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Monfils Marches On In Melbourne

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2022

Gael Monfils likes getting things done quickly but is not afraid to put in the hard yards when needed.

The Frenchman was given a real test by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday evening, but the World No. 20 stayed strong to reach his 10th Grand Slam quarter-final with a 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory in two hours and 35 minutes on John Cain Arena.

The victory takes Monfils to the last eight in Melbourne for the first time since 2016 [l. to Raonic], but he has his eyes on a bigger prize in Melbourne.

“It’s been a long journey for me and I’m quite happy, but it’s not finished,” said the 17th seed in his on-court interview. “I will try to play this quarter-final not like the last time, I will try to be better. It’s an achievement but we’re not quite finished yet.”

Monfils had spent just five hours and five minutes on court in racing through his first three rounds, but World No. 77 Kecmanovic was also full of confidence having gone past the second round of a major for the first time in his career. A three-set Monfils victory in the pair’s first meeting at the Rolex Paris Masters just two months ago also suggested it would be anything but one-way traffic.

A tight start saw no break points until the 10th game but a set that had seemed destined for a tie-break then burst into life. Monfils recovered from 0/40 to hold and Kecmanovic got himself out of the same situation in the very next game. A double fault from the Serb at 5-6 down gave Monfils another opportunity, however, one he took with aplomb with a rasping backhand winner.

Kecmanovic defiantly stuck with his higher-ranked opponent but was left with a mountain to climb after 17th seed Monfils also edged the second set tie-break. The Frenchman’s explosive game finished off the Serb’s hopes in the third, Monfils ending the match with 54 winners and 81 per cent (48/59) of points won behind his first serve.

“It was very tough, he played extremely fast on both sides,” said Monfils. “I tried to be very aggressive today, tried to not let him dictate the points. I served quite well, and then it was just battling, battling, hanging in there.”

Monfils’ opponent in the last eight will be either seventh seed Matteo Berrettini or 19th seed Pablo Carreno Busta. With a 3-0 losing ATP Head2Head record against Italian Berrettini and a 3-3 record against Spaniard Carreno Busta, the Frenchman will not underestimate his opponent, no matter whom he faces.

“Both are extremely good,” said Monfils. “Matteo, I lost to him in the quarter-final of the [2019] US Open 7-6 in the fifth, and Pablo beat me in a semi-final [Metz] last year, so it’s going to be fun, a great match, but I will be ready for them.”

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‘Locked In’ Kyrgios/Kokkinakis Into Doubles QFs

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2022

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis continue to wreak havoc in the Australian Open doubles draw.

“Honestly, I feel like the favourites out there on the doubles court”, said Kyrgios after he and Kokkinakis beat 15th seeds Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the third round on Sunday afternoon. “The way he [Kokkinakis] is playing right now, he’s obviously very confident after the last month, which is amazing to see. I feel like we’re locked in, it’s probably the best doubles we’ve played together.”

The crowd-pleasing duo emphasised the impact of the fans on Kia Arena as they backed up their impressive second-round defeat of top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic against Uruguayan-Ecuadorian pairing Behar and Escobar.

“Having that crowd support, you’ve seen how much it helps,” said Kokkinakis. “It feels like a party atmosphere out there. When we enjoy ourselves, first and foremost, I think that brings the best focus out of us.”

The Aussies had won only one of four previous Australian Open matches together coming into this year’s tournament, but they slammed 38 winners, including 23 aces, on Kia Arena to reach the quarter-finals of their home slam for the first time.

“Another win at the Australian Open, you’re not going to take that for granted,” added Kyrgios. “I definitely think we’ve got a good shot at winning this.”

Another Australian, John Peers, partnered Slovak Filip Polasek to a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 victory over German 12th seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies. Peers and Polasek, the fifth seeds and US Open semi-finalists who won the Sydney Tennis Classic leading in, won 50% (24/48) of return points as they never allowed the German pairing to settle.

Their quarter-final opponents will be third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, who also enjoyed a straight-sets win over Spanish pairing Pablo Andujar and Pedro Martinez. Spaniard Granollers and Argentine Zeballos won 85% (39/46) of points behind first serves and outhit their opponents by 32 winners to 17 as they advanced to a first Australian Open quarter-final together with a 7-5, 7-5 victory.

Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini claimed another upset after beating eighth seeds and 2016 Australian Open champions Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-3. Sydney runners-up Bolelli and Fognini hit just 20 winners to their opponent’s 32 but saved the best until last as they broke twice in the third set to back up their impressive second-round win over ninth seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.

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Zverev: 'One Of My Worst Matches Since Wimbledon'

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2022

It was a swing that promised so much but ultimately delivered relatively little for Alexander Zverev.

The World No. 3 German ended his Australian Open campaign with a straight-sets loss to World No. 14 Denis Shapovalov Sunday at Melbourne Park. Coming into the Australian summer with the confidence of having beaten the world’s best to win his second Nitto ATP Finals title in November, the 6’ 6” German had every reason to believe big things were in store.

A shot at his first Grand Slam title and the potential to vie for World No. 1 in the first quarter of the season were realistic goals. But it all ended with a disappointing 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat to the Canadian on Margaret Court Arena.

“At the end of the day, I’ve got to do better. I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No. 1 and all that,” Zverev said. “But if I play like that, I don’t deserve it. It’s as simple as that.

“I think after a match like this, it’s very silly to talk about [No. 1]. I think I need to figure myself out first.”

Zverev said that Shapovalov surprised him by standing farther back and putting more returns into play, but that he didn’t take a lot of confidence into the match.

The third seed began his year with strong wins over Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz at ATP Cup, but he also suffered a three-set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime. At Melbourne Park he had three straight-sets wins over Daniel Altmaier, John Millman and Radu Albot, but he said he never felt at the top of his game.

“I was playing bad the whole week. To be honest, I didn’t think I was playing that great,” Zverev said. “Except against John Millman maybe I had a good match, but the other two matches weren’t great either…

“To be honest, there is not much I can say or take away that was positive from today. Maybe since Wimbledon, [it’s] one of the worst matches I have played. It’s just tough.

“I give credit to Denis. It’s incredible he’s in the quarters. I think he deserves it. He’s done a lot of work. He’s improved his game. But I’ve got to look at myself, as well. Today was just awful from my side.”

Zverev said that he had a good preparation during the off season and hopes that he can quickly turn around his mixed start to 2022.

“It’s no one else’s fault. It’s not the coach’s fault, it’s not my team’s fault, it’s no one else’s fault. It’s purely me. At the end of the day, as the world No. 3, I have to take responsibility for the things I do and don’t do. Today was just not good enough to beat someone like Denis.”

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Shapo Stuns Zverev To Set Nadal Showdown

  • Posted: Jan 23, 2022

The hot Melbourne sun couldn’t stop an ice-cold Denis Shapovalov from extinguishing the Australian Open hopes of World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Sunday afternoon.

The Canadian 14th seed had joked about sleeping in an ice bath after his marathon five-set second-round win over World No. 54 Soonwoo Kwon, and he kept a cool presence throughout as he brushed past an inconsistent Zverev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the fourth round.

“It’s probably the one I least expected to finish in three,” said Shapovalov in his on-court interview. “I’m very happy with my performance, definitely happy with where my game is at.”

Having also come through the big-serving test of Reilly Opelka in the third round, World No. 14 Shapovalov’s return game looked finely tuned on Margaret Court Arena. He broke Zverev early for 3-1, the German dropping just his third service game of the tournament on the way to also losing his first set in Melbourne this year.

Zverev showed his frustration as Shapovalov broke again immediately in the second, but seven double faults in the set from the Canadian let the German back in. Despite serving for the set at 5-3, Zverev’s top level continued to elude him at crucial moments and Shapovalov was able to force a tie-break, already his seventh of the tournament in just four matches. The practise under pressure showed as the Canadian looked the more comfortable in the situation, taking it 7/5.

Shapovalov looked sharp throughout, hitting 35 winners and winning 81 per cent (22/27) of points at the net. Zverev battled but could find no answers as the 22-year-old Canadian sealed victory to complete just his second win against a Top 5 player and reach a third Grand Slam quarter-final.

“I think off the ground I was playing really well, really feeling my shots off both wings,” said Shapovalov. “I played pretty smart today, it felt like things were going my way early on. I lost a little bit of momentum mid-way in the second set but fought well to come back and just kind of rolled with it after.”

Shapovalov’s opponent in the last eight will be Rafael Nadal, after the sixth-seeded Spaniard beat Adrian Mannarino 7-6(14), 6-2, 6-2. Nadal holds a 3-1 ATP Head2Head series lead over Shapovalov, and the Canadian knows what to expect from the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“It’s always an honour to go up against a guy like Rafa,” said Shapovalov. “It’s always going to be a battle against him. It’s going to be a tough one and I’m definitely going to enjoy it.”

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