Tennis News

Medvedev In A Rush On 25th Birthday

When Daniil Medvedev led by a set and 4-1 on Thursday night, he looked to be in a rush for a dinner reservation in Melbourne to celebrate his 25th birthday. For a short time in the second set at the Australian Open, Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena had other ideas.

The fourth-seeded Russian grew increasingly frustrated by the resilience of Carballes Baena, but he eventually extended his winning streak to 16 matches unbeaten after a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over one hour and 44 minutes on John Cain Arena.

“I have the momentum and I feel like I can do a lot things,” said Medvedev, who hit 35 winners, including 13 aces. “I hope I can keep it up. So far it’s working and I hope it doesn’t stop. There’s no time to celebrate my birthday in a tournament. I got presents from my wife, but I’ll soon look to my next match.”

Medvedev began his winning streak in November, picking up the Rolex Paris Masters (d. Zverev) and Nitto ATP Finals (d. Thiem) titles. He went a perfect 4-0 last week to help Russia to the ATP Cup crown (d. Italy) and defeated Vasek Pospisil of Canada in the Australian Open first round on Tuesday.

Medvedev will next look book his place in the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the third consecutive year with victory over Serbian No. 28 seed Filip Krajinovic on Saturday. Krajinovic beat Pablo Andujar of Spain 6-2, 5-7, 7-1, 6-4 in the second round.

Carballes Baena broke serve for a 2-1 advantage in the first set, which provoked Medvedev into action. Such was the Russian’s focus, he won 20 of the next 22 points and, at the end of the set asked, whether the net was a fraction too high. It was!

Returning four metres behind the baseline, Medvedev came within one point of a 5-2 lead in the second set. But Carballes Baena kept fighting and broke in the seventh game en route to levelling at 4-4. Medvedev soon regrouped and capitalised on errors by striking two forehand winners to break at 6-5.

World No. 99 Carballes Baena missed a high smash at 1-2, 15/30, which sealed his fate in the third set. Medvedev rifled back a backhand return and stormed in for a winner to clinch the decisive break. He didn’t look back and completed the final game with a forehand winner and three aces.

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Australian Open: Sofia Kenin knocked out, Ashleigh Barty through

Defending champion Sofia Kenin is knocked out of the Australian Open, losing in straight sets to Kaia Kanepi.

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Five-Set Fabio: Fognini Saves M.P. In All-Italian Thriller

Fabio Fognini is no stranger to five-set matches. The Italian has contested 36 of them throughout his career (23-13), which now includes seven encounters at the Australian Open.

Fognini stepped onto John Cain Arena on Thursday holding a three-match winning streak in five-set clashes at the opening major championship of the year, and he extended that run to four victories by saving match point to overcome countryman Salvatore Caruso 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(12).

With neither player able to break serve in a fifth set which lasted 85 minutes, Fognini and Caruso required a Match Tie-break to decide the outcome of the match. Fognini trailed 1/5 in the match decider and saved match point at 10/11 with patience in an extended baseline rally.

The 16th seed made the crucial breakthrough at 12/12, as he charged behind the baseline and ripped a cross-court backhand passing shot winner to earn his fourth match point. Fognini fired a powerful serve out wide to clinch victory after three hours and 56 minutes.

“I am tired as I was fighting for every point,” said Fognini, in an on-court interview.. “I had chances in the fifth set, two at 15/40 [in the seventh and 11th games]. I played one really bad, then the other he served well. I was lucky in the Match Tie-break. When you play against a compatriot it’s always tough. I gave everything until the end. I was 1/5 down, then he played two bad points. At 5/5, anything was possible and I held on.”

Fognini has become an expert at surviving fifth-set Match Tie-breaks at the Australian Open. Since the tournament changed its match-ending format in 2019, the Italian has entered a fifth-set Match Tie-break on three occasions. He owns a 3-0 record in those matches. Fognini’s previous two wins in this format came in his opening two matches of last year’s event. The 33-year-old outlasted Reilly Opelka and Jordan Thompson en route to the fourth round.

If Fognini is to make it that far in Melbourne this year, he will need to get past Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur in the third round. De Minaur advanced to the third round for the second time in Melbourne with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 win against Pablo Cuevas. The 21st seed won 86 per cent of his first-serve points (44/51) to advance in one hour and 58 minutes.

“Pablo is a very skilled, veteran player and I had to be on my top game to get through tonight,” said De Minaur, in an on-court interview. “I am very happy with how I maintained my focus throughout the whole match. I played some great quality tennis and yet again, I am happy to be back.”

De Minaur has equalled his best Australian Open result by reaching the third round. The 21-year-old also made it to the third round in 2019, when he lost in straight sets to 2009 champion Rafael Nadal. De Minaur missed last year’s event with an abdominal injury.

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Australian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas through, Andrey Rublev to face Feliciano Lopez

Stefanos Tsitsipas comes through a gripping five-set tussle with wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis to reach Australian Open third round.

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Australian Open: Heather Watson knocked out by Anett Kontaveit in second round

Heather Watson is knocked out of the Australian Open by Anett Kontaveit as the British challenge in the women’s singles comes to an end in round two.

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Russia's "Secret Weapon": Karatsev Shining Down Under

After Team Russia won the ATP Cup on Sunday, Daniil Medvedev stepped to the microphone to speak on behalf of his team during the trophy ceremony. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion singled out countryman Aslan Karatsev, who did not play a live match during the event because of Medvedev and Andrey Rublev’s singles dominance.

“Aslan, I’m not joking, was a secret weapon for doubles,” Medvedev said. “He didn’t manage to show it because we didn’t have a 1-1 match, but he was our secret weapon.”

If Karatsev’s skills were a secret, they’re out in the open now. The 27-year-old beat Egor Gerasimov 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

This is Karatsev’s first Grand Slam main draw. On nine previous occasions, the Russian fell in qualifying. This January in Doha, the World No. 114 finally broke through, and he is making the most of his opportunity.

“It was a long journey,” Karatsev said. “A lot of work [was] put in.”

In 2017, the Russian struggled with a knee injury, which he suffered while training in Spain. That kept him out for six months.

“From this moment it was really tough to get the confidence back and to feel the game,” Karatsev said. “It was not that easy.”

When Karatsev returned, he struggled to find his form again. When play was suspended last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Karatsev was outside the Top 250 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and he stopped playing for three months. But once the Russian learned play would resume in August, he trained hard to prepare, and came out of the gates firing.

“I just played really well in the three Challengers in a row in the Czech Republic,” Karatsev said. “Of course when you’re winning matches, you get more confidence. You feel more relaxed when you go out on the court.”

Karatsev found the best level of his career, winning 18 of his final 20 Challenger matches to end the season, with 16 of those victories coming in straight sets. That sent him to a career-high World No. 111 in November, positioning him to compete on Russia’s ATP Cup team.

“Of course it’s a really good feeling. It’s a good atmosphere first of all. You see the big players, how they’re playing,” Karatsev said. “I was on the Russian team and you see how Medvedev and Rublev are playing. You get some confidence and you see how they do things. It’s helped me a lot.”

Now Karatsev will have arguably the biggest opportunity of his career against eighth seed Diego Schwartzman. Rublev feels it will be a good test for his countryman.

“In the end of last year he was already showing a really great level… I knew that he would do even better this season and in the end he already passed two rounds. He beat great guys and now he’s going to play against Schwartzman,” Rublev said. “It’s going to be an interesting match. I think it’s going to be a challenge for him to see what he needs to improve and how the level is. Maybe he will have chances to win.”

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Rublev Motors Past Monteiro To Reach Third Round

World No. 8 Andrey Rublev stormed into the third round at the Australian Open on Thursday with a strong performance to win 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(8) against Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro inside John Cain Arena.

One of the most in-form players on Tour leading into the first Grand Slam of the year, Rublev has now won six matches in 2021, and dropped only one set in the process. Last week, he helped to steer Russia to its first ATP Cup crown with victories over Yoshihito Nishioka, Guido Pella, Jan-Lennard Struff, and Fabio Fognini.

The Russian kept up the momentum against Monteiro in Melbourne. He found his rhythm early on, and collected himself after a late wobble in the third set to seal the victory in two hours and eight minutes.

Rublev employed his signature arsenal of crunching groundstrokes, changing the direction of the ball at will and firing winners off both wings. Combined with a powerfully effective first serve, Rublev took charge of the points against Monteiro, No. 74 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The Brazilian did well to keep himself within touching distance of the No. 7 seed, and occasionally frustrated Rublev with his lefty serve out wide. But once the Russian settled into the match he was able to create his chances, breaking Monteiro once in the first and second set.

Rublev’s serve reached a nearly untouchable level at the start of the second set. He didn’t drop a point in his first three service games, and barely wasted any time as he served out the games to love in a breakneck 60 seconds or less.

He faced more resistance in the final set when Monteiro and Rublev stayed locked on serve. The Brazilian put in a herculean effort to save four break points at 4-4, and Rublev’s calm demeanor suddenly bubbled over in frustration. Monteiro quickly capitalised to open up a 40/0 lead in the next game on the Russian’s serve. But Rublev quickly reigned it in, firing two aces and saving all three set points to keep them on serve.

Both players had a chance to take the third set in the tightly contested tie-break. Rublev saved another set point in the tie break as Monteiro stayed toe-to-toe with him, the Brazilian saving two match points in the process. But Rublev stayed calm under pressure, and eventually prevailed with a strong first serve on his third opportunity to move into the third round.

Rublev awaits the winner of No. 31-seeded Lorenzo Sonego and former World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez in his next match as he seeks to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open for the second year in a row.

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Fritz On 'Extremely Tough' Djokovic Challenge: 'I Have Nothing To Lose'

Taylor Fritz reached the third round of the Australian Open after winning a gruelling, five-set war of attrition against fellow American Reilly Opelka. His reward after withstanding 43 aces and four hours on court against his best friend en route to a 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-2 victory?

A third consecutive third-round berth at the Australian Open – and one of the toughest tasks in tennis. On Friday, Fritz will have to find a way to defeat World No.1 Novak Djokovic, the eight-time champion, at his happiest hunting ground: Melbourne Park.

“It’s Novak. And it’s Novak here at the Australian Open,” Fritz said, neatly summing up his conundrum. “But for me, I’m just going to have to play my best tennis. Luckily for me and my game, I possess the ability if I’m on, I can serve well enough to where I won’t get broken and I can be extremely aggressive on the groundstrokes and I can take control if I’m on. 

“I just have to do everything I possibly can in the next couple [of] days to give myself the best chance of playing my best tennis.”

It’a familiar position to be in for 23-year-old Fritz, who has reached the third round at a Grand Slam five times. But has yet to advance after running up against in-form opponents. At last year’s Australian Open, Fritz pushed finalist Dominic Thiem to four sets before bowing out. The year before that, it was a clash against Roger Federer in the third round, falling to the former World No. 1 in a battling straight-sets defeat. 

Rather than rue his luck, the 2019 Eastbourne International champion is determined to make the best of his regular run-ins with the world’s best. 

“It’s just another chance to prove myself,” Fritz said of his upcoming clash against Djokovic. “I keep making third rounds and I keep having extremely tough opponents in the third round, but that’s what happens when you’re a 25 to 32 seed. You’re guaranteed to play a top eight player. 

“This is my third year in a row in the third round here in the Australian Open, and my third round opponents have been Roger, Dominic and now Novak. It’s just another chance to prove myself. 

“I’ve got nothing to lose, and I’m going to go out and I’m going to have a lot of fun and I’m going to play extremely aggressive tennis and see what I can do.”

Fritz will be looking to claim his first victory against Djokovic on Friday and cut down on his opponent’s 2-0 ATP Head2Head lead. Djokovic won both clay-court encounters during Fritz’s breakthrough 2019 season, winning in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and Mutua Madrid Open comfortably. 

“I [have] played [Fritz a] couple of times, but on clay,” Djokovic recalled. “Obviously, he’s a better player [on] hard courts. He grew up in [the United] States playing on hard courts. That’s what he loves,” said Djokovic. “[He is] a big server, also a bit flashy, unpredictable. Big forehands and backhands, flat. I need to stay solid and focussed and obviously wait for my chances.”

Indeed, the American prefers his odds on hard courts, his favourite surface and the one that best suits his game. All five of Fritz’s Top 10 victories have come on that surface. The only downside? It’s Djokovic’s best surface, too.

“The biggest things for those two matches, especially Monte Carlo, [was that] it was windy and it was hard for me to pinpoint my spots. I had to play with more margin, and that’s definitely not something I can get away with when I’m playing him,” Fritz reflected. “[In] Madrid, a bit of altitude, a bit faster, I was able to attack more and play more aggressive and had a bit of a closer match.

“I just know what to expect and I know what I need to do, and I know that even though I lost the last two matches pretty handily, I know that now we are playing on a fast hard court, which suits my game more than anything else.”

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Australian Open: What have we learned so far in the first week at Melbourne Park?

Insects, electronic line calls, crowds and quarantine are on the agenda during the first week at the Australian Open.

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Which Celebrities Are Top Of Djokovic’s ‘Still-To-Meet’ List?

Novak Djokovic’s first ATP Head2Head meeting against Frances Tiafoe proved a real test for the World No. 1, but he found a way through in four sets at the Australian Open on Wednesday to keep his hopes of a reunion with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup alive.

When the 17-time Grand Slam champion isn’t meeting rivals for the first time on the court, or holding ‘Norman’ above his head after a successful fortnight in Melbourne, Djokovic has been known to interact with his sporting heroes. The Serbian enjoyed a strong relationship with the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who he described as a ‘mentor’, and he has also spent time in the gym with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo x Djokovic ?

This is some serious content ? ?

?: @Cristiano | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/yP63nW5roK

— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 27, 2019

As one of the greatest athletes of all time, Djokovic has had the opportunity to meet many famous faces from the world of sport. Following his win over Tiafoe on Rod Laver Arena, the eight-time Australian Open champion revealed the sports star at the top of his ‘still-to-meet’ list.

“Michael Jordan. I didn’t meet Michael,” said Djokovic. “Obviously I’m not the only one. He’s one of my childhood heroes, [one of the] people I was looking up to, [that is] probably [true for] most of this world. That [meeting] would be really nice. We have a lot of common friends.”

If Djokovic got the opportunity to meet the six-time NBA champion, he would like to go head-to-head with the basketball legend at a neutral sporting venue.

“I hear he loves golf,” said Djokovic. “Maybe I can catch him on some of the golf courses in the future.”

Djokovic’s celebrity meetings wish list is not limited to sports stars. The six-time year-end World No. 1 is also keen to meet actor and comedian Jim Carrey.

“Jim Carrey, I would love to meet [him],” said Djokovic. “He’s very interesting, [a] very interesting guy. His views of the world are very intriguing to me. I would love to have a chat with him about that.”

Djokovic will hope he is too busy to meet Jordan and Carrey over the next two weeks. The top seed will continue his bid for a ninth Australian Open crown on Friday, when he meets American Taylor Fritz for the third time (2-0).

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