Jan 24 (Reuters) – Highlights of the seventh day at the Australian Open on Saturday (times GMT):
2333 PLAY UNDERWAY
The Australian Open third round continues Saturday with defending champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys in action during the day session, while former winners Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and Stan Wawrinka feature in the night matches.
Wildcard Wawrinka, the 2014 champion playing his farewell Australian Open, has already logged nearly eight hours on court after another five-set thriller and now faces his toughest test against American ninth seed Taylor Fritz.
The day also features former world number one Karolina Pliskova, now ranked 1,057 after ankle surgeries, taking on Keys in a clash between a resurgent underdog and the reigning titleholder.
Brutal Melbourne heat has forced organisers to start play an hour early, with temperatures forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) prompting activation of the extreme heat policy.
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ORDER OF PLAY ON SATURDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):
Rod Laver Arena
Day session (2330 GMT, Friday/1030 AEDT)
Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) v 9-Madison Keys (U.S.)
Eliot Spizzirri (U.S.) v 2-Jannik Sinner (Italy)
Night session (0800 GMT/1900 AEDT)
Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) v 4-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
16-Naomi Osaka (Japan) v Maddison Inglis (Australia)
Margaret Court Arena
Day session (2330 GMT, Friday/1030 AEDT)
6-Jessica Pegula (U.S.) v Oksana Selekhmeteva (Russia)
Peyton Stearns (U.S.) v 4-Amanda Anisimova (U.S.)
8-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v Valentin Vacherot (Monaco)
Night session (0800 GMT/1900 AEDT)
31-Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) v 2-Iga Swiatek (Poland)
Marin Cilic (Croatia) v 12-Casper Ruud (Norway)
John Cain Arena
Day session (2330 GMT, Friday/1030 AEDT)
5-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v Tomas Machac (Czech Republic)
21-Elise Mertens (Belgium) v Nikola Bartunkova (Czech Republic)
Night session (0600 GMT/1700 AEDT)
Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) v 9-Taylor Fritz (U.S.)
5-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v Tereza Valentova (Czech Republic)
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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