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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Holder Osaka faces Zheng before possible meeting with Gauff

Tennis - Australian Open - First Round - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2020 Japan's Naomi Osaka in action during the match against Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

World number four Naomi Osaka will continue her Australian Open title defence with a clash against China's Zheng Saisai, while Roger Federer and men's champion Novak Djokovic are also in second-round action on Wednesday.

Victory for third seed Osaka will open up the possibility of a third-round showdown with teenager Coco Gauff, who sent fellow American Venus Williams packing. The 15-year-old faces Romania's Sorana Cirstea next.

Federer, who looked in ominous form in his 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over American Steve Johnson, takes on Serbia's Filip Krajinovic in the evening session on Rod Laver Arena, while Djokovic will meet unheralded Japanese Tatsuma Ito.

FILE PHOTO: Aug 31, 2019; Flushing, NY, USA; Naomi Osaka of Japan (R) talks with Coco Gauff of the United States (L) after their match in the third round on day six of the 2019 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The defending champion was forced to work hard by Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in his opening round match before he sealed a 7-6(5) 6-2 2-6 6-1 victory.

Serena Williams, fresh from lifting the Auckland Classic title and dismissing Anastasia Potapova 6-0 6-3 in her first match, takes on Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek.

Women's top seed Ash Barty will resume her quest to become the first homegrown winner of an Australian Open singles title since 1978 when she plays Polona Hercog in her first career meeting with the Slovenian.

Tennis - Australian Open - First Round - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2020 Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates winning the match against Steve Johnson of the U.S. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova faces Spain's Paula Badosa while Caroline Wozniacki, who announced she will retire at the end of the tournament, meets Dayana Yastremska.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Tennis - Australian Open - First Round - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2020. Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his match against Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Tennis - Australian Open - First Round - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2020 Serena Williams of the U.S. in action during the match against Russia's Anastasia Potapova REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Tennis - Australian Open - First Round - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 20, 2020. Australia's Ashleigh Barty in action during the match against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
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