Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka has arguably been the hottest player this first month of the 2016 tennis season, losing just 20 games in seven matches so far. On Saturday, the former No. 1 resumes her bid to win a third Australian Open against rising star Naomi Osaka.

The 18-year-old Osaka, whose dad is from Haiti and mom from Japan and who was actually born in Osaka, qualified and hasn’t lost a …

World No. 1 Serena Williams dialed it back to — well, 2015 — on Friday at the Australian Open where rising Russian Darya Kasatkina felt the American’s wrath.

Committing only eight unforced errors to 27 winners, Williams dismissed the Russian 6-1, 6-1 in a power display to advance to Week 2 and a meeting with another Russian, Margarita Gasparyan who defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4. …

Roger Federer was next on Rod Laver waiting to go on after the conclusion of the Maria Sharapova-Lauren Davis match. With Sharapova down up a set but in the second set tiebreak 5-4, Federer was hoping for a quick turnaround from the Russian so he could get on court.

And his hopes improved when Davis missed an easy volley during a 27-point rally that would have given her a 6-4 …

It’s quite a line-up Friday at the Australian Open. Former champions Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are all in action for the opening of the third round.

Sharapova and Federer are on the day session against Lauren Davis and Grigor Dimitrov, respectively. Federer has beaten Grigor in all four prior meetings but the Bulgarian grabbed a set most recently in Brisbane earlier this month.

Grand Slam finalists …

The long career of Lleyton Hewitt ended Thursday night somewhat fitting as the Australian great lost to man who plays just like him, David Ferrer, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

Ferrer, who says he still has an autographed shirt from Hewitt, outclasses the former No. 1 in front of packed Rod Laver Arena all supporting one of their legends.

“I came out, I gave everything I had like always and left nothing in the …

No. 14 seed Victoria Azarenka, a darkhorse title candidate now that she’s injury-free at this year’s Australian Open, moved into the third round on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.

“It’s just only going to get tougher, so I really want to keep that focus and that intensity and that determination,” the former No. 1 said after the win. “Really that’s what I’m looking for, to keep …

Women are weak.

Why do I say that? I’m not saying that. I love the ladies.

The WTA tour is saying that.

It’s 2016, and the WTA is still allowing (mostly male) coaches to come on court during matches and rescue the poor women players who can’t think for themselves or construct their own tactics or learn when to drink or not to drink water or eat a banana during a match.

Isn’t it …

I didn’t see Rafael Nadal lose live the other night at the Australian Open first round, but I caught it on the DVR replay. Credit to Fernando Verdasco who seemed to be on a mission to get revenge for that tough 2009 loss in the semifinals. And not only did he get it, he gave Rafa a loss that he’ll be thinking about for a long, long time.

After a …

So the big news from the first three days at the Australian Open wasn’t what happened on the court, but unfortunately what’s taking place off it. Specifically, gambling thugs are continuing to make their presence felt in tennis, especially at the lower levels, targeting players and allegedly at times threatening them to fix matches, that according to a new report form Buzzfeed and the BBC.

Is this breaking news? Not really. …

Roger Federer has rolled through his first two rounds at the Australian Open, winning over Nikolasz Basilishvili and today Alexandr Dolgoplov 63, 75, 61.

But ahead in a third round clash with the man who plays just like him, Grigor Dimitriov who needed four sets to beat an Argentinian qualifier. The Bulgarian has never beaten Federer including a loss to him in Brisbane, but Federer is wary of the challenge against …

If the women’s side at the Australian Open has been a bubbling cauldron of uncertainty, injuries and upsets, the men’s side has been a peaceful stroll through the Aussie bush collecting flowers and occasionally stopping to solo on the didgeridoo.

There were no seeded upsets on Wednesday in Melbourne in 16 matches. All 14 seeds in action moving into the third round, some exuding far less effort than others.

In the former …

The women’s draw lost another top seed and a former world No. 2 who seemed to be on the comeback trail as the draw at the Australian Open continued to be shaken up on Wednesday, Day 3 of the tournament in Melbourne.

No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova looked to have shaken off the illness that kept her out of the Aussie Open warm-up events, but that was of no consequence to …

After a swift win over Alexandr Dolgopolov in the Australian Open second round, Roger Federer revealed during an on-court interview that he didn’t want his kids playing on Rod Laver.

He then followed up in the written press with more of an explanation.

“I think it’s 40 years on the tennis tour that doesn’t excite me,” Federer said. “I think that’s what it would be. And they don’t necessarily love it the …

It’s a long way to go, but Serena Williams could meet nemesis Roberta Vinci in the Australian Open semifinals. Of course Vinci is the woman who ended Serena’s historic run at a Calender Grand Slam last September at the US Open, a loss Serena says she still uses as motivation.

“I watch it every day,” Serena semi-jokingly said. “Every night to get ready.”

After tough first round match, Serena used that …

Andy Murray has been clear that he will fly home if there’s any news the baby comes early. That’s a fact not lost on his next opponent, the big serving Sam Groth. As a prohibitive underdog in the match, the Australian joked that he hopes Murray’s wife Kim goes into labor ASAP!

“Be nice if his wife went into labor overnight,” Groth said. “I might be just cheering for that one.”

if …