Kevin into third round

Kevin Anderson is through to the third round of the Australian Open with a four-sets win in Melbourne on Wednesday, writes Mark Etheridge.

There was nothing unlucky about Court 13 for our top-ranked player as he saw off the challenge from Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky to seal his spot in the third round of the year’s first grand slam tournament.

The final score was 3-6 6-1 7-6 (3) 6-3 after 2hr 25min of action.

Anderson’s big-serving game was back on track and he sent down 15 compared to Stakhovsky’s 10. Double faults were at four apiece.

The lanky South African dominated most of the match statistics, his first service percentage reading 69% to the Ukraine player’s 52% and he also edged the first service winning percentage 78% to 74%.

Seeded 30th for the tournament, Anderson will now come up against seventh seed Thomas Berdych in the third round. This will be the first time that they’ve faced up across the net and will be a stern test for the South African.

Meanwhile South African interest in the men’s doubles ended on Wednesday with Anderson withdrawing as a precautionary measure after some tenderness in his knee. He had been scheduled to team up with Rik de Voest and take on Colombians Alejandro Falla and Santiago Giraldo.