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On day 2, top seed Simona Halep was given a scare by Destanee Aiava before she managed to advance in straight sets, 7-6(5) 6-1. The 17-year-old wildcard was leading the first set 5-2 and had 2 set points. However, she could not hold on as Halep rallied to win the set in a tie-break.
The Romanian tennis star, unfortunately, suffered a slight ankle injury during the match and needed to take a medical timeout in the second game of the second set. She will be looking for her first Grand Slam title after finishing runner-up at the French Open twice in 2014 and 2017.
Third seed, Garbine Muguruza, was made to work but also advanced with a 6-4 6-3 win over Jessika Ponchet. Muguruza did not show any lingering effects of the cramps which forced her to retire from the Brisbane International or the injury which forced her withdrawal from the Sydney International at the quarterfinal stage.
Maria Sharapova was welcomed back by the Aussie crowd as she played her first match since 2016 after missing the 2017 edition due to her doping ban. She beat Tatjana Maria in straight sets, 6-1 6-4. In the next round, she will face a tougher test against Anastasija Sevastova, who beat her in the fourth round of the US Open.
Former World No. 1 and 6th seed, Karolina Pliskova overcame Veronica Cepede Royg in straight sets. However, her twin sister, Kristyna, was beaten in 3 sets by Agnieszka Radwanska.
Madison Keys, Angelique Kerber, Johanna Konta, and Eugenie Bouchard all advanced in straight sets. Veteran and former teen sensation, Mirjana Lučić-Baroni advanced in 3 sets.
The only upset of the day was Petra Kvitova, who lost a hard-fought encounter to Andrea Petkovic, 3-6 6-4 8-10. Kvitova had two match points but could not close them out. The match ended with her 10th double fault and 6th of the set.
