babos (HUN) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Sloane Stephens (USA x13) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3
Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) bt Tadeja Majeric (SLO) 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4
Maria Sharapova (RUS x3) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) bt Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB x33) bt Jana Cepelova (SVK) 6-7 (1/7), 6-1, 6-3
Elina Svitolina (UKR) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x19) 6-3, 6-3
