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Roger Federer begins the defense of his Australian Open title on Day 2 in Melbourne Park, but his opener against Aljaz Bedene is easily lost among the many intriguing matchups elsewhere in the bottom half of the men's draw. On the women's side, the looming question is whether top-ranked Simona Halep will break her Melbourne Park jinx. She has lost in the first round of the tournament for the past two years, to Shuai Zhang and Shelby Rogers, respectively. The draw has been kinder this year: Halep plays No. 193 ranked Aussie wild card Destanne Aiava, who is 17 years old. Here are three of the most compelling Day 2 pairings. No. 14 seed Novak Djokovic vs. No. 61 Donald Young (Djokovic leads series, 2-0) It's rare that a successful pro significantly alters his stroke mechanics, so pundits are eager to see how Djokovic's new service motion holds up under the pressure of match play. The former world No. 1 made the change because of the elbow injury that forced him off the tour during Wimbledon last year. "It's not entirely different, but at the beginning, even those small tweaks and changes have made a lot of difference mentally," Djokovic told the media on Saturday in Melbourne. "I needed time to kind of get used to that change, understand whether that's good or not good for me."  The six-time Australian Open champion also experienced some personal turmoil and motivational issues after completing his career Grand Slam in mid-2016. Has he relegated all of that to the past? Meanwhile, Young has been treading water lately, but he did reach the round of 16 at the Indian Wells and Miami masters last year, under comparably ambient conditions. He doesn't have the game to smother Djokovic or blast him off the court, but Young is a tricky southpaw whose abundant use of spins and slices could present problems for a favorite who will be playing his first competitive match in six months. No. 17 seed Madison Keys vs. No. 44 Qiang Wang (first meeting) Wang is 25 and has never been past the second round at a Grand Slam event. But in 2016, she eliminated Keys' good friend -- and fellow 2017 US Open singles finalist Sloane Stephens -- from the Australian Open. That ought to be enough to make Keys and her team sit up and pay attention, especially because Keys hasn't won a match since she lost that Flushing Meadows final to Stephens. However, Keys' team is optimistic about the immediate future. She took most of the fall off to fully heal her troublesome left wrist, and she also whipped herself into what her coach Lindsay Davenport says is the best shape of her life. Keys has played just one match this year, in Brisbane, Australia, where she fell just short of taking out No. 5 seed Johanna Konta in a high-quality match. Keys will be the favorite, but caution is advised: Wang is one of the trio of disciplined Chinese players who occupy the midrange of the WTA top 100. She is solid at the baseline and has nothing to lose. Keys cannot afford to have one of those familiar lapses that have often marred her progress. No. 12 Juan Martin del Potro vs. No. 79 Frances Tiafoe (first meeting) Tiafoe is just 19, with but one younger player ranked above him (Canada's 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov). The American challenger might be looking at this match as a chance to improve upon his first-round, near-upset of Federer at the most recent US Open. Tiafoe played five matches against top 10 opponents last year, winning one over generational rival No. 4 Alexander Zverev.  Delpo is back up to No. 11. Just last week, he reached the final at Auckland, New Zealand. He has been a persistent threat to win at the majors, but the wrist surgeries and extensive layoffs since that spectacular upset of Federer in the 2009 US Open final have left scar tissue on his heart as well as his body. That ultimate breakthrough still eludes him. Last year, del Potro upset Federer at the US Open but then lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal. Although del Potro moves well for a big man, he's still not nimble or explosive in the way Tiafoe is. Del Potro prefers to engage in hitting contests driven by his forehand. If Tiafoe can avoid getting sucked into them -- and concentrates on moving his opponent enough to keep him off balance -- he'll have a chance. Upset Special: Eighteen-year-old Aussie wild card Alex De Minaur is breaking out (7-2 in his most recent matches, including wins against Steve Johnson, Milos Raonic and Feliciano Lopez). Look for him to take out No. 19 seed Tomas Berdych.
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