Nadal's new friend, Coco's plea: Australian Open briefs

Brief stories from the Australian Open on Friday: - Nadal meets 'friend' Anita - World number one Rafael Nadal planted a kiss on the cheek of a ballgirl he accidentally hit in the face with a shot on Thursday -- and on Friday, he made it up to her all over again. "Had the chance to meet her and her family today," the 33-year-old tweeted. "So happy she is well after the scariest moment I?ve had on a tennis court. Anita is a brave girl!" Nadal also gave the 13-year-old a cap, according to local media, and signed it, "To my friend, Anita." "He's very friendly and nice, he?s very kind and shows really great sportsmanship," the Herald Sun quoted Anita as saying, adding that she spent about 20 minutes with the tennis ace. - Coco's public plea - Coco Gauff made a very public plea for a selfie with Australian tennis legend Rod Laver -- so she can put it on Instagram. After defeating reigning champion Naomi Osaka in the Melbourne arena named after Laver, the 15-year-old sensation said in an on-court interview: "I walked past him a couple of times in the hallways, I never really said 'hi' because I'm a little bit nervous. "If he sees this, tell him we can set up a meet-up some time. I need a selfie for Instagram." The 81-year-old was quick to reply on Twitter: "Congratulations on your incredible victory tonight. I would love to meet you too." It will be quite a comedown when Gauff's run comes to an end in Melbourne -- she has homework to do. "My teachers are giving me some time considering the circumstances. They're letting me submit some assignments late," she said. - 'What are they doing?' - Ons Jabeur was the toast of Tunisia after sending Caroline Wozniacki into retirement by defeating the former world number one -- but she would have preferred it if they'd just gone to bed. Her match with the Dane was on in the early hours back home and someone showed her a picture of a cafe where fans had stayed up to see her in action on television. "I was like, 'Wow, what they are doing now?' she said. "They should either be in the disco or sleeping." Spain's Rafael Nadal consoles a ballgirl he hit with a shot