Serena Williams thrashed Dayana Yastremska at the Australian Open on Saturday and then said the teenager’s reaction to such a heavy defeat “really broke my heart”.

Williams needed just 67 minutes to dispose of the Ukrainian as the 23-time grand slam winner set up a much-anticipated fourth-round clash with top seed Simona Halep.

Yastremska was distraught after the match and emotional when she met Williams at the net.

“You were amazing – don’t cry,” Williams told her opponent.

“You’re amazing. You’re so young. You’re gonna make me cry.”

The pair embraced in a heart-warming moment and Williams later told reporters that while it was hard to see, it showed her opponent “was there to win”.

“As she was walking towards the net, I could tell she was quite upset,” she said.

“I kind of like that. It shows she wasn’t just there to play a good match, she was there to win.

“I think she’s a good talent. It’s good to see that attitude.”

Yastremska sung the praises of Williams in her post-match media commitments and said the words of her opponent really comforted her.

“She’s a nice person. She’s the type of person that can be even on court nice. It was really nice to hear from her those words, especially after this kind of match,” she said.

“She is nice, she told me a couple of nice words when we met in the changing room that ‘You’re young, very good and will be a good player in the future’.

“It’s nice to hear those words from a legend. If she thinks that, maybe it’s true.”

Passing Shots

Our wrap-up of the weird and wonderful on day six at the Open starts with Novak Djokovic’s unhappiness at the event’s organisers.

Djokovic – who beat Denis Shapovalov – was a little terse in his victory as the Melbourne Park crowd cheered for his opponent.

And a decision to turn the court lights on at 5pm had him particularly aggrieved.

“There was no sense to turn on the lights at 5pm when we have another four hours of daylight and I don’t know – did you [crowd] guys see the balls well?” he said on court after his victory.

Novak Djokovic’s mood turned dark as his shadow when they turned on the lights. Photo: EPA/Mast Irham

The crowd cheered and Djokovic went on to say: “I saw them well too. I thought it was completely unnecessary to turn the lights and the explanation that I got was for the TV reason.

“I hope the viewers enjoyed it.”

Interview of the day

Alexander Zverev had no hesitation in poking fun at himself during his on-court interview after defeating Aussie Alex Bolt.

Enjoy.

Getting to know Sascha Zverev in the gym 🏋️‍♂️😂

➡️ Known as "The Skinny Dude" on tour
➡️ Has been called "Asparagus"
➡️ Will never adopt the @RafaelNadal sleeveless#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/RqsdFhrx6O

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 19, 2019

Comeback of the day

Credit to Naomi Osaka, who looked gone for all money against Hsieh Su-wei.

Osaka – US Open champion in 2018 – was one set and 4-1 down and was also given a code violation for throwing and kicking her racquet.

But she produced a terrific response, winning 5-7 6-4 6-1 in terrific fashion.

They said what?

“I misconducted myself verbally.”

Novak Djokovic explains why he got a code violation … in classic Djokovic fashion.