Australian Open day 6: Storm Hunter bows out, Alex De Minaur into fourth round
Storm Hunter’s career-best Grand Slam singles run is over after captivating Australian tennis fans and announcing herself as a genuine threat to the world’s best players.
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Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
Storm Hunter’s remarkable Australian Open run came to a heartbreaking close on Friday night when the 29-year-old fell to No.9 seed Barbora Krejcikova 4-6 7-5 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena.
Hunter was the first Australian qualifier to reach the third round of a grand slam since Anna Rodionova did so at the 2009 US Open.
Having already broken new ground by reaching the third round of a major for the very first time, Hunter was aiming to become the first qualifier since Denisa Allertova in 2018 to reach the last 16 at the Australian Open.
Less than a week earlier she had never gone beyond the first round at Melbourne Park. For the majority of Friday night’s match on centre court, she appeared destined for the fourth round.
In a tournament of continuous firsts for our unlikely leading lady, this was so close to being her finest hour yet.
Hunter had already left a path of destruction in her wake.
Former top-fiver Sara Errani was the first to fall. Then world No.78 Laura Siegemund.
Each scalp was celebrated as an underdog success story for the world’s best doubles player, who had mostly only dabbled in singles.
But her almost-upset of one of the best players on the planet signaled it was time for a perspective shift. We should no longer be surprised by her singles performances.
In a rollercoaster opening set, Hunter nabbed the early break of serve only to immediately hand it back to her Czech rival.
It began a run of five consecutive service breaks, before the Queenslander finally ended the drought and signaled an unlikely upset by nabbing the first set.
Hunter had the second set on her racquet with multiple break point opportunities – including a double break at 5-5 that she will regret for a long time to come.
Instead Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion and former world No.2, produced a string of stunning winners to steal the second set and send the match into a decider.
All night Hunter had looked unflappable. But her game began to fell apart as the pressure mounted.
The unforced errors crept in and Krejcikova sensed the match was there to be won. Her grand slam experience ultimately proved the difference.
The Czech star will face 16-year-old Russian prodigy, Mirra Andreeva, in the next round.
Andreeva became the talk of the tennis world this week when she stunned No.6 seed Ons Jabeur in a second-round straight-sets shellacking.
Incredibly, despite her grand slam-winning pedigree, Krejcikova may go into that clash as an underdog against the WTA’s latest rising star.
Hunter’s focus now shifts to the doubles.
She and Czech partner Katerina Siniakova will face Aussie duo Destanee Aiava and Maddison Inglis in the second round on Saturda
12.39PM: IT’S OVER — KREJCIKOVA ENDS HUNTER’S AUS OPEN
Storm Hunter certainly gave Aussie fans more than their money’s worth in a career-best run to the third round.
But it’s the ninth seed Krejcikova who will be going through after fighting back from a set down to win 4-6 7-5 6-3.
12.35AM: HUNTER STAYS ALIVE —JUST
You certainly can’t question Storm Hunter’s fortitude.
She remains a break down but has taken it to 5-3 to give herself the slimmest of chances.
Here is Krejcikova’s chance to serve for the match.
12.32AM: KREJCIKOVA TAKES 5-2 LEAD
Another break point missed for Hunter and it might be one of the last chances she gets for a comeback.
Krejcikova’s serve gets her out of trouble again and she leads 5-2.
12.25AM: HUNTER HOLDS, TRAILS 4-2
Storm Hunter saves a break point and denies Krejcikova a chance to serve for the match —for now.
12.21AM: KREJCIKOVA HOLDS, 4-1 AHEAD
Amazing how different this match looks now.
Barbora Krejcikova is serving brilliantly and after being broken at will in the opening set, doesn’t look like being broken again.
She leads 4-1 and Storm Hunter’s captivating run might be over soon.
“She is a fighter, we know that, an incredible competitor and she will stay out here until the end,: says Jelena Dokin on Channel 9.
12.19AM: STORM ON THE BOARD IN THIRD SET
After being 0-30 down on serve and staring down the barrel, Storm Hunter rallies to hold serve and make it 3-1.
“She is just labouring a little bit with even walking shorter steps and her way of walking shorter steps and her way of walking has changed. A reflection of how physical this match has been,” Alicia Molik says on Channel 9.
12.13AM: HUNTER BROKEN, TRAILS 3-0
Barbora Krejcikova has completely flipped this match on its head and is suddenly flying towards the fourth round.
She breaks Hunter to go 2-0 ahead and then ups the ante with a brilliant service match, leading 3-0 in the third set.
Unless something changes drastically, this will be over soon and not in the way Australian fans wanted.
12.10AM: STOSUR DETAILS HUNTER’S BIG CHALLENGE
Sam Stosur tells Channel 9 that the next 10 minutes will decide this match:“I think Storm has to give it absolutely everything she has got physically in this next 10 minutes or so and try to stem this and get it much on her terms as much as she possibly can.”
12.03AM: THIRD SET BREWING
Go make a coffee or whatever you need to do to stay awake.
Krejcikova breaks and we are off to a third set.
The ninth seed gets the second set 7-5.
That’s a brutal blow after Hunter had four chances to break and couldn’t convert.
12AM: HAPPY WEEKEND
No tennis update, just letting you know it’s Saturday
11.58PM: KREJCIKOVA HOLDS, 6-5
Krejcikova comes from 15-40 down to hold serve again and put the pressure back on Hunter to close this game out in two sets.
Storm had a couple of great looks there but luck went with Krejcikova when she caught the net on the decisive point and it wrongfooted the Australian.
11.52PM: HUNTER HOLDS, 5-5
It wasn’t without drama and a couple of close calls, but we can breathe again.
Storm Hunter holds to make it 5-5 in the second.
11.45PM: KREJCIKOVA GOES 5-4 AHEAD
After a service game which lasted more than 10 minutes and included two break points for Storm Hunter, Krejcikova holds and leads 5-4 in the second set.
11.43PM: RUBLEV WINS
Alex De Minaur will take on Russian fifth seed Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.
Rublev has defeated Sebastian Korda 6-2 7-6 6-4.
11.28PM: TENSE FINISH TO HUNTER’S SECOND SET
Barbora Krejcikova is making Storm Hunter work to finish this off in two sets.
The pressure will be on the Aussie to hold serve after Krejcikova went 4-3 ahead.
In the only other match still being played tonight Andrey Rublev is a break up deep into the third set against Sebastian Korda.
11.20PM: DOKIC — KREJCIKOVA LOOKS ‘CONFUSED’
Jelena Dokic says she is puzzled by ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova’s approach and the ninth seed looks “confused” in her battle for Storm Hunter.
Dokic tells Channel 9: “If I’m being honest, she looks a bit confused to me. I don’t think she knows what to do. She does. We have watched a lot of her matches and called a lot of matches and I am very surprised to be honest with the lack of variation and the lack of changing the gameplan or trying something.”
Krejcikova leads 3-2 in the second set, which is on serve.
11.15PM: RUBLEV LOOMS AS DE MINAUR OPPONENT
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev is a set away from a fourth-round match against Alex de Minaur.
The Russian held his nerve in a second-set tiebreak against Sebastian Korda and leads 6-2 7-6.
10.55PM: HUNTER TAKES THE FIRST SET
Storm Hunter has done it.
The Aussie underdog is a set away from what seemed an improbable fourth-round berth only a few days ago.
She serves out the first set 6-4.
Alicia Molik tells Channel 9: “I’m going to say it. This best I have seen Storm play...I mean, it has been perfect.”
10.54PM: MARATHON MATCH FINALLY OVER
Adrian Mannarino has done it.
After four fours and 46 minutes, the French 20th seed has taken down Ben Shelton in the third longest match at this year’s Australian Open.
It ends 7-6 1-6 6-7 6-3 6-4.
10.47PM: HUNTER HOLDS
It’s a minor miracle.
A player has held serve.
And the good news for Aussie tennis fans is it’s Storm Hunter.
She leads 5-3.
Sam Stosur says on Channel 9: “Krejcikova not getting any real rhythm on her serve.”
10.42PM: KREJCIKOVA DOUBLE FAULTS TO HAND HUNTER LEAD
For the fifth time in seven matches, there’s been a break of serve.
This time Krejcikova gifts Hunter the advantage with a double fault.
She leads 4-3 and will serve next.
10.35PM: KREJCIKOVA BREAKS — AGAIN
Sensing a theme here?
Holding serve is proving difficult for both players and they’re now locked at 3-3 in the first set as Krejcikova breaks Storm Hunter again.
That was too easy from the Aussie.
10.30PM: HUNTER BREAKS — AGAIN
Storm Hunter has her advantage back in the first set, breaking for the second time in three Krejcikova service games.
Can the Aussie capitalise?
10.25PM: KREJCIKOVA BREAKS BACK
We’re all square at 2-2 in the first set after the ninth seed gets the break back.
Elsewheree, Andrey Rublev has taken the first set against Sebastian Korda, while Ben Shelton and Andrian Mannarino are locked in a fifth set.
That match has been going for more than four hours and 20 minutes.
It might push the longest match of the tournament which is so far four hours and 59 minutes — Felix Auger-Aliassime’s win over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler’s first-round loss to Daniel Elahi Galan.
10.13PM: HUNTER BREAKS IN FIRST GAME
What a start by Storm Hunter!
She breaks in the opening game of the match and leads 1-0.
Sam Stosur tells Channel 9: Everyone believes in Storm and that’s what you want from the camp. Everyone is eager to see what she can do tonight.”
9.45PM: DJOKOVIC WINS
— Callum Dick
Just as the tennis world started to believe Novak Djokovic was beatable, he produced a performance to put the doubters back in their place.
In his 100th appearance at Melbourne Park, the world No.1 extended his record Australian Open winning streak to 31 matches and reminded rivals of his place atop the pecking order.
His 6-3 6-3 7-6(2) victory over 30th seed Tomas Etcheverry put paid to the young Argentinian’s impressive run through the top half of the draw that featured straight-sets demolition jobs on former top 10 players Andy Murray and Gael Monfils.
With another major scalp in his sights, Etcheverry was instead powerless in the face of Djokovic’s relentless consistency on Rod Laver Arena.
The Serbian superstar was back to his unflappable best on Friday night, breezing past his talented rival without seeing even a single break point.
This was the Djokovic of old; the one unbeaten at Melbourne Park since the start of 2019.
Etcheverry fought tooth and nail to send the third set into a tie-breaker but by the end of the first point, the writing was on the wall.
Djokovic surgically picked apart the Argentinian, who ran for his life in a 25-shot rally that emptied what gas he had left in the tank. First he takes your legs, then your soul.
After the point Djokovic held a finger to his ear, demanding the crowd find its voice.
Rod Laver Arena roared its approval as he romped home to book a spot in the fourth round.
It is the 15th time in 19 Australian Open appearances Djokovic has reached at least the fourth round.
“Yes, it was a great match. The best performance I had during this tournament,” Djokovic said.
I am pleased with the way I played through the entire match, particularly the first two sets.”
Questions had been asked of his level after struggling through the opening two matches of the tournament and Djokovic himself even conceded he had been far from his brilliant best.
En-route to his 10th Australian Open title last year, he dropped just one set for the entire tournament. Entering Friday night’s third round encounter he had already conceded two.
He was pushed to four sets by unknown Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic in the first round and even conceded Aussie Alexei Popyrin was the better player “for one-and-a-half sets” in their second round clash on Wednesday night.
With Alex de Minaur, Jannick Sinner and Andrey Rublev all in great form and vying for a semi-final date with the 24-time grand slam champion, Djokovic had looked vulnerable.
But this latest performance will send a shiver through the rest of the draw.
He might soon be back to his best.
Superb performance from #Djokovic in his 100th #AusOpen match. Hasn’t faced a break point en route to beating Etcheverry 6-3 6-3 7-6 (2).
— SaÅ¡a Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) January 19, 2024
9.30PM: DEMON PREPARES FOR RUBLEV OR KORDA
Alex de Minaur has revealed the mindset he will take into his fourth-round match against Sebastian Korda or Andrey Rublev as he eyes the a maiden Australian Open quarter-final.
Speaking after a straight-sets win over Flavio Cobolli, de Minaur said: “It’s all going to come down to the level I bring the following match. I’ve got to back myself up, I’ve got to believe, got to play positive tennis. I know the whole crowd is going to be behind me and am going to enjoy every second of it.”
9.25PM: QUALIFIER EXTENDS INCREDIBLE DEBUT RUN
Qualifier Maria Timofeeva is into the last 16 at the Australian Open, ousting 10th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3.
It’s a massive result for a player who was ranked 170th before this tournament and is in her maiden Grand Slam main draw.
9.22PM: DE MINAUR WINS!
Alex de Minaur does it in a canter, winning 6-3 6-3 6-1 over Flavio Cobolli.
He’ll face Sebastian Korda or Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.
“He’s a great competitor. He shows what he’s been able to do this whole tournament, coming to qualifying and getting to the third round, beating seeds and great players,” de Minaur tells Channel 9.
“A lot of respect to him and it was a great match. I wish him and it was a great match. I wish him the best for the rest of the season. I struggled a bit to find my rhythm throughout the match but I stayed in the moment, stayed composed. It worked out in the end.”
9.03PM: DE MINAUR IN CRUISE CONTROL
In the blink of eye an eye (or Blinkova if you like), Alex de Minaur has gone 3-0 ahead in the third set.
John McEnroe says on Channel 9 that Cobolli “has tapped out mentally”.
9PM: KYRGIOS SLAMS DJOKER TIME VIOLATION
Nick Kyrgios has slammed a time violation given to Novak Djokovic in the third set of his match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
The world No.1 was serving at 1-1 in the third set when he was pinged, leaving Kyrgios enraged.
“Not necessary. You’re ridiculous. Just ridiculousness. It’s like they get bored and they just want to say something, instead of the score. Ridiculous,” Kyrgios said on Eurosport.
8.50PM: HEWITT — ‘HE’S JUST GOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE’
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt has urged Alex de Minaur to up the ante and stamp his superiority over Flavio Cobolli.
Hewitt said de Minaur, who is two sets to love ahead, could have been more proactive in this match.
“He is getting plenty of looks. Cobolli has really struggled with his first serve,” Hewitt said on Channel 9.
“I think percentage would be fairly low tonight. Alex is getting looks at a lot of second serves and he’s just got to take advantage, moving on, trying to dictate play, looking to get in on this guys backhand has worked most of the night for him.
“He’s just got to get as many balls as he can look to get as many balls as he can look to step in and take time away from his opponent.”
The 10th seed leads 6-3 6-3 after breaking Cobolli in the ninth game of the second set.
8.37PM: DEMON SAVES BREAK POINTS IN CRUCIAL GAME
Alex de Minaur brought out all the stops in the sixth game of the second set to deny Flavio Cobolli a break and maintain his advantage in the set.
The Aussie leads 4-2 and is two games from taking a huge step toward the fourth round.
Both de Minaur and Novak Djokovic are two sets up.
The 10-time Australian Open winner is 6-3 6-3 ahead against 30th seed Tomas Martin Etecheverry.
7.55PM: DE MINAUR TAKES FIRST SET 6-3
Alex de Minaur has overcome a mid-set stumble to bank the first set against Flavio Cobolli 6-3.
On Rod Laver Arena, Novak Djokovic is on the cusp of claiming the first set.
7.50PM: DE MINAUR BREAKS AGAIN
Alex de Minaur is serving for the set!
7.45PM: COBOLLI BREAKS BACK
Well...that advantage was shortlived. A great response by the Italian and we’re back on serve at 4-3.
7.40PM: DE MINAUR BREAKS!
The Aussie goes 4-2 ahead and steals a march in the first set, breaking Cobolli in the sixth match on his third break point.
“Structured the point perfectly. Cobolli couldn’t come up with a pass,” Todd Woodbridge says on Channel 9.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic leads 3-2 on serve against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
7.15PM: STAR LOSES RACQUET MID-POINT IN CRAZY SCENES
Frenchman Adrian Mannarino has been left stranded without a racquet mid-point after a stunning return.
Mannarino reached for the sky to try and return a Ben Shelton lob, with his racquet slipping out of his grasp into the air - remarkably the ball bounced off his airborne racquet and landed back on Shelton’s side of the net.
However, the American was able to race to the fall of the ball and send it back over, with Mannarino left empty handed - literally and metaphorically - as the ball sailed past him and his racquet, which landed five metres away from him.
It didn’t faze the Frenchman, who was able to claim the first set 7-6 (7-4) in a tiebreak on Show Court Arena.
what was this Mannarino lol pic.twitter.com/ud5VDI8u5H
— Liam (@Blutman27) January 19, 2024
7PM: 16YO IN AWE OF LEGEND’S PRAISE AFTER HUGE COMEBACK
— Callum Dick
She has the game to match the best in the world and mental strength the envy of players twice her age, but 16-year-old Russian tennis prodigy Mirra Andreeva still gets starstruck.
Fresh from thrashing 6th seed Ons Jabeur earlier this week, Andreeva continued her remarkable Australian Open run by seeing off Frenchwoman Diane Parry 1-6 6-1 7-6(5) on Friday to book a place in the fourth round.
Andreeva faced match point while trailing 5-2 in the third set before roaring back to send the match into a tiebreaker, where she showed composure beyond her years to clinch the win.
Three-time grand slam champion and former men’s world No.1 Andy Murray tweeted in admiration of the young star after her third set comeback, praising the teenager’s mental toughness and labelling her a “winner”.
Andreeva, who was born two years after Murray made his professional debut, was stunned to learn he had tuned in to her match.
“Honestly I didn’t really think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something,” Andreeva said of Murray.
“I will try to print it out somehow. I will put it in a frame. I will bring it everywhere with me. I will maybe put it on the wall so I can see it every day.”
The 16-year-old is fast re-writing the record books.
She became the first player under the age of 17 to defeat a top 10 opponent at a grand slam since Coco Gauff bested Naomi Osaka at the 2020 Australian Open.
Having only made her grand slam debut at Roland Garros last year, Andreeva has now reached the fourth round of a major twice.
She lost to Madison Keys over three sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.
The young Russian has already pocketed more than $1m in her fledgling career and travelled to more countries in the past 12 months than most do in a lifetime.
But as the tennis world revels in the rise of a new star, Andreeva is less impressed by the incredible start to her career.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” she said.
“I mean, fourth round, yes, I’m 16, maybe it’s a bit new. Honestly, I don’t think that I did something amazing. I’m just trying to win a match, I’m just trying to fight.
“Fourth round is nothing. Maybe if I win a slam. I have to win three more matches and it’s really tough to win seven matches in a row.
“I don’t think that I did something incredible. I have time to do it, I hope.”
What a win for Mirra Andreeva, who continues to do things no 16-year-old should be able to do.
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) January 19, 2024
Comes back from 5-1 down in the third set, fails to serve out the match at 6-5 after five games in a row, and then wins the tie-breaker 10-5. Mad match.#AusOpen
Andreeva down 5-1 in third. Commentator “she really needs to work on mental side of her game.. she’s too hard on herself when she’s losingâ€
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 19, 2024
30 minutes later 7-6 Andreeva wins.
Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the…
6.35PM: SECRET TO GAUFF’S SURGE TO FOURTH ROUND
Teenage star Coco Gauff is drawing on her experience from her US Open win last year as she prepares to launch into the second week of her Australian Open campaign.
Gauff booked herself a spot in the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the third time in her career after a 6-0 6-2 win in her all-American battle against Alycia Parks on Margaret Court Arena on Friday.
The No.4 seed, who won her maiden grand slam at Flushing Meadows last year, is yet to drop a set in her campaign at Melbourne Park.
Approaching the second week, 19-year-old Gauff said she felt the experience she gained in her US Open run last year would stand her in good stead next week at the Australian Open.
“(You have to) have fun and relax. I think as you get later, the trophy gets closer and closer and you have to treat it that it’s as far away as it is if you’re in the first round,” Gauff said.
“That’s how I approached that final. I didn’t approach it as I just need to win two sets and then I have it, I approached it as I need to win seven matches again and then I’ll get it.
“It was actually something my brother told me ...he told me ‘Pretend that you have to win three sets instead of two’.
“If you put your mindset into that extra mile then it seems easier, I guess in a way.
“I think just tricking the mind kind of relaxes the body because your mind controls your body so you have to trick your mind a little bit.”
Gauff will battle Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the next round for a spot in her first Melbourne quarterfinal.
6.10PM: AUSSIE’S VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN HUNTER
Ajla Tomljanovic has declared Storm Hunter “can do amazing things” as a singles player as the doubles specialist aims to extend her career-best Grand Slam run tonight.
Tomljanovic, who lost to Jelena Ostapenko last night, revealed she had urged Hunter to focus on singles for some time.
Hunter will be playing for a spot in the Australian Open fourth round when she takes on ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova on Rod Laver Arena.
The match is not expected to start before 9pm, with Novak Djokovic and Tomas Martin Etcheverry up first.
“She’s been amazing in Billie Jean King Cup over the last couple of years, and she’s clutch,” Tomljanovic said.
“Seeing her have success here at home is really awesome because she can play at that level. “But I do think it’s hard to do that when you are playing such a high level of doubles and your ranking is not quite there with your singles.
“In my opinion, she’s going to have to make a decision at some point.
“I feel like she proved here that she really does belong at the higher level in the singles game.
“One thing with Storm, you never count her out. She loves playing at home, big court. Yeah, I like her chances. I think regardless of the result, I know it’s going to be a battle for sure.”
5.35PM: UKRAINIAN EXPLAINS HANDSHAKE SNUB
Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko declared her position of not shaking hands with her Russian and Belarusian opponents as “the right thing to do” to remind the world of the war in her country after brushing the gesture following her thumping from Aryna Sabalenka.
As she doubled down on her stance that Russian and Belarusian players should not be allowed to compete at this year’s Paris Olympic Games as it was “against fair play”, the No.28 seed revealed how “painful” it was to take to the court against those athletes.
Tsurenko also said she had lost respect for players who had opted to play in an exhibition event in Russia late last year, while saying it was “too late” for the tours to do more to raise awareness of the situation in the Ukraine.
The 34-year-old did not offer her hand to Belarusian Sabalenka after her 6-0 6-0 thumping from the defending Australian Open champion, only raising her hand slightly to acknowledge her opponent.
The pair had history entering the match after Tsurenko withdrew from her third-round clash
“It is a national position. I think if you want I can try to explain to you how it feels, but it is probably tough to explain if you are not part of the country that is in the war right now,” Tsurenko said.
“This is really the right thing to do (not to shake hands). This is another reminder that there is a war in my country.
“If you can just imagine (being) in my place or any other Ukrainian you would not have this question.
“This is the right thing to do and I do this for Ukraine and I think this is the right thing.
“People don’t want to talk about war. They don’t want to hear bad news.
“I am trying to remind the world that the war is still on and people are still struggling.
“It seems like the whole world is tired of hearing that. It is still going on and it’s a part of my life and other Ukrainians’ lives and we have to talk about it, we have to remind people about Ukraine and, of course, about all the other wars that are going on around the world and how unfair it is.”
Tsurenko added her position not shaking hands was also to highlight her view that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to compete at this year’s Olympics.
“The fact that we don’t shake hands with Russian and Belarusian (players) with this I also want to show that they should not be at the Olympic Games just because it’s against Olympic principals,” Tsurenko said.
“That is my opinion and this is against fair play and that should not happen during the active war.”
5.15PM: DOUBLES CHAMPS BACK AUSSIE THREEPEAT
Reigning Australian Open men’s doubles champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler have played down their own title chances but backed another pair to complete an Aussie three-peat.
Hijikata and Kubler comfortably accounted for their first-round opponents in straight sets on Friday but said it was the pairing of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson which had the biggest chance of carrying on a trend of local winners at Melbourne Park beginning with Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2022.
Thompson and Purcell were pushed to a match tie-break by an Austrian pair on Thursday and will be tested further when they meet seventh seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski on Saturday.
“I think they could be the third straight Aussie pair to win the tournament, if I’m being honest,” Hijikata said of the duo.
“I got to play with Max in Tokyo, and I’ve seen Thommo play a ton – they’re both unbelievable doubles players.
“Now that they’re both out of the singles, they can probably focus on their doubles a bit more ... I would say they’re a very good shot to go deep these next couple of weeks.”
Kubler said he thought the “Special Ks” had ignited a successful new era in Australian doubles, which has also featured Storm Hunter’s run to world No. 1 in the women’s doubles including reaching the Wimbledon final.
“I think with Nick and Thanasi winning two years ago, I think that really (changed it) ... I find that the fans really enjoyed and really get into it because I found last year, the crowds were going crazy for us,” he said.
Hijikata and Kubler have had limited success as a duo since their Australian Open triumph, but Hijikata said the doubles drills had started slighty earlier before the tournament this year after the pair both suffered crushing five-set first-round losses.
“I just try to erase that from my memory ... that match never happened,” Hijikata said.
“I didn’t play singles this week. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
“What match? What match?” Kubler said.
4PM: SEEDS DOMINANT ON LOPSIDED DAY
Two of the key contenders for their respective Australian Open titles are through to the fourth round.
Women’s fourth seed Coco Gauff stomed past her compatriot Alycia Parks 6-0 6-2 in a commanding display, while men’s seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas took down Luka Van Assche in straight sets 6-3, 6-0, 6-4.
Last night, Nick Kyrgios tipped his former foe Tsitsipas to claim his maiden Grand Slam crown at Melbourne Park.
Karen Khachanov, Tyler Fritz, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka have also won through on a day dominated by seeded players.
3.10PM: RAIN DELAY WASHES OUT AUSSIE’S DREAM
With all matches running smoothly under cloudy skies today, spare a thought for Australian Ellen Perez and her doubles partner Nicole Melichar-Martinez, who were the biggest victims of Thursday’s surprise downpour.
The seventh-seeded duo had match point in the third set of their opening round match against China’s Zhu Lin and Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien when the first shower hit and play was immediately halted.
Returning to the court about 30 minutes later, they lost three consecutive points as their opponents drew the set level at 5-5 and then forced a match tie-break before a longer rain delay of 90 minutes.
This time, the weather didn’t bring a shift in momentum, as Perez and Melichar-Martinez went down 10-5 in the tie-break.
It was a disappointing blow for Perez, who has still not been past the second round of her home grand slam in the doubles despite reaching the semi-finals of the US and French Opens along with the Wimbledon quarter-finals in the last two years.
The 28-year-old still has a title shot in the mixed doubles alongside Dutch veteran Jean-Julien Rojer, with the eighth-seeded pair to play their first-round match on Saturday.
2:35PM SINNER ROMPS IT IN
Jannik Sinner reinforced his Australian Open title credentials with a straight-sets mauling of 26th-seed Sebastian Baez Friday, dropping just four games in the one-sided romp.
The 22-year-old Italian fourth seed was in a different class from the Argentine, spending just one hour and 52 minutes on court for the 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory.
It set him up for a fourth-round clash against either Russian 15th seed Karen Khachanov or Czech player Tomas Machac.
Sinner is yet to drop a set in his three matches so far, unlike the trio of players ahead of him in the rankings — defending champion Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
“Generally, I’m playing really well and feeling great here,” said Sinner, who opted against a warm-up tournament this year. “I’m just happy with how I’m feeling right now.”
2:10PM: SHAKE IT OFF: NO LOVE AT AUS OPEN AS POLITICS TRUMPS SPORT
Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko did not shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka after the defending Australian Open champion monstered her opponent in straight sets to power through to the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
In an ominous sign to her Australian Open challengers, Sabalenka made a meal of the No. 28 seed Tsurenko, dispatching her with a 6-0 6-0 victory on Rod Laver Arena.
Tsurenko did not come to the net to shake the hand of Belarusian Sabalenka after the match, only raising her hand slightly to acknowledge her opponent.
The pair has history coming into this match after Tsurenko last year withdrew from her third-round clash with Belarusian Sabalenka at Indian Wells moments before the pair were due to play.
The Ukrainian later revealed she suffered a panic attack after reflecting on a conversation she had with WTA CEO Steve Simon days earlier, in which the two discussed his position on Russian and Belarusian players and the likelihood they would be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As she has done so previously, Tsurenko was wearing a blue and yellow ribbon attached to her top in support of Ukraine.
Sabalenka took just 53 minutes to wrap up the match on centre court, continuing a dominant start to her Australian Open defence.
The No. 2 seed has not dropped a set so far at Melbourne Park this year, winning 6-0 6-1 in the first round and 6-3 6-2 in the second round.
Aryna Sabalenka after beating Tsurenko at Australian Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 19, 2024
Petkovic: “1st round 6-0 6-1. 2nd round 6-3 6-2. Today 6-0 6-0. Is it fun for you sucking the joy out of other players games?†😂
Aryna: “Well last year Iga won so many sets 6-0. This is one of the goals. Try to get… pic.twitter.com/MHkZivekbi
2:00PM MEDICAL TIMEOUT FOR TSITSIPAS
Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas is in the wars early in his third-round clash with French teen Luca van Assche, taking a medical timeout to patch up his knee after a heavy landing on the Rod Laver Arena surface.
The world No. 7 took a five-minute pause to have his right knee treated but it has continued to bleed since he returned to the court.
The scrape doesn’t appear to have affected Tsitsipas’ mobility though as he remains locked in battle with the diminutive French 19-year-old at 2-2 in the first set.
Tsitsipas entered this match coming off a brutal four-set encounter with Aussie Jordan Thompson on Wednesday night.
Thompson had four set points which could have brought the match into a fifth set, but Tsitsipas saved all of them before winning the match in a fourth-set tie-break.
1:10PM SINNER A WINNER IN OPENING SET
Italian world No. 4 Jannik Sinner has handed 26th seed Sebastian Baez a first-set bagel in a scintillating start to his third-round clash with the Argentinian.
Sinner raced to a 6-0 first-set win in only half an hour despite going down 0-40 in his second service game.
The red-haired star, who is cheered on at Melbourne Park by a group of fans from his hometown wearing carrot costumes called “Carota Boys”, looms as the likely quarter-final opponent for Alex de Minaur should the Australian win his next two matches.
Sinner has not dropped a set in this tournament and after an early second-set break looks in no danger of doing so against Baez, who won three ATP titles in 2023 but has never advanced past the third round of a grand slam.
12:00PM: AMERICAN STAR CHUGS FAN’S BEER
America’s Emma Navarro is competing in her first ever Australian Open, but the rising star sure knows how to win over the local fans.
The Hobart International champion defeated Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto to progress through to the third round in a tough three setter on Melbourne Park’s Show Court Arena on Thursday night.
One fan showed their appreciation by handing Navarro a beer which the world number 26 promptly chugged, signed and returned much to the appreciation of the spectators.
Navarro is the daughter of US rich lister Ben Navarro who has an estimated net wort of $3 billion US dollars.
Emma Navarro doesn't just give autographs away!#wta#tennis#AusOpen#Navarropic.twitter.com/oKoXEJ2QW9
— TennisTarts (@TartsTenni42399) January 18, 2024
10:15AM: FORMER WORLD NO. 1 SENTENCED FOR FRAUD
Former world No. 1 tennis player Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario and her ex-husband, Josep Santacana, were found guilty of fraud in Spain, reports the New York Post.
Sánchez-Vicario, a four-time Grand Slam singles winner who retired in 2002, and Santacana reportedly hid assets in an attempt to avoid paying large debts, which were owed to the Banque de Luxembourg.
The 52-year-old Barcelona-born Sánchez-Vicario avoided jail time, while Santacana was sentenced to three years and three months in prison.
Sánchez-Vicario was initially given a two-year sentence but it was waived due to her being a first-time offender — and an agreement that she will pay back her debts to the bank.
The ex-couple, who divorced in 2019, must also pay a fine of 6.6 million euros ($11 million).
Both Sánchez-Vicario and Santacana had denied the charges prior to the ruling, according to The Associated Press — which reported that she claimed he handled her money and she had no knowledge of any illegal wrongdoing.
The Spanish court ruled that although Sánchez-Vicario did not have the financial knowledge to tamper with the assets, “obviously she had full knowledge of what was done with her assets and was benefiting from them, with the full awareness of the debt she had with Banque de Luxembourg.”
In 2023, Sánchez-Vicario reportedly reached a deal with prosectors to admit to the allegations in exchange for a reduced sentence.
9:20AM DREAM TURNS INTO REALITY FOR NOVAK SUPERFAN
‘Never meet your heroes’ goes an old saying, but rising star Tomas Etcheverry has been looking forward to tonight’s Grand Slam showdown with Novak Djokovic for years.
Djokovic has been the idol of the 24-year-old Argentinian ever since he started playing tennis.
The love first surfaced on social media in 2016, when the Argentinian posted a picture of himself winning his first ATP point.
At that time he jokingly compared himself with Djokovic.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry idolised Novak Djokovic growing up.
— Sam Street (@samstreetwrites) January 17, 2024
This is what he posted when he won his first ATP Ranking Point in 2016.
Now he will play him in the Australian Open third round. pic.twitter.com/d1G06Bi4xA
Etcheverry has since had a chance to play against Djokovic, losing their Rome Masters encounter, 6-7(5), 2-6, in 2023.
They also met at the Paris Masters later the same year, with Djokovic winning again in straight sets but this will be their first meeting at a Grand Slam tournament.
Despite those easy victories Djokovic is not taking Etcheverry’s challenge lightly, “his results are really impressive, he’s obviously playing maybe the tennis of his life on the hard court,” Djokovic said of the 30th seed. “I have to be very, very prepared and ready for that.”
July 2016: Tomas Etcheverry wins his first ATP point (12,899 points behind No. 1 Djokovic)
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 18, 2024
The saga continues this week in Melbourne! @AustralianOpen#AusOpenpic.twitter.com/Dcp3jiQAcr
The world number one and top seed has been under the weather this week, regularly blowing his nose, and admitted he has not been at his best.
“It’s frustrating at times with kind of the level of tennis that I’m playing on the court and some uncharacteristic mistakes that I make,” he said.
“Hopefully things will go in a positive direction in terms of how I feel and play.”
8:10AM ‘MISSING’: FAN’S CHEEKY DIG AT NICK KYRGIOS
The Australian contingent have given a good account of themselves during the first week of their home grand slam.
But there has been one big name missing from the Australian Open – and it has not gone unnoticed by fans.
Nick Kyrgios pulled out of the tournament last month due to a wrist injury and has spent some time in the commentary box instead of on court.
One fan was captured in the stands on Thursday sporting a missing person’s poster clipped to his singlet.
The poster included a photo of Kyrgios and was headlined: “MISSING. Have you seen this man?”
It went on to read: “Last seen at Stuttgart 2023”.
The Boss Open in Stuttgart, Germany last June was Kyrgios’ last appearance on the ATP tour.
The former world No. 13 has featured in the main draw of the Australian Open nine times, with his best result coming in 2015 when he reached the quarterfinals.
Kyrgios fans should take heart from a recent update provided by the tennis ace’s girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.
Hatzi said she couldn’t be prouder of how he’s dealt with setbacks over the past year.
“Honestly I feel like he’s been really mature and handled it well,” she said.
“He’s just in a positive mindset, not how he used to be. He didn’t fall into depression or anything, he’s been good, taking it day by day and as best as he can.
“I feel like now because he’s been injured he’s not going to take it for granted anymore. He’s got this fire and passion to come back and win a slam.”
Alex de Minaur – who is the 10th seed – is the country’s great hope in this year’s Australian Open.
7:30AM: ‘COMPLETELY COMPROMISED’: AUS OPEN’S CRAZY LATE FINISH
Two-time runner-up Daniil Medvedev reached the Australian Open third round with a five-set win over Emil Ruusuvuori which finished at 03:40 on Friday morning.
World number three Medvedev battled back from two sets down to win 3-6, 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-0 after more than four hours and 20 minutes on court.
Medvedev had been just two points from defeat when trailing his 53rd-ranked Finnish opponent 4-5 in the fourth set.
No one should be playing tennis at 330am. This is looney tunes.
— John Isner (@JohnIsner) January 18, 2024
The recovery for both players is completely compromised. Especially tough for the loser once the adrenaline leaves their body https://t.co/bCTCuqBATm
— John Isner (@JohnIsner) January 18, 2024
It’s late! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Q4mgiLxNhE
— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) January 18, 2024
However, he recovered to sprint through the tie-break to level at two sets all and then swept the decider as Ruusuvuori struggled with a right shoulder injury.
Asked how he would prepare for his next match against Canadian No. 27 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev shrugged: “I don’t know, probably, hopefully 6.30?
“Second question is ‘do I do the physio?’ If I don’t do the physio, I think I don’t go out and play in two days.
“If I do the physio, I will see how much I sleep. Maybe if I can sleep from 6 to 12, then some easy practice tomorrow.
"Honestly guys, I will not be here!" 😆â²ï¸
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 18, 2024
A hilarious Daniil Medvedev at 3:40am in Melbourne! @DaniilMedwed | #AusOpenpic.twitter.com/0KBKZaomxl
“But, look it can tough, it’s not easy – but I want to try to win and I will give my everything, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”
Speaking to the remaining crowd, he said, “Honestly, guys, I would not be here [as a fan]. Thanks for staying. If I would be a tennis fan and I would come, at 1, I would be, ‘OK, let’s go home, we’re going to catch the rest of the match on the TV. We’re going to watch 30 minutes and then go to bed.’
6:00AM: POLITICAL TENSIONS THREATEN TO EXPLODE IN OPEN GRUDGE MATCH
The WTA’s great big elephant in the room could again rear its head on Friday when Ukrainian 28th seed Lesia Tsurenko squares off against reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on Rod Laver Arena.
Tsurenko, 34, last year withdrew from her third-round clash with Sabalenka at Indian Wells mere moments before the pair were due to play.
The Ukrainian later revealed she suffered a panic attack after reflecting on a conversation she had with WTA CEO Steve Simon days earlier, in which the two discussed his position on Russian and Belarusian players and the likelihood they would be allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I was absolutely shocked by what I heard,” Tsurenko told Big Tennis Ukraine following her withdrawal.
“He told me that he himself does not support the war, but if the players from Russia and Belarus support it, then this is only their own opinion and the opinion of other people should not upset me.
“At the same time, he noted that if this had happened to him and he had been in my place he would have felt terrible.
“In addition, he expressed confidence that the Russians and Belarussians will return to the Olympics and said that this will happen exactly as it is happening now in tennis.
“When asked if he understood that he was telling me this during the active phase of Russian military aggression in my country, he said that yes, and this was his opinion.”
The WTA released a statement in response to Tsurenko’s comments, saying: “The WTA has consistently reflected our full support for Ukraine and strongly condemn the actions that have been brought forth by the Russian government.
“With this, a fundamental principle of the WTA remains, which is ensuring that individual athletes may participate in professional tennis events based on merit and without any form of discrimination, and not penalised due to the decisions made by the leadership of their country.”
Following Tsurenko’s withdrawal and subsequent revelation of her panic attack, Sabalenka was asked to give her thoughts on the issue.
“Well, listen, nobody can control emotions of others, you know. And I think WTA are doing their best to kind of control it,” she told the media at Indian Wells.
“I still have this belief that I did nothing bad to Ukrainians; not me, not Russian athletes, not Belarusian athletes, not one of us did something bad.
“So what else I can say? I think WTA are doing (a) really great job to support both sides, and whatever – I mean, I cannot control their emotions.”
A few weeks later, Sabalenka revealed the tensions had spilt into the locker room.
“It was really, really tough for me because I’ve never faced that much hate in the locker room,” she said ahead of the Miami Open.
“I had some, not like fights, but I had some weird conversations with, not the girls, but with members of their team.
“It was really, it was tough. It was a tough period. But now it’s getting better.”
Sabalenka last year was repeatedly asked by reporters to denounce the war in Ukraine.
The Belarusian refused to do a post-match press conference following her French Open Round of 16 win last year claiming she “did not feel safe” after continued questions from the media about the war.
But she did front the press ahead of her semi-final with Czech Karolina Muchova, where she finally relented.
“I don’t want my country to be in any conflict,” Sabalenka said.
“I don’t support the war, meaning I don’t support (Belarus president) Alexander Lukashenko right now.”
Tsurenko and Sabalenka are scheduled to play first-up on Rod Laver Arena from 12pm on Friday.
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