MELBOURNE, Australia — Roger Federer picked up where he left off at the last Australian Open.
Federer, the defending champion, beat Aljaz Bedene, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, on Tuesday in a night match, his first on Rod Laver Arena since clinching a career-reviving title here last year. He’s been met on court after wins here previously by the tennis greats Laver, John McEnroe and Jim Courier.
On Tuesday night, he got something different. The comedian Will Ferrell stepped out of the crowd and, slipping into character as Ron Burgundy from the movie “Anchorman,” conducted the post-match interview.
Angelique Kerber, the 2016 Australian Open winner, continued her resurgent run with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Anna-Lena Friedsam to extend her streak to 10 consecutive wins.