MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY
Friday night under lights will feature two big third-round matches in the women's draw, with defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka facing Amanda Anisimova on Margaret Court Arena and top-ranked Ash Barty on Rod Laver Arena against Camila Giorgi. The winners of those matches will meet in a fourth-round contest that could have the feel of a final. Osaka feels right at home at Melbourne Park, where she's won two of her four major titles and 18 of her last 19 matches. Wimbledon champion Barty is aiming to be the first Australian woman to win the championship here since 1978. The 20-year-old, No. 60-ranked Anisimova is looking forward to the challenge: "I'm also a pretty aggressive player, so I just want to see how our games will match up. She's a former No. 1, obviously Grand Slam champion, so, I mean, it will be exciting." On the men's side, Rafael Nadal will continue his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam title with a third-round match against No. 28 Karen Khachanov and Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini takes on No. 31 Carlos Alcaraz.
FRIDAY FORECAST
Sunny, high of 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit).
THURSDAY'S WEATHER