W2W4: Angelique Kerber, Roger Federer headline Day 3 at Aussie Open
— -- MELBOURNE, Australia -- The second round of the Australian Open will get underway, and under much cooler conditions. With temperatures reaching the mid-90s Tuesday, we're expecting a 30-degree drop-off on Wednesday.?
Here's how you can follow all the action, starting with the Venus Williams against Stefanie Voegele at 7 p.m. ET.?
How to watch every match
Matches begin on ESPN3 and the ESPN App at 7 p.m. ET. Click here to watch.
Matches begin on ESPN2 & WatchESPN at 9 p.m. ET. Click here to watch.
To view starting times for upcoming days, click here.?
Where to get tournament live scores
Our real-time scoreboard, updated stats and social handles can be found all in one spot: Australian Open CourtCast.?
Schedules
To view a full schedule of Day 3 at the Australian Open, click here.?
Notable Day 3 matches
No. 1 Angelique Kerber versus Carina Witthoeft, second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium ( Watch)
Witthoeft, a 21-year-old German, will go into this match knowing that knocking off the defending champion, world No. 1 and fellow countrywoman would make her an overnight sensation at home. If Witthoeft needs more motivation, she could think back to that first-round humiliating 6-0, 6-0 beatdown by the 28-year-old Kerber at Wimbledon in 2015. But note that in their fourth-round rematch last year at the All England Club, Kerber barely squeaked out a tough tiebreaker before winning 7-6 (11), 6-1. Don't imagine that Witthoeft is satisfied with that. Kerber hasn't played well yet this year. Is she feeling the pressure or simply finding it hard to get motivated after that spectacular career year?
No. 17 Roger Federer versus Noah Rubin, following Kerber-Witthoeft ( Watch)
Exactly how much oil will Roger Federer have to squirt on those 35-year-old joints before he ventures out to play just his second dead-serious tennis match in more than six months? It's a question of vital interest to Rubin, a feisty 5-foot-10, 20-year-old who won a shootout with fellow American qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo in the first round. Nobody will expect Rubin to trouble Federer, but then nobody expected Rubin, a qualifier in the Wimbledon junior event in 2014, to win that whole shebang, either. Federer admitted feeling nervous after his first-round win over pal and fellow 35-year-old Jurgen Melzer. Noah lacks killing power, but hits a pretty flat ball and scoots around quickly. He will be pesky.
No. 23 Jack Sock versus Karen Khachanov, third match on Court 8 ( Watch)
This could be the sneaker of the day, the barnburner that few saw coming. Sock has been saying that he's ready to be a second-week player at major events. Khachanov is exactly the kind of guy Sock is going to have to beat on a regular basis to make good on that claim. A 20-year-old, 6-foot-6 Russian, Khachanov has been improving rapidly. He had little trouble with Adrian Mannarino in the first round, the mission aided by his 32 aces. Sock is 24 and still far from top-10 material. He cruised past Pierre-Hugues Herbert in straight sets, banging out 10 aces. This promises be a close, muscular battle.
No. 32 Sam Querrey versus Alex de Minaur, fourth match on Court 2 ( Watch)
At 17, de Minaur is the youngest singles player in the men's draw and wild card. He created a minor sensation last week in Sydney, where he knocked off unpredictable Frenchman Benoit Paire. An Aussie who's already a prot?g? of icon Lleyton Hewitt, de Minaur played a Hewitt-esque first-round match in Melbourne, staving off match point to beat No. 81 Gerald Melzer in five sets. Querrey was also forced to five sets by wild-card Quentin Halys, and the American has never been the fittest guy on the tour. That could be a difference-making detail. If de Minaur can recharge emotionally and physically after his stirring win on home soil in his first match of his first major. Either way, it will be worth checking out this kid.
No. 57 Shelby Rogers versus Ashleigh Barty, 3 a.m. ET on Margaret Court Arena ( Watch)
Can Rogers, a 5-foot-9, 24-year-old American who wallops the ball, duplicate that remarkable gallop to the quarterfinals of the French Open? Why not? This time, she will be running on a hard Plexicushion court even more suitable than Parisian clay to her aggressive style. On Monday, Rogers upset of No. 4 seed Simona Halep. But Barty promises to be a strenuous, different kind of mental test. Rogers will be go in as a prohibitive favorite, and Barty will be a sentimental one. Barty is an Australian and junior Wimbledon champion who burned out and left the game for 16 months, only to return in February of last year. She's still just 20 years old and barely stands 5-foot-5. She will own the crowd.
