Tennis News

Flying Colours: Nadal Aces First-Week Test In Melbourne

Rafael Nadal arrived at the Australian Open without any match practice in 2021, after skipping playing duties at the ATP Cup due to stiffness in his back. But that hasn’t stopped the Spaniard from making a strong start to his bid for a record 21st Grand Slam crown.

The 2009 champion completed a dream first week at Melbourne Park on Saturday, as he defeated Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 to claim his third straight-sets victory in as many rounds. Nadal won 79 per cent of second-serve return points (22/28) to move past the Brit in two hours and 14 minutes and advance to the Round of 16 in Melbourne for the 14th time.

Nadal was handed his biggest test of the week by Norrie on Rod Laver Arena, but he rose to the challenge to recover from a break down in the first set and clinch his 68th win at the opening major championship of the year (68-14). The 34-year-old is four wins away from lifting a record 21st Grand Slam title and becoming the first man in the Open Era (since 1968) to win each of the four major titles on multiple occasions.

Norrie maintained consistent depth on his groundstrokes and attacked Nadal’s backhand to claim the first break of the night on Rod Laver Arena. However, Nadal’s response was emphatic. The Spaniard earned eight of the next nine points, as he flattened his groundstrokes and dominated the centre of the court to force his opponent into uncomfortable positions. Nadal continued to move Norrie across the baseline as the set progressed and he dropped just one point from 5-5 to clinch the opener.

Nadal reduced his unforced error count in the second and third sets and found his rhythm to wear Norrie down from the back of the court. As he did in the first set, Nadal broke at 6-5 in the third set to earn his place in the second week in Melbourne.

Norrie equalled his best Grand Slam run by reaching the third round this week. The 25-year-old, who also reached the third round at last year’s US Open, beat Murray River Open champion Daniel Evans and Roman Safiullin in four sets to book his first ATP Head2Head encounter against Nadal.

Nadal will face Fabio Fognini for a place in the quarter-finals. Fognini needed just under two hours to defeat Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena.

Fognini’s win came just two days after he was forced to save match point in an epic fifth-set Match Tie-break against countryman Salvatore Caruso. With his straight-sets win against De Minaur, Fognini equals Andreas Seppi’s record for most Round of 16 appearances at Melbourne Park by an Italian man (4).

Fognini has made an impressive start to his 2021 campaign, after finishing 2020 with one win from five matches following arthroscopic surgery on both his ankles last May. The 33-year-old was an integral part of Italy’s run to last week’s ATP Cup final (l. to Russia).

Fognini has made Italian history with his win over De Minaur. The Sanremo-born star and his ATP Cup teammate, Matteo Berrettini, are only the second Italian duo in the Open Era to reach the Round of 16 in Melbourne. Fognini also achieved the feat alongside Seppi in 2018.

Nadal will enter his 17th ATP Head2Head match against Fognini with a 12-4 record. Fognini will attempt to earn his second Grand Slam win against Nadal, following his memorable comeback from two sets down against the 13-time Roland Garros champion at the 2015 US Open.

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Third Time Proves The Charm For Kokkinakis/Kyrgios

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios may have fallen in dramatic five-set singles clashes earlier this week at the Australian Open, but the Aussies safely made it through their opening doubles match on Saturday.

The wild cards lost just four points behind their first serves (25/29) to move past Lloyd Harris and Julian Knowle 6-2, 6-4 in 61 minutes. It was Kokkinakis and Kyrgios’ first team win at the Australian Open, following first-round losses at Melbourne Park in 2013 and 2015.

“We know how to play doubles together,” said Kyrgios. “We had some success in juniors, and it’s just basically been about having the chance to play. Obviously it’s nice [that Thanasi is] getting his body right and things [are] linking up… It’s good that we got a win today. I think it was good just to get our bodies moving as well, especially me after last night. Anything is possible if we get a bit of momentum. We’ll see what happens.”

Kokkinakis and Kyrgios will meet fourth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot for a place in the third round.

Alexander Bublik and Andrey Golubev stunned top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round. The Kazakhstani pair claimed 73 per cent of second-serve return points (11/15) to advance in 71 minutes.

Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury needed three sets to win their second-round match. The fifth seeds converted four of their five break points to defeat Tomislav Brkic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Marcelo Melo and Horia Tecau landed 23 winners and did not face a break point en route to a 6-1, 7-6(2) win against Radu Albot and Daniel Evans. The seventh seeds will meet Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek for a place in the quarter-finals. Dodig and Polasek won 91 per cent of their first-serve points (31/34) to beat Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 6-4, 7-5.

John Millman and Thiago Monteiro also overcame British opposition to reach the third round. The Australian-Brazilian tandem recovered from a set down to beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Millman and Tiafoe will meet second seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the third round.

Nicholas Monroe and Frances Tiafoe recovered from 2-6, 1-4 down and saved two match points to defeat Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov 2-6, 7-6(9), 6-2 on Court 7. The Americans will face Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald in their next match. Daniell and Oswald overcame Dominik Koepfer and Tennys Sandgren 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-2 in two hours and six minutes.

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Australian Open: Karolina Pliskova breaks racquets in loss, Ashleigh Barty wins

Karolina Pliskova smashes two racquets and argues with the umpire in her third-round loss to Karolina Muchova at the Australian Open.

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Phillip Island Trophy: Katie Boulter loses to Daria Kasatkina in first round

Britain’s Katie Boulter loses to Daria Kasatkina for the second time in a week at the Phillip Island Trophy.

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Australian Open: Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram reach third round

Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram continue their Australian Open title defence with a second-round win over Tomislav Brkic and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.

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Rublev Remains Unbeaten In 2021, Next Faces Ruud

Andrey Rublev completed a flawless first week at the Australian Open on Saturday, as he defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Round of 16 in Melbourne.

The seventh seed ripped 33 winners, including five on his return, to advance after one hour and 32 minutes. Rublev is yet to lose a set at Melbourne Park this year. The Russian has dropped 34 games en route to his second straight appearance in the Round of 16.

“I have known Feliciano for a long time. We have practised a lot and we are good friends,” said Rublev, in an on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be a tough match because of the way he is playing. He has an amazing serve, an amazing slice and volley, so I knew he was not going to give me rhythm.”

Rublev extends his unbeaten start to this year to 7-0. The 23-year-old opened his 2021 campaign with four wins en route to the ATP Cup title.

Rublev joins ATP Cup teammates Daniil Medvedev and Aslan Karatsev in the fourth round. This is the first Grand Slam to feature three Russian men in the Round of 16 since 2007 Roland Garros (Andreev, Davydenko, Youzhny).

Lopez started the match strong on serve, which frustrated Rublev as he failed to convert his first three break points at 3-2 in the first set. The Russian found himself under pressure in his next service game, but escaped danger with strong serving and aggressive play from the baseline.

Rublev found a way past Lopez’s net-rushing tactics to take the first set with a late service break and he charged to victory from that point. Through the second and third sets, Rublev faced just one break point and earned three service breaks to clinch victory. The seven-time ATP Tour titlist closed the match with a love service hold, as Lopez fired a backhand return beyond the baseline.

“The first set was [a] really nervous [one]. I had a couple of chances and he had a couple of chances but, in the end, I made it,” said Rublev. “After the first set, I started to feel a little bit better and I think he was a little bit more down because he had tough matches in the first two rounds. He was maybe a bit more tired and I felt confident. I was playing better and better.”

Rublev will attempt to reach his maiden Australian Open quarter-final on Monday when he meets 24th seed Casper Ruud — for the third time in their ATP Head2Head rivalry (Rublev leads 2-0) — in the Round of 16. The 22-year-old reached the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Radu Albot.

“It is going to be really tough [against Ruud]. Casper is a really great player,” said Rublev. “We played a couple of times and it was always a great match, with great intensity. He is in great shape, he won really great matches, so we will see what is going to happen. I need to prepare mentally and physically, there are going to be long rallies and it is going to be high intensity.”

Ruud has been knocking on the door of a breakthrough since the ATP Tour’s resumption last year. The Norwegian reached back-to-back Grand Slam third rounds at the US Open and Roland Garros, and toppled the likes of Karen Khachanov and Matteo Berrettini at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on his way to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

Ruud continued breaking new ground in the new year, recording his best Australian Open result with victories over Jordan Thompson and Tommy Paul to reach the third round.

Taking on Albot in their second career clash, the Norwegian cruised in the opening set, but faced strong resistance from his Moldovan opponent as he battled back to take the second set. Ruud recovered to take it in four after nearly three hours on court, finishing the match with 45 winners and nine aces.

Ruud’s victory marks a major milestone for Norwegian tennis. The 2020 Buenos Aires champion is now the second player from Norway to reach this stage at a Grand Slam, following in the footsteps of his father, Christian Ruud, who achieved the same feat at the 1997 Australian Open.

? @CasperRuud98 is the second ?? to reach R4 at a Grand Slam.

The first? His father, Christian, at the 1997 @AustralianOpen. pic.twitter.com/lecwZy0Kcd

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 13, 2021

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Australian Open: Daniil Medvedev wins despite coach walking out

Daniil Medvedev’s coach walks out of his Australian Open third-round match as the Russian blows a two-set lead before winning.

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Felix Ready To Meet The Moment

There has never been a question about Felix Auger-Aliassime’s talent. But that won’t be all that is put to the test on Sunday at the Australian Open when the #NextGenATP Canadian plays Aslan Karatsev for a spot in his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Will the 20-year-old be able to play his best tennis?

Last Sunday, Auger-Aliassime suffered a crushing loss in the final of the Murray River Open. The #NextGenATP Canadian played his seventh ATP Tour final, and for the seventh time he failed to win a set with hardware on the line. On this occasion, Felix won just five games against Daniel Evans, who is ranked lower than him. The Canadian made 32 unforced errors, averaging nearly two per game.

But Auger-Aliassime quickly recovered mentally and physically for the start of the Australian Open the next day. A week later, it’s like that match never happened.

Auger-Aliassime has been in command during the season’s first major, advancing to the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the second time. The 20th seed, who hasn’t lost a set, beat close friend and 11th seed Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 on Friday to reach the Round of 16. He struck only 29 unforced errors, averaging less than one per game.

“To come through in three sets like that, it means a lot,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It’s good for my level, my confidence, and hopefully I can build on from this.”

Felix will try to find his top level against World No. 114 Karatsev in one of the biggest matches of his life. Before he played Evans in the Murray River Open final, a reporter asked if there’s a risk of wanting it too much in the big moments.

“I think you need to want it quite a lot. I think when I want it a lot, I’m going to bring my best focus on every point,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I’m going to try to be steady in what I do, to be focussed from the start. But no, I don’t see wanting it too much as a worry, to be honest.”

According to ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert, the former World No. 4, Auger-Aliassime will have to keep things simple to avoid turning his own game into his toughest opponent.

“You focus on tactics, Xs and Os. Watch some videos of the guy playing and understand what he does well and what you can take advantage of. [You have to think that] it’s not the Round of 16. It’s one match, one opponent,” Gilbert said. “That’s why you don’t think [about how] this is your first opportunity to get to the quarters. Nope. Just think about their strengths and weaknesses.”

In Felix’s first appearance in the fourth round of a major at last year’s US Open, he made 51 unforced errors in a straight-sets defeat against Dominic Thiem, who won the tournament.

“When he seems like he’s a little bit tight about something — like all of a sudden when he played Thiem in the Round of 16 at the US Open — he just starts missing everything,” Gilbert said. “That’s what’s happened in these seven ATP finals because it’s unexplainable that he can’t win a set.”

This time, Auger-Aliassime will be the favourite against Karatsev, who is competing in his first Grand Slam main draw. Entering the week, the big-hitting Russian owned just three tour-level wins. But he looked like a Top 20 player in dismissing eighth seed Diego Schwartzman in straight sets in the third round.

“From my perspective he’s not a Russian qualifier now. He’s a Russian playing in the Round of 16. It’s a tough task,” Auger-Aliassime said. “No matches are easy. We saw what he was able to do against Diego, who is a great player and a tough opponent to beat.

“I’ve played him before. I know how good he’s able to play. I’m going to be ready to face the challenge, ready to compete, and of course try my best to go through to next round.”

Auger-Aliassime has played nearly flawless tennis through three rounds at Melbourne Park. Will he be able to bring his best once more to reach the last eight?

“To be great, when the stakes get higher, it’s all about being able to use your game,” Gilbert said. “The circumstances usually mean you elevate [your level].”

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Andy Murray through to semi-finals at ATP Challenger in Biella

Britain’s Andy Murray is through to the semi-finals of the ATP Challenger in Biella, Italy, after a 6-4 7-6 (11-9) victory over Slovenia’s Blaz Rola.

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Djokovic In Fitness Race After Fritz Thriller

Novak Djokovic showed great physical and mental strength to overcome injury and an in-form Taylor Fritz over five sets at the Australian Open on Friday night.

Following his three-hour, 25-minute triumph against the American, the World No. 1 discussed the unfortunate moment that caused his injury and what happened during his off-court medical timeout.

“[In the] beginning of the third set, I made this quick move on the return going to the forehand, rotating there, and I just felt a tear, I felt something happen,” said Djokovic. “[I] went out for a medical timeout where I was tested [and] evaluated. I have huge pain. I took the highest dose of anti-inflammatories possible.”

When Djokovic returned to the court, he was unable to stop Fritz from taking the next two sets as he struggled with his game, particularly on the forehand side. In a one-set shootout for a place in the fourth round, Djokovic took consistent risks on his second serve and claimed two breaks to reach the Australian Open Round of 16 for the 14th time.

“I honestly don’t know how I won this match,” said Djokovic. “I’m very proud. At the same time, [I am] sad and worried, because it’s definitely something serious happening with my injury. I don’t have much time to recover for the next match.”

Djokovic is due to meet Milos Raonic on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. The 17-time Grand Slam champion is taking all precautions to give himself the best possible chance of being ready to contest his 12th ATP Head2Head encounter against the Canadian (Djokovic leads 11-0).

“[I am] definitely not training tomorrow,” said Djokovic. “I’m coming here to evaluate further with [the] doctor and medical team, and do some ultrasound. [I will then] understand what’s really going on, so that the doctor and medical team can prescribe [the] best possible treatment, and the only [way] that I could even have the slightest chance to go out in less than 48 hours.”

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