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Fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka advances in Australian Open

By The Sports Xchange
Stan Wawrinka, of Switzerland. Photo by Ray Stubblebine/UPI
Stan Wawrinka, of Switzerland. Photo by Ray Stubblebine/UPI | License Photo

Stan Wawrinka, who needed five sets to get through his first-round match at the Australian Open, had an easier time in the second round.

The fourth-seeded Swiss player dumped 33rd-ranked American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday at Melbourne, Australia.

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Wawrinka, 31, won the most recent major tournament, the 2016 U.S. Open, for his third Grand Slam title. He previously captured the 2015 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open.

Johnson, 27, is still looking for his first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. His best result in a major tournament was reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last summer.

In other second-round action Wednesday, fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan rolled past France's Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. Chardy finished with more winners in the match, 23-21, but had a huge edge in unforced errors 53-30.

Tenth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic eliminated American Ryan Harrison 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-2, while France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 12th seed, knocked out Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

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The Wednesday schedule also featured 17th-seeded Roger Federer against American Noah Rubin, while top-seeded Andy Murray of Great Britain was set to face Russia's Andrey Rublev. Three seeded Americans -- No. 19 John Isner, No. 23 Jack Sock and No. 31 Sam Querrey -- were also due to play second-round matches.

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