MELBOURNE, Jan 20 - The second round of the Australian Open begins on Wednesday with top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka in action, along with Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: ALCARAZ V HANFMANN

Looking to win the one Grand Slam that has eluded him, Alcaraz began his latest Australian Open campaign with a win over Adam Walton and the 22-year-old is not expected to be troubled by Yannick Hanfmann in the second round.

Alcaraz has been bundled out in the quarter-finals in his last two visits to Melbourne Park, though he was surprised to be up against elite talent like Zverev and Novak Djokovic at that stage of the tournament.

"I think it's unusual to play players (like that) in a quarter-final if you are (number) one or two in the world," he said. "But it isn't an excuse. I just really want to perform better than I did previous years. I'm just feeling this year... I'll probably have the chance to go further."

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: SABALENKA V BAI

World number one Sabalenka was tested early in her first-round match before going on to record a straight-sets win over French qualifier Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah and she may be in for another fight against Bai Zhuoxuan.