Open Australia: Berrettini-Fognini ok, Italy smiles

Four blues ahead, with Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini making no mistake at the debut, two eliminated and three girls out.

More lights than shadows for Italy on the second day of the Australian Open tennis, taking place in Melbourne, and Rafa Nadal, who got rid of the Serbian Laszlo Djere in three sets 6-3, 6-4, 6- 1, showing that he had overcome the back pains that had kept him anxious for the past few days.

To complete the blue poker that advances in Melbourne with Berrettini and Fognini there are Lorenzo Sonego and Salvatore Caruso.

Marco Cecchinato and Andreas Seppi did not make it instead.

Nor, among the girls, Martina Trevisan, Jasmine Paolini and the very young Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

After the elimination of the very tired Jannik Sinner fresh from the tour de force of the Australian slam preparatory tournaments and winner of the ATP 250, the first for the Azzurri to go on the field in the Italian night was Lorenzo Sonego who overtook the American Sam Querrey ( 7-5, 6-4, 6-4).

Immediately after it was Salvatore Caruso's turn, in his first victory in Australia: the Sicilian (n.78 in the world) got the better of the Swiss Henry Laaksonen (n.179) in 6-2, 6-4, 6- 3.

Then the two knockouts of Cecchinato and Seppi: the first defeated with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 by the American Mackenzie McDonald.

The South Tyrolean eliminated by the Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, in four sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The big blues guaranteed a smile at the Italian home, Fognini and Berrettini in fact did not disappoint expectations.

The Ligurian champion (n.17 in the world rankings) beat the Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert (n.84) with a score of 6-4 6-2 6-3 and in the next round the challenge-derby with Caruso already awaits him : so at least one Italian in the third round will be there.

While Berrettini eliminated South African Kevin Anderson (7-6 7-5 6-3), the 34-year-old from Johannesburg dropped to # 81 in the ranking but top ten only a year and a half ago before he got injured.

At the 2nd turn for the n.

10 of the world there will be the Czech Tomas Machac (# 199).

"For quite a while he didn't show me the ball - joked Berrettini - I don't know how many aces he made me .... I don't know my next opponent too much, but we will study with my coach how he plays and how to deal with him" .

Three out of five women are already out: Trevisan surrendered to Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (6-3, 6-4).

Paolini unfortunate to find the Czech Carolina Pliskova, n.

6 in the world and among the favorites of the tournament, which froze her with a peremptory 6-0 6-2;

finally the 20 year old Cocciaretto from Marche, beaten in comeback by the German Mona Barthel (3-6, 6-4, 6-4).

Positive day for the big seeding players on the pitch, from Stefano Tsitsipas to Daniil Medvedev to Andrei Rublev, all of them overcame their rivals.

In the second round also the queen of women the Australian Ashley Barty, and so the Spanish Garbine Muguruza and Coco Gauff.