Other Day Three happenings

While concentrating on Rod Laver Arena, many interesting matches were evolving on other courts to determine third round appearances.

Sensationally the Ukraine's lowly ranked Kateryna Bondarenko kicked out another seed, the in form Sveta Kuznetsova (23). I had picked Sveta to defeat Sharapova in the fourth round, but Kateryna dismissed the two time GS champion in straight sets 6-1 7-5.  The top half of the women's draw is littered with the carcasses of defeated seeds and we are not yet finished with the third day.

Already gone are numbers 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27.

The bottom half has also been battered seeing the numbers 2, 8, 29, 31 and 32 seeds go in round one.  Simona Halep and Venus Williams are the marquee players now out of contention,

Fortunately for organisers today has been better for the top players with Bencic (12), Vinci (13) and Suarez Navarro (10) all joining Williams and Sharapova with wins.

Both Nishikori (7) and Berdych (6) only required three sets to advance to the third round, Berdych to possibly face Nick Kyrgios depending on the Australian's match later.

Cilic (12), Goffin (15), Thiem (19) and Bautista Agut (24) all advanced with little fuss to the third round joining Federer there.

Of intense interest is the progress of 14th seed Gilles Simon who has been taken to a fifth set by 91st ranked Russian Evgeny Donskoy.

Also 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov dropped a set in his match before streaming through the third and looking well placed.