Brisbane International 2024/25: Alexei Popyrin bombs out; Australian results wrap
Australian No.2 Alexei Popyrin has failed in his bid for revenge, bombing out of the Brisbane International in the opening round after going down to a familiar foe. See all the latest results.
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Australian No.2 Alexei Popyrin has bombed out of the Brisbane International in the opening round, falling 6-3 6-2 to familiar foe Matteo Arnaldi on Tuesday.
When the draw was released Popyrin grinned at the prospect of revenge on the man who broke his and Australia’s heart in the 2023 Davis Cup final.
The world No.24 labelled that defeat “the most painful loss of my career” and the Italian twisted the knife even further on Tuesday, completely outplaying the Australian on his home court a day after Jordan Thompson defeated Arnaldi’s compatriot Matteo Berrettini in three sets on Pat Rafter Arena.
Arnaldi spent the bulk of his off-season in Melbourne with his Australian girlfriend and looked right at home in the stifling hot and humid conditions on show court 1.
The world No.37 dominated the court and managed to take away the powerful Popyrin’s weapons.
Popyrin appeared to be in control in the opening set, racing through his service games and seeing break points on the Arnaldi serve.
The Italian was going at just 30 per cent on his first serve and it felt like only a matter of time before Popyrin banked one of his many break points.
Instead it was Arnaldi with the early statement, punishing an uncharacteristically loose Popyrin service game to get the early jump before finishing off the first set with a flourish.
The Italian continued to struggle landing his first serves but Popyrin was unable to punish him. Arnaldi won an incredible 70 per cent of points on his second serve to Popyrin just 42 per cent; an ace ending the Aussie’s Brisbane run before it even had a chance to begin.
Popyrin, who made the second round in Brisbane last year, will lose 25 ranking points but his Australian Open seeding will remain secure.
—Callum Dick
SABALENKA STARTS ON WINNING NOTE
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for Brisbane International redemption has started in commanding fashion, with the two-time Australian Open champion rarely troubled in her straight-sets disposal of Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.
Having been given a first-round bye, top seed Sabalenka beat Zarazua 6-4 6-0 at Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday to advance to a third-round meeting with 15th seed Yulia Putintseva, of Kazakhstan.
Last year’s Brisbane International runner-up opened up an early 3-0 lead before allowing Zarazua back into the contest with an extremely loose service game in which she was broken to love.
However, she rose again when it mattered, breaking Zarazua’s serve in the 10th game of the match to secure the first set.
Sabalenka then upped the ante in a one-sided second set to win in 62 minutes.
WALTON’S LET CORD WOE IN TIAFOE DEFEAT
A let cord and loose serve came back to haunt rising Australian tennis star Adam Walton in his fighting 7-6(5) 6-3 defeat to world No.18 Frances Tiafoe at the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
Walton, 25, wowed the home crowd on show court 1 as he traded blows with the powerful American and tournament No.4 seed in an enthralling opening round encounter.
Hailing from the small town of Home Hill in north Queensland, Walton became the latest Aussie entrant into the ATP top-100 when he broke through tennis’ glass ceiling in May to settle at No.93 in the world ahead of the first tournament of the summer in Brisbane.
And he played well above his ranking against Tiafoe, a two-time US Open semi-finalist and former top-10 whose career scalps include a fourth round win over Rafael Nadal at Flushing Meadows.
BADOSA KNOCKED OUT IN SECOND-ROUND UPSET
—Marco Monteverde
Women’s fourth seed Paula Badosa has been knocked out of the Brisbane International in a second-round upset at Pat Rafter Arena.
Playing in her first match of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye, Spain’s Badosa was beaten 6-3 1-6 6-2 by unseeded Armenian Elina Avanesyan on Tuesday.
Having lost the first set, world No.12 Badosa seemed back on track after winning the second set in just 24 minutes.
However, Avanesyan retained control of the match in the third set against her visibly frustrated opponent to win in two hours and two minutes.
THOMPSON CLAIMS MAJOR SCALP AT BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL
—Callum Dick
Comeback king Jordan Thompson has claimed his first serious scalp of the Australian summer, outdueling in-form Italian powerhouse Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Brisbane International.
Just as he did on the same court 12 months earlier against Rafael Nadal, Thompson, 30, came from a set down to blitz past the 2021 Wimbledon finalist and book a berth in the second round.
This time there were no match points to be saved but Monday’s win felt similarly sweet for the fighting Aussie, whose back was against the wall in the early stages as Berrettini fired down his trademark bombs.
Thompson rolled his eyes on Saturday when he was drawn to face the former world No.6 in the opening round.
Two years ago such a meeting would have been reserved for a quarter-final or better but after a string of injuries, Berrettini is only now rediscovering the form that made him one of the top players on the planet.
“Big serve, big forehand,” was Thompson’s quick assessment of the nightmare match-up.
As prophesied, the Italian’s booming serve and fierce forehands were on full display in the opening set and he had the hometown hopeful on his heels.
“He was playing well. It seemed like everything was going his way, he was serving at such a high percentage,” said Thompson.
“It’s tough when a guy is that big and he’s serving that well, to just try and build some rhythm.”
Berrettini overpowered Thompson from the back of the court and rode his luck at the net – much to the Australian’s chagrin.
Sensing a pivotal moment trailing 4-1, Thompson rushed the net for a serve-volley and forced a wild shot from Berrettini that hit the let cord, looped over Thompson’s head and somehow landed on the line.
The Italian apologised. The Aussie was aghast.
Huge! @jordanthommmo2 rallies from a set down to defeat Matteo Berrettini!
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) December 30, 2024
Onto the next one, Thommo!#BrisbaneTennispic.twitter.com/c9g9qoIc7y
“At that point in time I was thinking ‘everything you’re touching is just turning to gold’,” Thompson said.
“That is just one point (but I) didn’t need that for the head space at that point in time.”
Thompson’s frustration threatened to boil over as Berrettini continued to paint the lines and place his shots in near-impossible positions.
But fittingly, it was another bold journey to the net that laid the foundations for Thompson’s eventual victory.
On-serve at 2-2 in the third, he again charged the net but this time, showing all the poise of a Grand Slam doubles champion, successfully put the loose Berrettini backhand away.
His triumphant roar was matched by the Brisbane crowd and with their voices at his back, Thompson served out the match.
He is one of the major fancies in Brisbane this week following a standout 2024 season that saw him rise to No.26 in the world.
Last January he felled Nadal en route to a semi-final berth and with the level he showed against Berrettini on Monday, the Aussie ace will fancy his chances of a similar run this summer.
Next on the agenda is a familiar foe, American Alex Michelsen, with whom Thompson played out one of the most memorable matches on tour this year.
Last February, Thompson trailed Michelsen 6-0, 4-1 in the quarter-finals at Los Cabos only to fight back, fend off three match points and clinch the match in three sets.
Labelled the best comeback victory of 2024, Thompson will hope the going is a little easier when they meet again in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“Hopefully I don’t get off to that start in the next one,” he laughed.
“I’ve said it so many times, I don’t know how I turned that match around.
“I think I’m the tough player that just hangs around (and) fights for every point. That day it paid off. Hopefully it doesn’t get to that point next time.”
BEST FRIENDS CLASH IN CLASSIC
—Callum Dick
Gold Coaster Kimberly Birrell stormed home from a set down against Brisbane’s Priscilla Hon 3-6 7-5 6-2 on Monday to book a place in the second round of the Brisbane International.
For the sixth time in succession the great mates, who were born 12 days apart, battled to three sets and on the biggest stage of their long-running rivalry it was Birrell who prevailed, seemingly against the odds.
The 26-year-old will store the game in her memory bank for the next time things get tough on a court.
Having worked so meticulously on her serve in recent months, it appeared to abandon her in the first set on Pat Rafter Arena.
The world No.113 won just 30 per cent of points on first serve and looked frustrated as the power game of Hon clinched the opening set.
Birrell flipped the script in the second to win close to 80 per cent of her points on first serve and worked the powerful Hon all over the court.
In her first match of the summer, Birrell looked much fresher than Hon, who had battled through two gruelling qualifying rounds in sweltering heat to reach the main draw.
It appeared to take a toll on Hon late in the second set and Birrell powered home in the decider.
“Pri is one of my best friends,” Birrell said. “We grew up practising together at this tennis centre and to play here at the BI (Brisbane International) is very special.
“I didn’t think too much about the way I was playing.
“I had a clear game plan I was trying to stick to but it was more about getting the first shot, trying to make her move, hitting more first serves in, getting on top at the beginning of the rally, and I think that helped.
“It’s my mum and dad’s wedding anniversary today so I wanted to win for them. They’ve sacrificed so much for my brother and I to follow our dreams over the years.”
Birrell will meet world No.8 and the tournament’s No.2 seed, Emma Navarro, in the second round on Wednesday.
She has claimed a top-10 scalp in Brisbane before when she defeated then-No.10 Daria Kasatkina in the opening round in 2019.
CHAMP IN AUSSIE PHENOM’S CROSSHAIRS
—Callum Dick
With her visor down and sunglasses on, rising Aussie tennis star Maya Joint wants to walk back out onto Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday and claim the biggest scalp of her fledgling career.
Joint, 18, out-duelled Maddison Inglis 6-3 6-4 on Sunday in an all-Aussie opening round battle at the Brisbane International on Sunday.
The American-born teenager, who switched allegiances to Australia two years ago, played the angles of her adoptive home court to perfection, securing just the second tour-level main draw victory of her career in decisive fashion to book a second-round date with two-time Australian Open champion, Victoria Azarenka.
“I felt pretty good when I went out there – I was pretty nervous,” Joint said.
“I thought about how I had practised on that court a lot over the last couple weeks (and) tried to take from that.”
Under the cavernous roof of Pat Rafter Arena Joint still donned a visor and sunglasses, which she said helped calm the nerves for her Brisbane debut.
“I think the sunglasses help because you can’t really see all of my face – but I was pretty nervous,” she said.
Joint raced out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set as Inglis, who had to fight through two rounds of qualifying in sweltering conditions to book her place in the main draw, struggled to match the speed of her young compatriot.
Joint successfully snapped a mini-run from Inglis to clinch the first set 6-3 and came back from a break down early in the second to book her place in the second round.
Her opponent, former world No.1 and two-time Brisbane and Australian Open champion Azarenka, will be an exciting test for the young Aussie who has a top-100 berth in her sights next year.
It will be the second-biggest match of her career, following her US Open second round battle with world No.21 Madison Keys in August.
“I’m really excited to play her (Azarenka). I’ll think back to my Madison Keys match – that was a great experience, I hope I can play well again,” Joint said.
“There were a lot of things that I saw (from the Keys match) that I needed to improve in my own game to be competitive with those sorts of players.
“I’m just excited to see how my game matches up against (Azarenka).”
Originally published as Brisbane International 2024/25: Alexei Popyrin bombs out; Australian results wrap
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