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Australian Open Day Five at Melbourne Park

NICK Kyrgios beat his childhood hero, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after the Frenchman got caught up in a screaming match with a fan.

Alex BlairAlex Blair
@alexblair_1
17 min read
January 20, 2018 - 7:33AM
Players react to the serious heat at the Australian Open

Live: Australian Open Day Five

Nick Kyrgios defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a thrilling clash at Rod Laver Arena to cap off day five at the 2018 Australian Open.

NICK Kyrgios gave fans plenty to cheer about as he inched his way to a four set victory over childhood idol Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Rod Laver Arena.

The match was ruled by service games with each player struggling to break through their opponent’s searing serves. Three tense tiebreaks, all of which Kyrgios won, had fans biting their nails for the entire three hour and 17 minute clash.

A tense moment which saw Tsonga scream at a spectator briefly marred the clash as the Frenchman copped a warning. He later admitted the incident drove him “a little crazy” before losing his grip over the match.

On Margaret Court Arena, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal continued his breezy campaign with a dominant straight-sets vicotry over Damir Dzumhur, skittling the Bosnian 6-1 6-3 6-1.

Here’s how the day played out:

ROD LAVER ARENA

11am

Petra Martic (CRO) defeated Luksika Kumkhum (THA) 6-3 3-6 7-5

(4) Elina Svitolina (UKR) defeated Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 6-2 6-2

(3) Grigor Dimitrov (BEL) defeated (30) Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-4

7pm

(17) Nick Kyrgios (AUS) defeated (15) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 7-6 4-6 7-6 7-6

(2) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) defeated (30) Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-4, 6-3

MARGARET COURT ARENA

11am

Denisa Allertova (CZE) defeated Magda Linette (POL) 6-1 6-4

(10) Pablo Carreno Busta (SPA) defeated (23) Giles Muller (LUX) 7-6 4-6 7-5 7-5

(19) Magdalena Rybarlkova (SLO) defeated Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 7-5 3-6 6-1

7pm

(1) Rafael Nadal (SPA) defeated (28) Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1 6-3 6-1

(32) A Kontavelt (EST) defeated (7) Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 6-3 1-6 6-3

HISENSE ARENA

11am

Elise Mertens (GER) defeated Alize Cornet (FRA) 7-5 6-4

Andreas Seppi (ITA) defeated Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 6-3 7-6 6-7 6-7 9-7

(6) Marin Cilic (CRO) defeated Ryan Harrison (USA) 7-6 6-3 7-6

10:28pm

Kyrgios wins over childhood idol Tsonga

Elation.
Elation.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bounced back from his blow-up with a spectator early in the fourth set to bring Aussie Nick Kyrgios to another tiebreak. Neither man could get a break throughout the fourth as the battle closed in on a looming fifth set.

Tsongabroke Kyrgios early in the tiebreakand began using his superior game at the net to shake things up — but a leg niggle after a failed volley had the 32-year-old on tenterhooks.

Kyrgios incredibly fought back from 2-5 in the tiebreak to find himself at match point with 6-5. Tsonga hit an unforced forehand error into the net and sent the crowd wild as Kyrgios jumped around in elation.

“He was a guy I looked up to as a kid, still do,” Kyrgios said after the match.

Tsonga spoke about the loss, including his blow-up at a spectator, at his post-match press conference.

“On the set point (in the third set), in between the first serve and the second, the guy was talking to me and telling me ‘You are under pressure now, you are under pressure now’ when I was bouncing my balls,” Tsonga said.

“That’s it. I lost it and it (drove) me a little bit crazy.

“You know, it’s not fair. It’s not fair. But, yeah, that’s it. The guy was feeling safe because he was upstairs (in the stands). I just tell him ‘Come now to see if you feel the pressure or not.’ That’s it.

“But nothing really important.”

Tsonga was in full praise of his 22-year-old opponent but admitted he could still get miles better.

“I think he still needs time to improve. With his game already, he can do some damage. We never know,” he said.

“The most important in tennis I think is to believe in it. I think he’s got it. So that is the most important. He has got it. Yeah, we will see how it goes for him. But anyway, it’s already a good player.”

The Aussie gun will now face World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16.

9:28pm

Kyrgios takes the lead, Tsonga blows up

The Frenchman is furious.`
The Frenchman is furious.`

Nick Kyrgios took the third set by the skin of his teeth, completing a neck-and-neck tiebreak against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with a break over the Frenchman.

Neither star broke serve for the entire set until Kyrgios kicked into gear early in the tiebreak, forcing the World No. 15 into a number of unforced errors before dropping the set.

Tsonga copped a warning from the umpire after a heated exchange following his third set capitulation. The 32-year-old was pulled up after yelling towards the crowd in French.

“I swear I heard him speaking French saying ‘he has to come here’,” Jim Courier said. “Like he might be requesting a supervisor or someone to come to the court, but hard to say, hard to say what he is aggravated about … (it’s) Easy to see the anger.”

“You have to stop,” the umpire pleaded before handing him an official warning.

Fans blasted Channel Seven after its lengthy advertisement break between sets saw most of the heated Tsonga moment, and the first game of the fourth set, missed.

8:40pm

Tsonga draws blood

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga blasted back to take revenge over Nick Kyrgios with a clean 6-4 victory in the second.

While Kyrgios appeared to be struggling — complaining to himself about playing doubles yesterday — the 22-year-old now brag about his newest fan in the crowd.

Hollywood heavyweight Will Smith shared his own, glowing, critique of the Aussie.

“I’m loving it,” Smith said when questioned by Jim Courier.

“He has this little bow in his wrist (when holding his racquet), it looks like a power thing. I don’t know a lot about tennis but watching him makes me want to take it up a little bit.”

Kyrgios bounced back in the third with a strong service game bringing him to a 4-3 lead. The World No. 17 has been at his destructive best with the ball in hand, consistently dishing up serves at 220km/h and claiming number of aces midway through the clash.

Elsewhere on Margaret Court Arena, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal advanced through to the round of 16 with a dominant win over Damir Dzumhur, skittling the Bosnian star 6-1 6-3 6-1.

8pm

Kyrgios takes the first

Nick Kyrgios stole the first set from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after the pair’s first hour on court ended in a tiebreak.

The Aussie capitalised on a crucial blunder which saw the Frenchman double-fault his serve while on set point. It’s been by no means easy for the homegrown 22-year-old as he attempts to stay on top of Tsonga’s powerful crosscourt shots.

Fans have already predicted the third round clash to go down to the wire.

Kyrgios was heard scolding himself for playing doubles the day before in the extreme Melbourne heat.

“So, so dumb ... Why the f*** am I playing doubles?” he said at the change of ends after Tsonga broke his serve early in the second set.

Jim Courier questioned the World No. 17’s decision to play doubles at his home grand slam.

“All the players who think they have a serious chance to win majors in singles skip the doubles,” he said. “They just do it because you can get called out. Best of five and then

you are backing that up.”

7pm

Kyrgios scolded before the match

A new record?
A new record?

Nick Kyrgios was pulled up by the chair umpire before his match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga even began.

The 22-year-old was issued a warning for not being prepared to play at the conclusion of the warm-up as Tsonga took his place at the opposite end of the court.

Players are required to be in place and ready to commence play 60 seconds after warming up.

“There could be a fine coming for him. Not a great start,” Jim Courier said as the World No. 17 had a word with the umpire.

Kyrgios didn’t let the early confrontation bother him, though, breaking his opponent’s serve early in the piece. Tsonga, who began working the Aussie around the court with expertly-timed crosscourt shots, was able to break Kyrgios’ serve instantly and send the first set to a tiebreak.

Hollywood giant Will Smith was spotted in the crowd watching the pair go head-to-head midway through the first set.

6pm

Dimitrov gets through

World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov fought back from a mild slump in his third round match against 30th seed Andrey Rublev to advance into the round of 16.

The Bulgarian dropped the second set to the plucky 20-year-old but was able to bounce back in the searing Melbourne heat to take the match in four sets 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-4.

5pm

Cornet responds to heat concerns after scary match

French Alizé Cornet has responded after her frightening battle against the Melbourne heat in her clash against Elise Mertens.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, the 27-year-old said she felt “dizzy” at the beginning of the second set in her 7-5 6-4 defeat at Hisense Arena.

“It was very difficult for both of us. The conditions are not easy, it’s not new in Melbourne it can be super hot and it was the case today. Playing at this time was probably the worst part of the day,” she said.

“It’s part of the game. We have to be ready for it and I have to admit that I suffered a lot on the court because of the heat and because of Elise.

“At the beginning of the second set I started to feel dizzy, I think I got a little stroke on my head because of the sun. It was feeling super, super hot and I felt I could faint at any moment so I called the physio straight away and tried to cool down a little bit (to) keep playing the match because that was the goal.

Cornet suggested the tournament revise its rulings on allowing players to compete in extreme temperatures.

Tough day at the office.
Tough day at the office.

“It definitely wasn’t a great feeling on the court because at this moment you just want to put the racquet aside and go away from the court but I kept fighting,” she said.

“We’re not robots, the rules need to change.

“I think it could be dangerous but the fact the doctor came on court really fast and took my blood pressure and looking if I was feeling good enough to keep playing the match — I think they’re very careful about that.

“Still playing in this condition is very dangerous for the health of the players. The limit of not playing the matches is really high — it needs to be above 45C or something ... this limit should be a little bit lower because playing in these conditions (are) not nice for anyone.

“It’s incredibly tough but as I said it’s the same for both and as I said she could handle it better than me.”

Asked if she agreed with Gael Monfils’ stance on there being no shame in giving up if the heat takes its toll, Cornet remained adamant she would see every game through to the end.

“I would never give up because of that, that’s for sure,” she said, eyebrows raised and appearing surprised at the 31-year-old’s comments.

“You push your body so hard, you almost feel you’re on the edge and this is part of our everyday life to be in this state of mind that you’re pushing your limits all the time.

“I agree sometimes it can be too much and the high level athletes are capable of pushing these limits too far. That’s why I say that it could be dangerous because you don’t feel your limits and you’re always pushing them.

“Especially me I would never give up ... I would need to crawl on the court to give up and that was not the case today. Almost but not the case.

“I understand the point of view of Gael but I would not give up.”

— with James Matthey at Melbourne Park

3.45pm

‘Do you know where you are?’

France's Alize Cornet falls to the court after suffering from the heat. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
France's Alize Cornet falls to the court after suffering from the heat. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

France’s Alize Cornet became completely overwhelmed by the 40C heat in Melbourne during the second set of her third round match against Elise Mertens.

In troubling scenes, Cornet laid down on the baseline before being attended to by the medical team and having her blood pressure taken. Microphones picked up her being asked “do you know where you are?”.

Cornet was trailing 7-5 3-1 when the incident occurred. “These are difficult moments for everyone,” the commentator said. “Difficult to watch. Difficult for her opponent ... and Mertens has got to remain ruthless here.”

She kept her composure in a marathon second set to eventually triumph 7-5 6-4 in a match that lasted over two hours.

Fans took aim at Open staff for taking to long before seeing to the distressed star as she battled through her two hours of hell on-court.

Mertens’ win has seen her make it through to the second week of a grand slam for the first time.

2.45pm

Svitolina records an Aussie best

Women’s fourth seed Elina Svitolina made light work of 15-year-old sensation Marta Kostyuk in an all-Ukraine battle.

Svitolina won 6-2 6-2 to make the fourth round in Australia for the first time.

In the men’s Kyle Edmund survived a five-set epic against Nikoloz Basilashvili to score one for the Brits. Edmund won 7-6 3-6 4-6 6-0 7-5 to set up a fourth-round clash against the winner of Andreas Seppi-Ivo Karlovic.

1.30pm

Woodbridge schools radio host

The Woodies were always in synch.
The Woodies were always in synch.

Aussie tennis legend Mark Woodbridge pulled the perfect prank on 3AW radio broadcaster Tony Moclair to bring him into line when it came to his views on doubles tennis.

Woodbridge — a long-time commentator for Channel Seven who is in Melbourne calling the Australian Open — formed one half of Australia’s most famous doubles pairing “The Woodies” alongside Mark Woodforde. The Woodies won 61 titles together including 11 grand slams.

Moclair voiced his lack of interest in doubles on air, and did so again when “Todd from East Brighton” called into his show to disagree with him.

“This is not a sport that grabs me,” Moclair said. “I don’t know what it is. It just doesn’t.

“I’m used to one person on either side of the net and they have the run of the whole court. When I look at it I think, ‘How do you not get in each other’s way?’ I just don’t think the court is big enough for two people on either side of the net.”

Woodbridge — whose real identity remained a mystery to Moclair — responded: “It’s easy, you pick a good partner and off you go.”

After a minute of the chat someone obviously whispered in Moclair’s ear who he was talking to, and with sheepish laughter he asked Woodbridge to go into what made him such an expert on the topic.

“I was just on my way home from calling a match alongside (US tennis great) Jim Courier and I was driving home and I couldn’t help myself. I just thought maybe I’ve got to educate Tony Moclair,” Woodbridge said.

“The Woodies — Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde — they were pretty good and quite entertaining.”

Moclair knew he’d been bested and humbly accepted defeat. “They were great ambassadors for the sport and great Australian heroes,” he said. “That’s what you get for expressing an opinion ... Touche and well played.”

“I thought I’d catch you,” Woodbridge added.

— James Matthey

1.25pm

World No. 130 into second week

Czech Denisa Allertova became the first player in the fourth round by dismissing Poland’s Magda Linette in 71 minutes.

The world No. 130 had never made it past the second round of grand slam before this tournament.

Allertova was joined in the second week by Croatia’s Petra Martic after the world No. 81 survived a three-setter against Thailand’s Luksika Kumkum.

11.45am

Roddick weighs into Federer furore

Roger Federer celebrates his win over Jan-Lennard Struff.
Roger Federer celebrates his win over Jan-Lennard Struff.

Andy Roddick has offered whingeing tennis fans a dose of reality when it comes to Roger Federer’s preferential treatment at the Australian Open.

Many felt it was unfair Federer enjoyed the comforts of a night session on a searingly hot day in Melbourne while rival Novak Djokovic sweated it out in the afternoon in a marquee clash against Gael Monfils.

Roddick said he had long ago accepted tennis’s big stars would get right of way when it came to fixturing.

“Let’s not pretend like this isn’t a business,” said Roddick, in a series of responses to fans on Twitter. “The longer Roger is in an event, the more eyeballs are on screens, the more ad/sponsor money in etc ... so yes, they will listen to what the stars have to say. It’s sensical.

“I can’t tell you how many times at US based (tournaments) I played second night match after Andre (Agassi)/Pete (Sampras). Not the preferred time (with) recovery etc. (But) I couldn’t possibly complain, as they built the tournaments and audiences I was gonna play for.”

After one user suggested the situation wasn’t fair, Roddick replied sarcastically: “I’m sure tennis would be much better off as a whole if they played Roger/Rafa/Serena/Novak/Maria out on court 13 just as often as everyone else ... I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.”

Federer downplayed the suffocating heat, saying it was part of the game and players should be prepared.

Federer said he had played in searing Australian temperatures plenty of times and experienced worse.

“If you want to get to the top, you’ve got to play in all conditions,” he said. “We know it can be very hot here in Australia. I remember the days when we had four days of 40 degrees in a row a few years back. Now we got two.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” he added. “It’s hard to prepare for that in some ways. But you know when you come down here that can happen.

“Sure, I was watching the other players suffer. As long as nothing bad happens, it’s all good.”

— with AAP

10.40am

New deal puts women on top

Maria Sharapova welcomed China’s investment in the game. Pic: Michael Klein
Maria Sharapova welcomed China’s investment in the game. Pic: Michael Klein

IN a week where reports of male players demanding more prizemoney at grand slams have surfaced, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced a lucrative new deal that will see its biggest stars handsomely rewarded over the next decade.

The WTA announced on Thursday its year-ending tour finals will move from Singapore to Shenzhen, China, for the next 10 years, bringing with it a whopping increase in prizemoney.

From 2019-2028 the WTA Finals, a round robin tournament played between the world’s eight highest ranked singles players and doubles teams, will see stars play for a share of $AUD17.5 million in prizemoney — double the $8.75 million it currently stands at and well above the $10 million reserved for the men’s ATP Tour Finals played in London at the end of every season.

“When you factor in the commitment to prize money and the commitments to the WTA, and you factor in the stadium build and real-estate elements, it’s over a $1 billion dollar commitment they have made to the WTA Finals and the WTA,” WTA chief executive and chairman Steve Simon said.

The long-term investment is a massive coup for women’s tennis, which Novak Djokovic says is more popular than the men’s game in China because of the success of female stars like two-time grand slam winner Li Na.

Djokovic made headlines at the start of the Australian Open with reports suggesting he was the main man driving a push for players on the ATP tour to receive a greater slice of grand slam revenue. He denied he spearheaded talks of unionising or boycotting events if pay demands weren’t met, saying instead he and his peers merely took the chance in Melbourne to talk about issues in the sport because they are so rarely in the same place at the same time.

The Serbian congratulated the WTA on its announcement, saying his female colleagues “deserve” to fight for “the best possible tour for them”.

He also said it is unfair to compare the $10 million in prizemoney on offer for the men to the $17.5 million figure revealed in the WTA’s development, but believes the ATP needs to do more to “exploit” its most prestigious event (the ATP isn’t in charge of grand slams) for the benefit of the players and the sport.

“In my opinion, this kind of event should travel, because it’s just probably the biggest leverage that we have. I mean, outside grand slams — the ATP is obviously not behind grand slams — this is the biggest event the ATP has,” Djokovic said.

“It’s probably the biggest asset. Best eight players in the world, singles players, best doubles players, are playing there. Out on the market, I’m sure, as I was hearing, there was a lot of competition from a lot of different cities.

“London has always been the safest option, I would say, because of obviously different reasons and history. But I think it should be exploited a little bit more. It should be leveraged more because of the promotion of our sport.

“The World Tour Finals is, both men’s and women’s, the biggest asset we have in the sport that WTA and ATP control, (it can) can leverage on the market.

“If we want to grow our sport, especially in regions like China or those parts of the world where tennis is popular, I think we should think about it, just maybe travel it a little bit more.”

As part of Shenzhen’s power play to deepen the tour’s commitment to China, leading Chinese real estate developer Gemdale Corporation — who submitted the winning bid — has pledged to build a new, $US450 million facility that will hold an indoor stadium with room for 12,000 people.

Maria Sharapova, who played in the Shenzhen Open at the start of this season, said the WTA was making a good strategic move to partner with “a place that’s willing to invest in women’s tennis.’’

“They were the ones that put the money on the line,’’ Sharapova said. “They are willing to grow our sport. They’re willing to build a stadium, willing to accept the game and its level and the players.’’

— James Matthey

10am

Tennis Sandgren on his unfortunate name

Tennis Sandgren of the United States in action against Stan Wawrinka.
Tennis Sandgren of the United States in action against Stan Wawrinka.

With a name like his, it was fate that Tennys Sandgren would pursue the career path he’s chosen for himself.

The World No. 97 is through to the third round of the Australian Open after upsetting Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-1 6-4 on Thursday night and will be hoping more people know his name come the end the year’s first major.

But however successful the 26-year-old becomes he’ll never be able to escape the cringe-worthy comments that come with being a professional tennis player named Tennys.

After his win over the Swiss, Sandgren spoke about the battle that has been growing up with the name his mum and dad bestowed upon him, telling of how he’s forced to endure the same questions every time he meets someone new. Sometimes, it gets a little much.

“I don’t give my name when I order a sandwich or a coffee. I say ‘David’ or something like that,” Sandgren said. “I don’t want to deal with the whole name thing when I get a coffee, especially first thing in the morning.

“I would prefer to get the caffeine, then I can maybe think about approaching the day first.”

He swears he doesn’t “hold a grudge of sheer anger at life because of my name”, instead saying he’s embraced the quirk he finds “unique and cool”. That might be the case, but it doesn’t mean Sandgren wishes he didn’t have to deal with the constant attention.

“Twelve years ago,” Sandgren said when asked at what point did he get over the same name-related interactions with people. “I tell myself every new person that I explain this to is just one more person I don’t have to explain it to in the future. I think that’s a fair mentality to have.”

As for a middle name he could turn to when the jokes become too much? Well, mum and dad weren’t too helpful in that department either.

“I have a middle name, it’s Loren. I don’t hang my hat on that. I don’t. I try to hang my hat on other things other than names. We’re not doing so hot in that department,” he said.

— James Matthey

Read related topics:MelbourneNick Kyrgios

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