Tennis News

Day 4 Preview: Can Medvedev, Rublev Stay On Course?

Daniil Medvedev had just put the finishing touches on Russia’s dominant run to the 2021 ATP Cup title, having defeated Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, 6-4, 6-2. With his teammates roaring courtside, the 24-year-old Muscovite took a bow and swept his hand across his body in a near-Boroquian gesture.

Then came the Volga-wide grin.

As he so often does to his opponents, Medvedev had left us guessing. Where in the world did that come from? It turns out he borrowed it from former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, the onetime Bundesliga scoring machine who occasionally applied some flair to his post-goal celebrations.

Medvedev later enlightened us: “He was my favourite player at the time. I really liked it, so I tried to copy it. I don’t think I did well, but it was funny.”

Teammate Andrey Rublev was the first to embrace Medvedev, the other half of a dynamic duo that combined for a spotless 8-0 singles record over the five-day, 12-country showdown.

In truth, there wasn’t much time to celebrate. The Australian Open would kick off the following day and, as luck would have it, both players had landed in the same quarter of the draw. They’ve been facing off against each other since their days as admittedly cantankerous juniors. Now, after teaming up to represent their country, they might be on opposite sides of the net again soon.

“If the level is going to be the same, these guys are going to see each other in the quarter-finals,” asserted Russia’s ATP Cup player-captain, Evgeny Donskoy.

On Day 4 at Melbourne Park, the fourth seed Medvedev will look to extend his 15-match win streak when he faces Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round. It would be an ideal birthday gift for the Russian, who will turn 25 on Thursday. Meanwhile, the seventh seed Rublev, who won more tour-level titles than any other player in 2020, will meet Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro. Will these two stars, as Donskoy suggested, take another step toward an all-Russian quarter-final?

“I wish,” said Rublev.

“If it happens, it’s perfect,” said Medvedev

Two more Russians will be in action on Thursday: No. 19 seed Karen Khachanov vs. Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, and qualifier Roman Safiullin vs. Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

The ninth-seeded Berettini and 16th seed Fabio Fognini, who combined to lead Italy to the ATP Cup final, will also be in action on Day 4. Berrettini will take on #NextGenATP Czech Tomas Machac, and Fognini will face a challenge from countryman Salvatore Caruso.

Tennis fans held their breath when Rafael Nadal took the court on Tuesday against Serb Laslo Djere. The Spaniard, chasing a record 21st major singles title, had been experiencing tightness in his lower back, which had kept him from representing his country at the ATP Cup. But there was a collective sigh of relief when Nadal sent the Serb packing in orderly fashion, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Though he was forced to tweak his service motion, he did all he had to do to advance in straight sets. Next up for the 34-year-old on Day 4 is American qualifier Michael Mmoh.

“My back is not perfect,” said Nadal, who’s into the second round of the Australian Open for the 15th time. “Every day I go through, there are probably more chances for it to get better. There is always a chance to improve. That’s why I’m here, fighting to get better, to give myself a chance.”

The atmosphere is sure to be lively for the second-round clash between fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Aussie wild card Thanasi Kokkinakis, who’s into the second round of the Australian Open for the first time in six years. Beset by injuries and having fallen to No. 267 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Kokkinakis is relishing the opportunity to compete again at his home Grand Slam.

“It’s going to be exciting,” said Kokkinakis of the matchup with his next opponent, who’s into the second round here for the third straight year. “He’s a phenomenal player, one of the favourites for this tournament. It’s going to be fun. I just can’t wait to get out there. I’m hoping there’s a decent crowd that will get rowdy, have some Greek fans, Aussie fans. Hopefully, it’s pretty loose.”

Also on the Day 4 schedule are: 22nd seed Borna Coric vs. Mackenzie McDonald; Feliciano Lopez vs. 31st seed Lorenzo Sonego; 24th seed Casper Ruud vs. Tommy Paul; and Pablo Cuevas vs. 21st seed Alex de Minaur of Australia.

“He’s a very tough opponent, very solid,” said De Minaur of Cuevas, No. 72 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. “He’s going to make me play a lot of balls. It’s another tough match. I’m going to have to try to focus on my side of the court and try to execute. At the end of the day, that’s what we’ve been working on — trying to control the controllables.”

This time last year, De Minaur was in Spain, sidelined by an abdominal tear. It’s never easy to sit out a Grand Slam, but it hurts even more when it’s the only one held in your homeland.

“I had to switch off social media. It was devastating. It was a tough time,” said De Minaur, who’ll turn 22 next week. “All my mates out here in the summer doing what they do best — I didn’t want any part of it.”

In his most recent appearance at the Australian Open, in 2019, he recorded his best tournament performance by reaching the third round (l. to Nadal). Can he match (or better) that result in 2021?

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Australian Open: Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios through; Stan Wawrinka out

Novak Djokovic survives a scare and Nick Kyrgios saves match points as day three at the Australian Open caught the attention of the crowds.

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Kyrgios Saves 2 M.P., Now Plays Thiem

Backed by a passionate crowd on John Cain Arena, Nick Kyrgios saved two match points under the lights to record a 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory against Ugo Humbert.

The 2015 quarter-finalist was on the brink of elimination as Humbert served for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, but he stepped in with his forehand and fired a backhand passing shot winner to extend the match and begin his comeback.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I did that. I don’t even know what to say. I am lost for words. That is one of the craziest matches I have ever played,” said Kyrgios, in an on-court interview.

This is the second straight year that Kyrgios has won an epic five-set encounter on John Cain Arena. In last year’s third round, Kyrgios overcame Karen Khachanov 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 6-7(7), 7-6(8) in four hours and 26 minutes.

“I haven’t played for a year and he has been playing some great tennis last year,” said Kyrgios. “The one thing I probably have on him right now is experience. I have just drawn from experience so much on this court… I’ve had so many experiences and I just had to draw on that, put my head down and just try to make him play.”

Kyrgios’s reward on that occasion was a meeting with 2009 champion Rafael Nadal. This year, he will face 2020 runner-up Dominic Thiem in his next match.

Kyrgios was making only his second tournament appearance since retiring from his match against Humbert at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC last February. Following the suspension of the ATP Tour, the Aussie decided to miss the remainder of the 2020 season.

Kyrgios improved to 4-1 this year with his win against Humbert. In his return event last week, Kyrgios claimed back-to-back wins to reach the Murray River Open quarter-finals.

In a first set with limited break opportunities, Humbert claimed the opener with a late break at 6-5. Two games after saving set point with a powerful first serve, Kyrgios gifted Humbert the first set with poor shot execution. The Aussie struck three drop shots in the 12th game, the first landed in the net and Humbert charged up the court and finished the following points with winners.

Humbert handed Kyrgios an early opportunity in the second set, as he missed a series of groundstrokes at 1-1. The Aussie stepped inside the baseline on his return and attacked Humbert’s backhand to take his chance and gain the only break of the second set. Kyrgios came to the net behind his serve to level the match.

The third set followed a similar pattern to the first, with neither player able to find success in their return games. At 3-4, Humbert ripped two winners up the line to reach 30/30 on Kyrgios’ serve. The Aussie committed a double fault and dropped serve when Humbert took advantage of another drop shot. The Frenchman closed the set with a love service hold to move one set from victory.

Humbert increased his advantage in the opening game of the fourth set. The two-time ATP Tour titlist benefitted from back-to-back double faults from his opponent, who made two further errors at 30/30 to drop serve. Humbert served with pace and precision to escape three break points at 4-3, but could not convert match points in his next service game. Kyrgios attacked with his forehand and landed backhand passing shots to stay in the match and dominate the fourth-set tie-break.

With the momentum, and crowd, firmly in his favour, Kyrgios stepped inside the baseline and attacked with his backhand to claim a crucial break at 1-1 in the decider. On his first match point, the Aussie fired a serve out wide and collapsed to the court in celebration as Humbert’s backhand return failed to find the court.

Humbert was attempting to reach the Australian Open third round for the first time. The Frenchman claimed a four-set win against Yasutaka Uchiyama on Monday to record his first win at the opening major championship of the year.

“He is a heck of a player. One of the most improved players last year,” said Kyrgios. “You can see why. He played amazing tennis.”

Grigor Dimitrov needed one hour and 50 minutes to clinch his place in the third round. The 2017 semi-finalist broke serve on four occasions to move past Aussie wild card Alex Bolt 7-6(1), 6-1, 6-2.

Dimitrov will face 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta for a spot in the Round of 16. The Spaniard withstood 36 aces en route to a 6-3, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-4 triumph against Jiri Vesely.

Did You Know?
Nick Kyrgios owns an 8-2 record in five-set matches. Six of those encounters have been contested at the Australian Open (4-2).

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Pavic/Mektic Extend Winning Streak; Tsitsipas Brothers Beaten In Melbourne

Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic extended their winning streak to nine matches on Wednesday when they began their bid to capture a third consecutive title. The second seeds struck 31 winners, including 10 aces, past Yen-Hsun Lu and Sam Querrey in a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory at the start of their Australian Open campaign.

The Croatian tandem, a new team for the 2021 season, come into the first Grand Slam championship of the year on the back of lifting ATP Tour titles at the Antalya Open (d. Dodig/Polasek) and last week’s Murray River Open (d. Chardy/Martin).

The 27-year-old Pavic won the 2018 Australian Open with Oliver Marach. Mektic, 32, captured the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals crown in November alongside Wesley Koolhof.

They will next challenge Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul, who got the better of Greek wild cards Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes. The Tsitsipas brothers hit 29 winners, including eight aces, but were broken twice in the deciding set.

Sixth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, who reunited for the 2021 season, worked hard to extending their winning streak to five matches. The British-Brazilian team, who captured the Great Ocean Road Open crown (d. Cabal/Farah) on Sunday, saved one set point at 5/6 in the first set tie-break of a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over Marcos Giron and Cameron Norrie in 85 minutes. The 2016 Australian Open titlists now face Laslo Djere and Stefano Travaglia, who were 6-3, 6-4 winners over Australian wild cards Andrew Harris and Alexei Popyrin.

Eighth-seeded Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who completed the Career Grand Slam by capturing the 2019 Australian Open doubles crown, lost just six of their service points in a routine 6-2, 6-3 win over Gianluca Mager and Yoshihito Nishioka in 66 minutes.

Tenth seeds John Peers and Michael Venus came through 6-3, 6-2 over Australians Alex de Minaur and Matt Reid for a second-round meeting against Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song. The South Koreans knocked out Rohan Bopanna and Ben McLachlan 6-4, 7-6(0). Peers won the 2017 Australian Open with Henri Kontinen.

Last year’s finalists, Max Purcell and Luke Saville, the Australian No. 15 seeds, got off to a strong start by breaking four times in a 6-3, 6-3 win over Guillermo Duran and Albert Ramos-Vinolas in 65 minutes. They now face their compatriots, Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith, who were 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-4 victors over Pablo Cuevas and Guido Pella in two hours and three minutes.

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Australian Open: Jamie Murray, Heather Watson & Dan Evans earn doubles wins

Britain’s Jamie Murray wins in his Grand Slam return alongside Bruno Soares, while Heather Watson and Dan Evans also claim doubles victories.

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Djokovic Dodges Tiafoe's Upset Bid, Reaches Third Round

Novak Djokovic took several shots from Frances Tiafoe on Wednesday inside Rod Laver Arena. But like you’d expect from the World No. 1, the Serbian found a way to withstand them and prevail.

Djokovic defeated the 23-year-old American 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3 behind 26 aces to reach the third round of the Australian Open. The top seed wasn’t always at his best, but he played well in key moments to triumph after three hours and 30 minutes.

“It was a very tough match, very warm and a lot of long rallies,” Djokovic said on court. “I want to say that Frances put up a really good fight. The matches are only going to get tougher. I was fortunate to get through the third set today. It was anyone’s game and Frances served great.”

The World No. 1, who is pursuing a record-extending ninth title at this event, had not played Tiafoe before walking onto the court inside Rod Laver Arena for their second-round clash. But Djokovic got all he could handle and then some. However, he showed his champion’s mettle as he pushes for an 18th major trophy.

“When you win a lot on Rod Laver Arena, you feel comfortable,” Djokovic said. “It feels like my living room, although I’m not sitting on my couch – I’m running all over the place. This is the quickest court conditions in the 15 years that I’ve played here.”

Tiafoe, who made a dream run to the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2019, showed how he accomplished that with an inspired performance in front of a raucous crowd. The American had very few lapses of concentration and showed no fear of the moment, instead embracing it and trying to get the crowd involved. There was even a group of young fans holding a sign titled “Church of Frances Tiafoe”.

But while Tiafoe showed stretches of splendid shotmaking and composed play to challenge Djokovic, the few momentary slips of concentration he did have were costly. Djokovic converted five of his 14 break points and went into his trademark “lockdown mode” in the critical third-set tie-break, which made Tiafoe’s prospects of an upset even more daunting.

The final blow came at 3-3 in the fourth set. Facing break point, Djokovic’s forehand return bounced high off the top of the net, and the American rushed in to hit a backhand approach shot. Tiafoe’s problem was that Djokovic guessed the right direction and made the World No. 64 pay by lacing a backhand passing shot up the line for a winner.

The match slipped away from Tiafoe quickly after that. He fought hard throughout, but struck his eighth double fault on match point.

Did You Know?
Djokovic has not lost before the fourth round of a Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open. The last time it happened before that was 2008 Wimbledon.

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Australian Open: Serena Williams through, Petra Kvitova and Bianca Andreescu out

Serena Williams breezes into the Australian Open third round but Petra Kvitova and Bianca Andreescu are the biggest casualties on day three.

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Felix Cruises, Sets Potential Shapo Showdown At AO

Just four days ago, Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a devastating loss in the championship match of the Murray River Open to fall to 0-7 in ATP Tour finals. But after two straight-sets victories in the Australian Open, that defeat feels like it is in the distant past.

Auger-Aliassime defeated home favourite James Duckworth 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in one hour and 45 minutes on Thursday to reach the third round of a major for the third time. Entering the week, he didn’t own a main draw win at the season’s first Grand Slam.

But the Canadian has looked at home on the Melbourne Park hard courts since his arrival. The 20-year-old is now 6-1 on the season, with all seven of his matches coming at this venue. Auger-Aliassime has not lost more than four games in the six sets he has played in the Australian Open, and he will next face countryman Denis Shapovalov or another Aussie, Bernard Tomic, for a spot in the Round of 16.

Auger-Aliassime struck 19 aces and did not face a break point in his victory against Duckworth. The Aussie is a gritty opponent, but the 20th seed used his superior firepower to his advantage, hitting 38 winners to just 23 unforced errors. 

When he lost in Sunday’s Murray River Open final against Daniel Evans, Auger-Aliassime was consistently misfiring. But since the start of the Australian Open he has kept his game under control, and he finished off Duckworth with a forehand winner and a fist pump.

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Kokkinakis: ‘So Much Work, So Much Pain’

The tears said it all.

He tried his best to suppress them, but Thanasi Kokkinakis could only do so much to contain the emotion; all that it meant for him to be through to the second round of the Australian Open. Now 24, he hadn’t won a main-draw match at his home Slam since 2015, the year he first cracked the Top 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, as part of a promising crop of countrymen — Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios, Bernard Tomic, James Duckworth, etc. — that was collectively positioning itself to take the baton from Hall-of-Famer-to-be Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt was already familiar with his fellow South Australian’s firepower by then, encouraged by his obvious talent. The green-and-gold Davis Cup roster was suddenly looking stacked.

But those tears shed after the wild card’s 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over Soonwoo Kwon of Korea on Tuesday were manifestation of the heartbreak, all the setbacks that Kokkinakis has experienced since that early breakthrough a half-dozen years ago.

“It’s been a while,” said Kokkinakis, No. 267 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, his lowest showing since 2017. “It was just so much stuff behind the scenes to get back to that point. Not a lot of people realise that, apart from my team and friends and family. I definitely got a bit emotional.”

Beset by injuries, Kokkinakis has struggled to stay on the court in recent years. He would play just one match in 2016 after having surgery on his right shoulder, falling to Portugal’s Gastao Elias, 7-6(4), 7-6(3), at the Rio Olympics. That same year, he would withdraw from both Winston-Salem and the US Open with a pectoral strain. He missed 18 weeks in 2017 with an abdominal injury.

There were some good days, too, like the time he stunned Roger Federer at the Miami Open in 2018 — at No. 175 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, the lowest-ranked player to beat a World No. 1 in a decade-and-a-half. It was a moment for all to celebrate. But later that year, his body would betray him again. He suffered a left ankle injury at an ATP Challenger in Mexico and withdrew from Istanbul qualifying due to a knee injury.

He would play only six matches between 2019 and 2020, his right shoulder repeatedly letting him down. Things got so bad that Kokkinakis says he considered retiring from the sport altogether. But an inner voice told him to keep pushing.

“It’s definitely good to just persist,” said Kokkinakis. “There’s definitely been ups and downs, for sure. It’s been very, very challenging the last few years. It always is. It’s a massive, massive journey. And I know my team and family know exactly what I go through. It’s been really hard. But look on the moments where I’ve had success and the feelings I got from being on court and having good wins. I use that to fuel me for as long as I can. I know I can’t do this forever. So even if I’m just struggling at certain moments, I kind of hang on those moments to kind of push me through.”

The way Kokkinakis figures it, 90 per cent of the fans in the Court 3 stands for his win over Kwon were from his camp.

“I’m so appreciative of that,” he said. “Just playing with that energy and that crowd and being able to win — so much work behind the scenes, so much pain. [It’s] just a massive relief.”

It doesn’t get any easier from here for Kokkinakis, whose self-described “blue-collar” approach has seen him fend for himself when it comes to his on-court apparel. (“It’s tough out here, man. It’s not what it used to be!”) For his efforts, he’s earned a shot at fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, with whom he shares Greek roots.

“It’s going to be exciting,” said Kokkinakis. “[He’s] a phenomenal player, one of the favourites for this tournament. It’s going to be fun. I just can’t wait to get out there. I’m not sure what court we’ll play on, but I’m sure it will be a pretty big one. I’m hoping there’s a decent crowd that will get rowdy, have some Greek fans, Aussie fans. Hopefully, it’s pretty loose.”

It will be his first encounter with Tsitsipas, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 2019, defeating then-third-ranked Federer along the way. But don’t look for Kokkinakis to be intimidated by the moment; he’s just happy to be healthy and competing again on the biggest stages in the sport.

“I can’t wait to get out there and have another crack.”

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Murray Kicks Off 2021 Campaign With Comeback Win In Biella

Comeback complete! In his first match of 2021, Andy Murray made a winning return at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Biella, Italy. The former World No. 1 rallied from a set down to defeat Maximilian Marterer 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of the Biella Challenger Indoor 1.

Murray was made to work as he kicked off his 2021 campaign in the scenic surroundings of northern Italy. The 33-year-old arrived at the Palasport Biella in search of matches, as he competed in his first tournament since October. He would seal the victory over Marterer after two hours and 10 minutes, striking a sublime lob winner that landed smack on the baseline.

Looking to rediscover his rhythm on the court, Murray was tested by the former World No. 45 Marterer from the start. But after dropping the first-set tie-break, he would raise his level as the match wore on. The Scot seized the first break of the match for 2-1 in the second set and cracked the German’s serve three more times before crossing the finish line.

Murray, who scored his first victory since the 2020 US Open (d. Nishioka), won 82 per cent of first-serve points and did not concede a break opportunity during the encounter. This marks his second appearance on the ATP Challenger Tour in three years. In 2019, he reached the quarter-finals in Mallorca, Spain, in the early stages of his comeback from hip surgery.

This time, as he seeks to build confidence and momentum to start the season, Murray is slated to compete in Biella I and Biella II this month. He will face Italy’s Gian Marco Moroni in the second round on Thursday.

The 28-year-old Palasport Biella will host four Challenger tournaments in the coming months, with a 125-level event slated for the week of 15 February. Located in the Italian Alps, the Piedmont region is also the new home of the Nitto ATP Finals in 2021, in nearby Turin.

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