By JOHN PYE • Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia – Roger Federer kept his cool on a scorching second day at the Australian Open, starting his record 57th consecutive Grand Slam tournament with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory in his first match with Stefan Edberg as a coach.
Federer was the second match on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, and the temperature topped 106 degrees during his victory over Australian wild-card entry James Duckworth.
Two-time defending women's champion Victoria Azarenka played the previous match on the center court at Melbourne Park, and said it felt "pretty hot, like you're dancing in a frying pan or something like that."
After her 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over No. 91-ranked Johanna Larsson, Azarenka went back out to practice and said she planned an ice bath later as a recovery.
Asked how he handled the heat, the 32-year-old Federer said: "I'm here. I'm speaking. Actually, it's not crazy. I'm feeling OK right now."
He now owns the record for playing the most consecutive Grand Slam events, another milestone in a career that has already netted 17 major titles for the Swiss star.
He kept the points as short as possible, and only gave No. 133-ranked Duckworth one look at a break point in the 1-hour, 46-minute match.
He said it was "great fun" to finally play in front of childhood hero Edberg, who he hired on a part-time basis last month.
"I used to watch his matches and get inspired," Federer said, then added: "He warmed me up .... I won!"
Conscious of the time and the temperature, former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and No. 11 Simona Halep raced to straight-sets victories.
Wozniacki said the court was so hot in her 6-0, 6-2 win over Lourdes Dominguez Lino, which started at 11 a.m., that it seemed to melt her plastic water bottle.
Halep had a 6-0, 6-1 win over qualifier Katarzyna Piter. Later Tuesday, fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was extended to three sets in a 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Yulia Putintseva.
A hot, gusty breeze swirled across the venue all day, making conditions more challenging instead of cooler. Spectators on outside courts covered their heads and shoulders with damp towels to cool off and queued up to stand in front of large electric fans blasting water at their faces.
