The first two days of the 2013 Australian Open have seen some great performances, some upsets and some thrilling entertainment. Over the first two days we lost a lot of the potential dark horses from both draws but new players have emerged as threats to the favourites. So let's take a quick look at the big games of day 3.
Irina-Camelia Begu is no doubt a talented player and had a good win over Arantxa Rus on Monday but I think she will be overwhelmed on Rod Laver Arena. She faces Agnieszka Radwanska and the Polish number one will be looking for an assured performance after a slow start in her opener. After impressive displays from Azarenka and Serena last night, Angnieszka needs to show her own qualities. Irina-Camelia Begu vs A. Radwanska. Winner: Radwanska.
Tomas Berdych was a comfortable winner against Michael Russell in his opener and today he faces Guillaume Rufin in round two. Rufin is a nice player with plenty of ability but he lacks the consistency to beat the Czech. Berdych is one of the outsiders for the title and he will want to advance with little fuss to be fully fresh ahead of a potential quarter final meeting with Novak Djokovic. G. Rufin vs T. Berdych. Winner: Berdych in three.
Jie Zheng has proven herself to be a top player in the past and she ran Serena very close at Wimbledon last year and probably should have won. She has fallen away from the top of the game but is still a danger and Sam Stosur will need to be at her best to advance tonight. Stosur has fallen well short in front of her home fans in the past and this match is another game where she could be beaten. Mentally there are questions about whether she can actually win here and if she hasn't solved those mental frailties then she will fall here. If she wins then she becomes a real contender for the title. S. Stosur vs J. Zheng. Winner: Could go either way but I'll go with the Aussie, Stosur.
Venus Williams showed on Monday why is still a top player when she came through only losing one game. She looked impressive from start to finish and a meeting with Sharapova on Friday will be her reward for winning this one. Alize Cornet beat Erakovic in her opener which was very impressive. Erakovic is a strong player and isn't beaten too easily. Cornet is a quality opponent but does she have the ability to beat an in form Venus? A. Cornet vs V. Williams. Winner: Venus in two close sets.
An intriguing match wraps up proceedings on Rod Laver as Novak Djokovic faces Ryan Harrison. Harrison is an up and coming player hoping to make an impact at a major event and he has the perfect opportunity as he faces the world number one in round two. But beating Djokovic is not easy to do and I think Harrison will be overwhelmed by the quality of Novak's play. Djokovic was outstanding against Mathieu and if he plays close to that level again then he will be advancing with minimum fuss. N. Djokovic vs R. Harrison. Winner: Djokovic in three.
Maria Sharapova made a statement of intent when she beat Puchkova 6-0 6-0 in round one and in the process dismissed reports of her collarbone injury. That win was very impressive because if you watched the game then you would have seen Puchkova hitting the ball very clean and with purpose but Maria stood tall and hit through her. Misaki Doi beat Petra Martic in a minor upset but this will be step too far. M. Sharapova vs M. Doi. Winner: Sharapova in two quick sets.
Angelique Kerber is a woman I'm watching out for this fortnight. I think she can make a real charge at the title and she won't fear Vika or Serena. She started well on Monday and should beat Lucie Hradecka today. A. Kerber vs L. Hradecka. Winner: Kerber in two.
David Ferrer had a good start to his campaign and I think it will get even better today when he faces Tim Smyczek. Winner: Ferrer in three. Out on court 8 Jerzy Janowicz continues his campaign as he faces Somdev Devvarman. Janowicz was very good in his opener and I expect him to be firing well in this one. Winner: Janowicz in four.
Also on day 3 we should see wins for Klara Zakopalova against Kirsten Flipkens and Julien Benneteau against Edouard Roger-Vasselin. In the women's draw there should be wins for Ana Ivanovic, Julia Goerges, Jelena Jankovic, Marion Bartoli, Na Li and Dominika Cibulkova. Meanwhile in the men's event there should be comfortable progression for Janko Tipsarevic, Marcos Baghdatis, Nicolas Almagro, Stanislas Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori.
I think Brian Baker might get an upset win over fellow American Sam Querrey. Querrey didn't impress me in his opener and I just think there could be a shock. Two more seeds I think could be beaten are Radek Stepanek in the men's and Tamira Paszek in the women's. Feliciano Lopez takes on Stepanek and I've got a feeling he will get a win. Madison Keys takes on Paszek and I think the young American will continue her good run of form and beat the 30th seed.
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