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Zverev Stuns Murray

  • Posted: Jan 22, 2017

Zverev Stuns Murray

German records breakthrough win on Rod Laver Arena

Mischa Zverev produced a bold display of tennis on Sunday to shock top seed Andy Murray 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the fourth-round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

With the win, Zverev moves into his first Grand Slam quarter-final. He broke Murray eight times in the match to score the upset in three hours and 33 minutes. He now plays the winner between No. 17 seed Roger Federer and fifth seed Kei Nishikori.

The win records a remarkable career turnaround over the past two years for Zverev, who was ranked No. 1,067 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in March 2015. 

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Australian Open 2017: Dan Evans' challenge ended by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

  • Posted: Jan 22, 2017

Britain’s Dan Evans had his best run at a Grand Slam ended by a 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4 6-4 loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16 of the Australian Open.

Evans, ranked 51 in the world, started off promisingly as he traded blows with the Frenchman before winning the opening set on a tie-break.

But Tsonga’s heavy hitting and big serving took its toll as the 12th seed won the next three sets.

Tsonga will play 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.

Evans, who reached his first ATP final this month and beat former US Open champion Marin Cilic and home favourite Bernard Tomic to reach the last 16, survived long enough to be the last remaining Briton in the men’s singles after Andy Murray’s shock defeat by Mischa Zverev.

He had to fend off four break points in the first set, while having only one on the Tsonga serve, before threatening to repeat the shocks of earlier rounds by taking the tie-break.

However, Tsonga heeded the warning and quickly went 4-0 up in the second set as he began to dominate Evans with his powerful and accurate hitting.

While Evans sporadically threatened the 2008 finalist, and managed 43 winners to Tsonga’s 59, the Frenchman was always in control after the first set and won the match with a service game to love.

“Dan played good tennis and he had nothing to lose,” said Tsonga.

“It was difficult for me because he was hitting the ball really early. After that the game was pretty difficult, then I went over him and finished strong.

“I’ve played pretty good since the start of the tournament. It will be a good challenge against Stan Wawrinka – he’s playing unbelievably.”

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Dimitrov Breezes Into Round Of 16 At 2 A.M.

  • Posted: Jan 21, 2017

Dimitrov Breezes Into Round Of 16 At 2 A.M.

Bulgarian improves to 8-0 in 2017

Grigor Dimitrov was eager to avoid a late-night marathon at the Australian Open on Saturday, dispatching 18th seed Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and two minutes to advance to the fourth round.

After Rafael Nadal’s five-set victory over Alexander Zverev extended the day session on Rod Laver Arena, Dimitrov and Gasquet didn’t get underway until 11:58 p.m. local time in Melbourne. The seventh battle between two of the more majestic one-handed backhands on tour would go the way of the Bulgarian in convincing fashion. He fired 48 winners, including 11 aces, while turning aside six of seven break points faced. He continued his impressive start to the season, remaining undefeated (8-0) after lifting his fifth ATP World Tour trophy in Brisbane two weeks ago.

The lead changed hands early in the first set, but a break to love for 5-3 gave Dimitrov the decisive advantage. He would escape a 0/40 hole in the next game and eventually closed out the opener on his fourth set point. Dimitrov was off to the races from there, breaking immediately to open the second set and once again in the seventh game to take a commanding two-set lead.

A rifled backhand winner and Gasquet unforced error would hand the 15th seed the lead in the opening game of the third set and he did not look back, securing the victory at exactly 2:00 a.m. on his second match point. The record for latest finish at Melbourne Park is 4:33 a.m., set by Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in a 2008 third-round thriller.

“Lately I’ve been struggling with my sleeping and going to bed late, so this is great,” Dimitrov joked. “It’s my first win on this court so I’m embracing this moment. Thanks to all the fans who stayed here.

“A match like that, it helps me. It helps me to have more confidence, to feel better on the court, more secure in my shots. Just a lot of positives. I take a lot of positives out of that match. The first couple of matches were so-so in my opinion. To be able to come out tonight and step up against a player like Richard, it means a lot to me and gives me good credit. At the same time I just need to focus now, just need to keep the same line, just control what I can.”

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It was Dimitrov’s second straight victory over Gasquet, having most recently prevailed at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in October. The Frenchman had previously won their first five FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters from 2011-15.

Dimitrov will feature in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open for the third time in four years. His best finish came in 2014, when he upset Milos Raonic en route to the quarter-finals (l. to Nadal). He will look to match that result with a win over wild card Denis Istomin on Monday. It will be just their second encounter.

Istomin continued his dream run in Melbourne by reaching the second week here for the first time in 11 attempts. Two days after his monumental five-set win over second seed and two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, the wild card prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over Pablo Carreno Busta.

“It was mentally tough because after beating Novak I didn’t want to lose three sets in a row, and then everybody saying that I’m was too tired,” Istomin said. “I recovered well. I was ready for the match. I think I played good, as well. The conditions were different. The centre court is much slower than that court. So my return wasn’t working like with Novak. Carreno Busta is a big server. But in the end I’m happy to win.”

Istomin fired 16 aces and 51 winners throughout the match, but was most impressive with his stamina. He still looked fresh deep in the fifth set while the Spaniard appeared tired from the hours of long baseline rallies. Istomin raced through the final four games of the match, converting his second match point on a backhand error from Carreno Busta.

The 30 year old from Uzbekistan will aim to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final against Dimitrov.

“With Grigor, I think I beat him when he was like 17 in a Challenger,” Istomin added. “It was a tough match. But I lost to him in Shanghai [in 2014]. He’s been in the Top 10 so I will try to play like I played with Novak and today, and we will see.”

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Zverev Feeling Positive Despite Loss To Nadal

  • Posted: Jan 21, 2017

Zverev Feeling Positive Despite Loss To Nadal

German looks forward to a big season on tour

Alexander Zverev had Rafael Nadal on the ropes again. The 19-year-old German led the Spaniard two sets to one on Saturday during their third-round match at the Australian Open.

But for the second time in the past 11 months, Nadal rallied to come back against Zverev, sending the #NextGenATP star home after a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 win that lasted more than four hours.

Zverev, however, felt positive about the performance. “Even now I’m disappointed, but I know that this was a great match. That was a great fight. There are a lot of positives in this match. I think he’s probably one of the fittest tennis players in the history of the game,” Zverev said. “Obviously I wanted to win. I could have won. It’s disappointing. But I’m fine actually.”

Zverev was trying to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. The 24th seed was also looking to earn his fourth consecutive win against a Top 10 opponent. In September, he beat then-No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and then-No. 9 Tomas Berdych en route to his first ATP World Tour title at the St. Petersburg Open. Two weeks later, Zverev outlasted then-No. 10 Dominic Thiem at the China Open in Beijing.

Read Match Report: Nadal Survives Zverev In Melbourne

Zverev had been even closer to beating Nadal last year at the BNP Paribas Open, the first meeting of their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. Zverev held a match point against Nadal but eventually fell 6-7(8), 6-0, 7-5 to the left-hander from Mallorca.

“I am close. I kind of showed it a few times last year, and this now,” Zverev said. “We played for over four hours. It was not an easy match. There are a few things here and there I could do better. All in one, I think I’m pretty happy with my performance.”

Reaching the third round is Zverev’s best result Down Under. He fell in the first round to Andy Murray last year during his main draw debut. In 2015, Zverev lost in the first round of qualifying.

The 6’6” right-hander figures to be a top contender at another big event this season, the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 7-11 November in Milan, Italy. The top seven players in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan will qualify; the eighth player will be chosen by wild card.

“I absolutely love tennis. I absolutely love the process. It’s exciting for me,” Zverev said. “I think I can see how I’m getting better. I can see how I’m getting better in five sets. It’s exciting. I think it’s going to be an exciting year for me.”

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Aussie Duo Lead Third Round Doubles Charge

  • Posted: Jan 21, 2017

Aussie Duo Lead Third Round Doubles Charge

Trio of Aussie teams feature in third round at Melbourne Park

The home nation will be well-represented in the third round of the Australian Open doubles draw, as Sam Groth and Chris Guccione stunned 10th seeds Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi 7-6(10), 7-6(5) on Saturday at Melbourne Park. The unseeded duo, winners of two ATP World Tour titles together, join the Aussie wild card teams of Marc Polmans/Andrew Whittington and Alex Bolt/Bradley Mousley in the Round of 16.

Groth and Guccione needed just under two hours to move on, launching 17 aces, while saving all three break points faced. For Groth, it is the 29 year old’s third straight appearance in the doubles Round of 16 at Melbourne Park, having advanced as far with Eric Butorac in 2015 and Lleyton Hewitt last year. The Aussies will face Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner next, after the Kiwi-Brazilian pair stunned sixth seeds and ATP Finals runners-up Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram 6-1, 7-6(4).

Also advancing to the third round at Melbourne Park were top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. The reigning Wimbledon champions made quick work of Jerzy Janowicz and Marcin Matkowski 6-3, 6-2, setting a date with 16th seeds Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea. Six-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, seeded third, also needed just over an hour to prevail on Saturday. The American twins downed Nenad Zimonjic and Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-2.

Fifth seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez set an all-Spanish third round clash against US Open finalists Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, defeating Jonathan Eysseric and Fabrice Martin 6-4, 6-4. The Spaniards advanced after 73 minutes, converting three of six break chances.

Rounding out the Round of 16 field were seventh seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, 6-4, 7-6(3) winners over Nicholas Monroe and Artem Sitak, as well as the Colombian power of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who rallied past Serbians Dusan Lajovic and Viktor Troicki 2-6, 7-5, 6-0.

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Australian Open: Andy Murray and Dan Evans in last-16 action on Sunday

  • Posted: Jan 21, 2017
Australian Open 2017
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Dates: 16-29 Jan
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray and Dan Evans will both be playing in the last 16 of the Australian Open on Sunday.

World number one Murray, 29, plays Germany’s Mischa Zverev, who is 50th in the rankings, before Dan Evans faces France’s 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

This is Evans’ best run at a Grand Slam after victories over Marin Cilic and Bernard Tomic in the last two rounds.

“It was a goal to make the fourth round of a Slam this year,” said the 26-year-old, who is ranked 51st in the world.

“It’s satisfying, but I’m not looking back. Whatever happens, it’s been a great tournament, but there’s still some tennis to be played.”

Tsonga, an Australian Open finalist in 2008, is expecting a tough challenge in their match, which will not start before 05:30 GMT.

“He’s very talented, he can do everything,” said Tsonga. “He can play short points or rallies and he’s got a one-handed backhand which isn’t easy to control.”

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Murray is expected to be in action at about 03:00 GMT on Sunday and thinks he will have to change his tactics against Zverev.

“He has a very different game style to most of the guys now, he’s serve-volleying, coming forward as much as possible,” said Murray.

“He doesn’t serve like 220km/h. He serves 185s, 190s, but places it well. People say you can’t play that way any more and be successful, but he’s done that the last few months.”

Zverev, the older brother of 19-year-old rising star Alexander Zverev, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the third round, hopes to frustrate the Scot.

“If he plays his best tennis, obviously I don’t have a lot of chances, but it’ll depend on the day,” said Zverev. “Let’s see if I can annoy him a little bit. If I’m serving well and not missing any volleys, maybe I can do some damage.”

The last time two British men made the quarter-finals of the same Grand Slam tournament was in 1997 when Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski reached the last eight at Wimbledon.

Murray can do ‘remarkable things’ – Agassi

Murray has lost in five Australian Open finals, but the man he lost to in four of those matches, Novak Djokovic, is out of the tournament.

Former world number one Andre Agassi thinks this could be Murray’s year.

“This is a heck of an opportunity for Andy,” said the American. “He’s certainly come into his best years and if he lines everything up he has the runway free to do some remarkable things.”

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