On Day 2, while the majority of the Eastern Time Zone was asleep, there were two impressive upsets at Melbourne Park. In a match that had moments that brought back memories of their 2009 Australian Open semifinal, Fernando Verdasco defeated Rafael Nadal 7-6 4-6 3-6 7-6 6-2. The match lasted more than four hours and sent the world No. 5 packing.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Simona Halep fell into an early slump in Melbourne, falling to Shuai Zhang 6-4 6-3. It was an unlikely result for the world No. 133, who entered the draw via the qualifiers.

As Day 3 ushered in the second round, an unpredictable tournament resumed. However, in early action, stability resumed with the favorites in the women’s draw as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were both met with little resistance.

Sharapova was first up in Rod Laver arena and cruised past Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-1. The fifth seed overpowered the Minsk native, who could only muster six winners in 71 minutes. Meanwhile, the veteran won nearly twice as many points as her young opponent. There were no signs of nerves by the 28-year-old, but she was happy to get the match behind her. “It's great to be back on this court,” said Sharapova. “To play my first match on Rod Laver Arena is always special, getting those jitters out the way.”

Su-Wei Hsieh had very little for Williams in the second match on Laver. It was a case of too much power by the top seed, who disposed of the native of Chinese Taipei 6-1 6-2. The American did not serve at her best, but 26 winners fueled her victory. In the post-match courtside interview, Williams admitted that she is always happy to return to Melbourne. “It all started here,” recalled Serena. “This is where I played my first Grand Slam right on this court, and I’m still going. It’s such an honor.”

The third match on the court featured a contrast in styles, when third-seeded Roger Federer met Alexandr Dolgopolov. And it was the steady play of the Swiss star that prevailed 6-3 7-5 6-1. It was a big serving day for Federer, who fired 25 aces. His consistent pressure narrowed the margin of error for the Ukrainian, who committed 38 unforced errors, many at key points early in the match. Federer advanced to the third round with the win.