Australian Open: Dan Evans into last 32 as opponent Arthur Rinderknech withdraws
Dan Evans gets a bye to the third round of the Australian Open as opponent Arthur Rinderknech withdraws.
Dan Evans gets a bye to the third round of the Australian Open as opponent Arthur Rinderknech withdraws.
There is no doubt that Carlos Alcaraz is making lightning progress in his fledgling career. Evidence of this lies not only in his ATP Ranking, currently No. 31, but also in the way he is coming through his matches at this year’s Australian Open. The maturity with which he is competing in his first tournament of 2022 is not that of an 18-year-old with barely a year’s experience on the ATP Tour.
His shots on court are turning more and more heads off it. His name is starting to appear among the favourites to go deep on the biggest stages on Tour. So much so, that nobody is willing to write him off from the list of hopefuls for the crown in Melbourne Park, including Rafael Nadal.
“Does he have a chance of winning here? Yes, what can I say? Why not?” Nadal said. “He’s a young player that is clearly on the up and we’ll see what happens. At the moment, everything is unpredictable and he’s a player with huge potential.”
A lot has changed since the two Spaniards clashed in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on 5 May 2021, the day of Alcaraz’s eighteenth birthday. Although he had already celebrated his first win at an ATP Masters 1000 event, Alcaraz was still yet to break into the Top 100 and had no titles under his belt. Seven months later, it is a very different story.
“Last year he made big strides up the Rankings and in his level. I’m sure he will do so again this year. From there, we’ll see from day to day where his potential takes him,” Nadal said of Alcaraz’s future. “At the end of the day, when you have all that potential and you’re a hard worker too, it’s unlikely things will go badly for you. You would expect him to have more chances to fight for big things as each tournament goes by.”
Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, agrees with Nadal. “Of course, Rafa’s words are wonderful and we’re grateful for them. I really agree with what he said. He has potential. Now we just need to see when he fulfils it at an important tournament like this one.”
Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
This January marks the start of their fourth season together. During those years, in which Alcaraz has sculpted his game under the orders of the former World No. 1, he has been able to monitor his progress. Even at this early point in his career, the Murcia-native has what it takes to square up to any opponent.
“Right now, his youth is a positive and a negative,” Ferrero explained. “Positive because of the desire and motivation, as well as being physically fit. Negative because he still lacks experience in many situations.”
Another player who knows him very well is Pablo Carreño Busta, who has also reached the third round of this Australian Open. They share a team at the Academia Equelite-Juan Carlos Ferrero in Villena (Alicante, Spain).
“Carlos has been working well at the academy for many years. With all that work, quality and potential he has, he will continue to deliver,” Carreno Busta said. “He’s getting very good results, but they will get better.”
Having shared a training court with him so many times, Carreno Busta knows Alcaraz better, perhaps, than any other player.
“He still has room for improvement. Apart from having winning shots from anywhere, there are situations on court that perhaps he isn’t managing as well as he could,” Carreno Busta said. “But through training and desire — which he has no lack of — I’m sure he will grow and get increasingly better.”
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
While everyone else is putting his first steps under the microscope, the man himself is enjoying a meteoric learning curve which, so far, is yet to level off.
“I’m playing very well,” Alcaraz said. “I know where to be at difficult moments and I feel good about how I feel on court. I’m ready to give any player a match right now.”
His performance in competition continues to feed his confidence, but where does Alcaraz himself feel he has progressed the most?
“I think I’ve improved most in my attitude, in knowing what is happening on court. I think I’ve matured a lot in reading the match, what I’m doing well and what I’m doing badly,” Alcaraz said. “Changing things that aren’t going well for me. That area is where I’ve improved a lot, which is making me mature and progress more rapidly.”
And, finally, amid all the praise showered on his pupil, Ferrero has one more thing to say: “Of course he’s thinking about winning here some time; this year, next year, or whenever. Let’s hope it’s as soon as possible. He’s working very well, he’s had a very good preseason and he’s playing very well. But to win here you have to beat very good and experienced players that are just as well-prepared as he is so, as Rafa said, anything can happen, but let’s not build it up any more.”
Nobody has had a better view of Alcaraz’s journey from a boy with potential to a man to watch in Australia.
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If you ask Nick Kyrgios, the best player in the world right now is Daniil Medvedev — the man he’ll be squaring off against on Thursday night in Melbourne. As for Medvedev, his pick to win the 2022 Australian Open hails from Spain.
“I always say that whoever is the highest-ranked is the favourite. So this time I’m going to go with Rafa, because he has 20 Grand Slams,” the World No. 2 said with a laugh in a recent interview.
Of course, Medvedev is the top-ranked man in the Australian Open field following the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic. But Kyrgios has the firepower to pull off what only the World No. 1 has managed to do in the past 12 months: beat the Russian at a hard-court Slam.
“It’s going to be a hell of an experience for me,” said the fan-favourite Aussie. “I’m pretty excited for that moment. That’s why I play the game.”
Kyrgios has made John Cain Arena his home throughout his AO career, and he did so again on Tuesday in a flashy 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 first-round win against British qualifier Liam Broady. On Thursday, he’ll take his talents—underhand tweener serve and all—to Rod Laver Arena.
History says that Kyrgios matches up well with Medvedev. He holds a 2-0 ATP Head2Head record against the reigning US Open champion, though both those matches came in 2019 as Medvedev was first breaking into the Top 10.
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
You’ll have to go even further back—to late 2017—to see Andy Murray’s name in the Top 10. But the former World No. 1 is increasingly showing that sort of form in recent months. After wins over Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz and Carlos Alcaraz to close out 2021, Murray has continued to raise the bar in the new year.
On the heels of a run to the Sydney Tennis Classic final, the five-time Australian Open finalist produced a trademark win against 23rd seed Nikoloz Basilashvili to reach the second round in Melbourne. The 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 result made it two wins over the Georgian in two weeks for Murray, and gave the Scot a win in his first AO appearance since the emotional 2019 tournament at which he announced his potential retirement.
Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel stands between Murray and what would be his second trip to the third round of a Slam since 2017 (Wimbledon 2021).
“I would love to have a deep run here if possible,” Murray said following his first-round win. “It is something I have not had at one of the Slams since I came back from the injury and it is something that motivates me. I have played some of my best tennis here over the years and I feel comfortable here.”
Murray could face a rematch with Sinner, who he beat in Stockholm in November, in the third round. The 11th-seeded Italian faces American Steve Johnson on Thursday in the Margaret Court Arena nightcap.
This is all in a quarter anchored by fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who made a smooth return from an elbow injury in a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 first-round win over Sweden’s Mikael Ymer. A semi-finalist last year in Melbourne, the Greek faces Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in the second round.
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
An all-American tussle between 20th seed Taylor Fritz and 2019 AO quarter-finalist Frances Tiafoe will play out on John Cain Arena, with Fritz playing his first Slam as the No. 1 American man. The California native earned that distinction by reaching the semi-finals at Indian Wells in October, and he’s carried that form into 2022 with a pair of three-set ATP Cup wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie.
Other notable matchups in the Tsitsipas section include 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov against Benoit Paire and 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In the draw’s bottom quarter, veteran Richard Gasquet and rising 26-year-old Botic van de Zandschulp will face off for the right to take on the Medvedev-Kyrgios winner. Playing in his first Aussie Open since 2018, the 35-year-old Gasquet upset fellow Frenchman and 29th seed Ugo Humbert 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 in the first round. If he can beat the Dutchman on Thursday, he’ll be through to the Round of 32 at a Slam for the first time since 2018.
Van de Zandschulp, who reached a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 56 last week, will be motivated by the prospect of a rematch with Medvedev. The two met for the first time in the US Open quarter-finals, where the Russian advanced in four sets. But the Dutch No. 1, who qualified for the New York main draw, was the only player to take a set off the eventual champion that fortnight.
Andrey Rublev, having shown no signs of rust in his 2022 debut, will take on Ricardas Berankis as he looks to continue on a quarter-final collision course with Medvedev. Rounding out the bottom section’s seeded action are ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime (vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina), 13th seed Diego Schwartzman (vs. Christopher O’Connell), 24th seed Daniel Evans (vs. Arthur Rinderknech) and 27th seed Marin Cilic (vs. qualifier Norbert Gombos).
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More success means more matches, and that doesn’t always make things easy. Just ask Aslan Karatsev.
The 18th seed had treatment on his leg after three games but was able to summon enough energy to battle past American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 Wednesday night in the second round of the Australian Open.
There were just 48 hours between the Russian’s victory over Andy Murray in the Sydney Tennis Classic final and his four-hour, 52 minute first-round epic in Melbourne with Jaume Munar on Monday. All the time spent on court appeared to be catching up with him early against McDonald, as he went 3-0 down early in the first set and immediately called for the physio.
World No. 55 McDonald saw out the first set but whatever had bothered the Russian early on seemed to fade away as his powerful baseline game came to the fore and he eased to victory in two hours and 33 minutes on Kia Arena.
It was the first meeting between two players who both made a name for themselves in Melbourne a year ago: Karatsev stunned Diego Schwartzman, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Grigor Dimitrov on his way to the semi-finals (l. to Djokovic), while McDonald made the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time before losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Karatsev has made sustained progress since that run in Melbourne, culminating last week with his third tour-level title in Sydney. A key factor in this success has been his ability to hit clean winners, and he led comfortably in this category once again against McDonald, hitting 43 compared to his opponent’s 19.
After his bright start the American struggled on serve, with Karatsev breaking seven times on his way to victory. The Russian established early leads in the second and third sets and never looked back. Although breaks were exchanged early in the fourth, Karatsev crunched a forehand for another break at 4-2 that was ultimately enough to see him through.
The next test for Karatsev is another player he has never faced before, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. The World No. 69 set the third-round clash by shocking 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
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Alexander Zverev showed his rivals he means business at the Australian Open as he produced an efficient performance Wednesday, downing Australian John Millman 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the third round in Melbourne.
The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion was strong on serve throughout his one-hour, 59-minute victory, firing 14 aces and winning 85 per cent (47/55) of points behind his first delievery against a resilient Millman, who was backed by a vocal crowd on Rod Laver Arena.
“Sport needs atmosphere and the people,” Zverev said when asked about the crowd on Rod Laver Arena. “It doesn’t matter if you are for me or against me, I enjoy the atmosphere and I enjoy being on court in front of all of you guys. I think spectators bring the emotions, and sport without spectators is like sport without emotions, so I think it is incredible to play in front of everybody.”
The German, who has yet to drop a set in Melbourne, found his range as the match went on, committing seven unforced errors in the third set compared to 15 in the opener. Zverev will next face Radu Albot after the World No. 124 downed Australian wild card Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-4.
With his victory, the World No. 3 has extended his perfect 9-0 record against players at their home Grand Slams. The 19-time tour-level champion defeated Australian Alex Bolt in the third round in Melbourne in 2019.
Zverev now leads Millman 3-0 in their ATPHead2Head series and has advanced to the third round six years in a row. The 24-year-old’s best result at the first major of the year came in 2020 when he reached the semi-finals.
“My tactic today was to hit the ball as hard as possible,” Zverev added. “Hopefully I can hit it even harder in the next match and then the next match and then even harder against Rafa!”
Job done ✅
??@AlexZverev defeats John Millman 6-4 6-4 6-0 to advance to the third round of #AO2022.
?: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/RhzynJ8UMY
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 19, 2022
In a lively start, three breaks were exchanged, with two going Zverev’s way. The German’s timing was slightly off in the opening set from the baseline as he committed 15 unforced errors to 14 winners. However, he kept Millman at bay to move ahead after 47 minutes.
The German was then made to work hard in the second set, saving two break points at 3-2, 15/40, with two big first serves to hold. Millman won one more point (27-26) than Zverev in the set, but the World No. 3 was the better player in the pressure moments as he seized further control.
Zverev produced his best tennis of the match in the third set, dictating from the baseline as he crushed forehands and hammered backhands to outmanoeuvre Millman and advance.
Millman was making his eighth appearance on home soil in Melbourne but could not find the victory that the Aussie crowd craved as he tried to reach the third round for the third time.
In other action, 17th seed Gael Monfils maintained his strong start to the season, downing Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 to reach the third round for the 11th time.
The Frenchman, who won his 11th tour-level title at the Adelaide International 1 earlier this month, fired 34 winners and committed just nine unforced errors to dispatch the World No. 37 after one hour and 34 minutes.
“I had a tough time and now I feel great and strong,” Monfils said in his on-court interview. “You guys are back and I am back and hopefully I will do well. I was born ready [on the challenge ahead].”
Monfils will next face Cristian Garin after the 16th seed clawed past Pedro Martinez 6-7(1), 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 after four hours and 35 minutes. It is the first time Garin has advanced to the third round in Melbourne.
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Denis Shapovalov took the long road into his third Australian Open third round in a five-set comeback win over South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon. The No. 14 seed had chances to win each of the first three sets but took only one of them before battling to a 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-2 win on Margaret Court Arena.
With the fourth set knotted a 5-all, Shapovalov strung together consecutive breaks to force a fifth and then edge ahead 3-0 In the decider. He saw that advantage home against the World No. 54, advancing after four hours, 25 minutes.
“I’ll probably sleep in the ice bath tonight,” he joked in his on-court interview. ”It was a great match. I’m really happy to get the win today. I just fought through it.”
The match started comfortably for Shapovalov, who opened up a double break lead and served for the opening set at 5-4. Pushed to a tie-break, he sealed the set with an ace after Kwon contributed three crucial errors in the tie-break.
But Kwon’s aggressive tactics at the big moments paid off late in the next two sets. The South Korean showed no fear as he saved a set point on serve at 5-4 in the second, then hit four winners as he powered through the tie-break.
Shapovalov let two leads slip in set three. After surrendering a break advantage midway through, he found himself in danger at 5-6, 30-all. Six big serves later, he was up a mini-break at 5-2 in the tie-break. But Kwon showed punch on his own delivery and took full advantage of a trio of Shapovalov miscues to steal the set.
It was red alert for the Canadian at break point down early in the fourth, but a flicked backhand overhead got him out of danger as he held for 3-2. As the match wore on, the Canadian took control, ultimately winning eight of the match’s last 10 games to escape with the win.
He finished with 29 aces to go along with his seven breaks of serve.
There will likely be more tie-breaks in Shapovalov’s future, as he will take on 23rd seed Reilly Opelka in the third round. The 23rd-seeded American beat Dominik Koepfer, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4), earlier on Thursday.
“I’ll just try to make as many returns as possible and try to hold my serve,” he previewed. “He’s a great guy and it’ll be a great match.
