Australian Open 2021 day 5 live: Dominic Thiem prevails over Nick Kyrgios in epic comeback
Number three seed Dominic Thiem has come from two sets down to win an epic five-set match over Nick Kyrgios on Friday night.
- Inside the Kyrgios-Thiem feud
- Open push for midnight exemptions
- Fans locked out of Open
- Injury woes: Barty pulls out of doubles
- Aussies in action on day five
Welcome to our rolling coverage of day five of the 2021 Australian Open from Melbourne Park. Follow the latest below.
Courtney Walsh 10.45pm: Thiem prevails over Kyrgios in epic comeback
It was the thunderous storm before the enforced calm in Victoria and Nick Kyrgios was smack bang in the centre of it in an enthralling but ultimately failed bid to upset Dominic Thiem.
All around John Cain Arena fans were in a frenzy, egged on by the antics of the Australian as he played puppet master for a period to one of the world’s very best on Friday night.
An underarm ace to claim the second set? Tick. Trick shots here, lightning forehands there? Ditto. Repeatedly thump his forehead with his racquet? Check.
For those in the stands for the final time for at least five days, to look away for a second was to risk missing another random act of brilliance or balderdash.
Kyrgios had the reigning US Open champion huffing and puffing as he stormed through the first two sets.
But against a master of the five set format _ Thiem became the first man in the Open era to win a US Open final from two sets down back in September _ Hurricane Kyrgios ultimately blew out.
A finalist in the Australian Open in 2020, it will be Thiem who plays Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday night after his 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 win in 3hr 21min.
As for Kyrgios, given he sat out last year due to the pandemic, who knows when he will be seen again given the ongoing uncertainty?
Thiem’s sustained excellence in the onslaught from both Kyrgios and the crowd was outstanding, but the Australian was also eventually hoisted in part by his propensity for trickery.
Holding game point at 4-all in the fourth set, he opted for a between-the-legs half-volley that went awry. Giving the world No 3 an even break proved a bad idea.
Two points later Thiem walloped a forehand past the incoming Australian to move to within a service game of forcing a thriller.
It became a dash to the finish line, true both for the competitors and those roaring from the sidelines.
The deciding set started just after 10pm, with less than 90 minutes until every fan had to be out of Melbourne Park.
Kyrgios held to love to start the fifth set. The 25-year-old dashed to his chair as though he might be prone to a fine for breaking curfew when instead he was deemed an essential worker.
Make of that what you will. He is certainly compulsory viewing for those who revel in the theatrics of Kyrgios.
Thiem made his move at 3-all, unleashing powerful groundstrokes off both wings, ultimately seizing the crucial break when the Australian erred on a forehand.
All credit to him, but also to Kyrgios for taking the fight right up to his rival. And it was one hell of a fight.
When Kyrgios broke the Thiem serve in the opening game of their third round match, the Austrian must have realised he was in for a long night given the Canberran’s reaction was that of a prize fighter.
He made his way to his chair, thought better of it and danced back on the court, gesticulating, stirring and carousing the crowd.
Love him or loathe him, it was clear Kyrgios wanted the crowd to celebrate before Victoria went back into lockdown. And there were antics galore. But in the end, it was Thiem who took the final bow, closing it out with an unbelievable backhand winner.
AFP 9.15pm: Aggressive Halep rediscovers touch
An aggressive Simona Halep revived her stuttering Australian Open campaign on Friday night with a straight-sets demolition of Veronika Kudermetova in an ominous statement.
The world number two served strongly and pierced the lines to overwhelm the 32nd seed 6-1, 6-3 in one hour and 18 minutes in the third round.
“It’s always tough to play an opponent for the first time and I thought my serve helped me today ... I’ve improved on my serve a lot,” said Halep, who hit 21 winners and four aces.
Big-hitting Kudermetova loomed as a dangerous opponent, but it was Halep who blasted the Russian off the court in a much-needed confidence boost after she was pushed to the brink of elimination by local Alja Tomljanovic in the second round.
When Halep wasn’t hitting sizzling winners, she showcased her famed defensive prowess to rattle a misfiring Kudermetova, who was undone by 38 unforced errors.
Halep inexplicably struggled on serve early in the second set but answered every challenge in her best performance of the tournament.
Having survived a draining encounter with Tomljanovic on Wednesday, the two-time Grand Slam champion looked sharp and strong in a reminder of her credentials.
The Romanian’s seven-year streak in the top 10 is the longest active run among women and eighth all-time on the WTA.
Halep, 29, is seeking a maiden triumph at Melbourne Park having fallen short to Caroline Wozniacki in the 2018 decider and Garbine Muguruza in the semi-finals last year.
She could next face a blockbuster clash with French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who plays France’s Fiona Ferro in the third round.
Will Swanton 7.15pm: De Minaur faces ‘most annoying’ bloke on tour
Alex de Minaur now faces the most annoying, arrogant, niggling, underhanded and argumentative bloke on tour. If Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas was a tennis player, he’d be Fabio Fognini. You think I’m funny? Funny how? Funny like a clown? Do I amuse you?
If Robert de Niro’s Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver was a tennis player, he’d be Fognini. You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Who the hell else are you talkin’ to? You get the drift. Capeesh.
Fognini is a 33-year-old Italian with a Machiavellian beard who has a snarl or a smirk depending on his mood. He gets up an opponent’s nose in order to do likewise on a scoreboard. De Minaur’s gotta avoid eye contact like there’s a fellow at the pub you just know is spoiling for a fight.
Tunnel vision will get De Minaur through. The tennis, tennis and nothing but the tennis. If Fognini sucks de Minaur into the sort of by-play that has driven Andy Murray bat crazy in the past, there goes the neighbourhood.
READ the full story here.
Adrian McMurray 6.25pm: Upset alert, Raonic ahead
Canadian Milos Raonic has taken the first set off Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (2). Canada’s current crop of players is impressive, with Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime to face off at 7pm tonight on Margaret Court Arena.
And we have an upset on the cards on John Cain Arena: Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev is two sets up over eighth seed Diego Schwartzman. Assuming this one finishes in this next set, we might not have any midnight/lockdown issues after all!
The upset is well and truly on! 🤯
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 12, 2021
Qualifier Aslan Karatsev has 8⃣ seed Diego Schwartzman on the ropes!
WATCH: @9Gem
STREAM: https://t.co/TYsz5RZN3Z pic.twitter.com/ZBOK3Vc5O4
Liam Twomey 6.10pm: Inside the Kyrgios-Thiem feud
Tonight’s main event is only an hour away, with Nick Kyrgios set to do battle with US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
And if it’s drama you like, we’ve got it by the bucket load.
These two players have an interesting history, with two major incidents standing out.
During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, Kyrgios jumped on an Instagram live chat with Andy Murray.
It would be fair to say Nick had enjoyed a couple of drinks throughout the night. But who didn’t in lockdown?
Thiem’s name was mentioned and Kyrgios said:
“Do you think me and Dominic Thiem would vibe?
“No. No. Like, I’m more invested in maybe like, a nice cocktail. But my boy DT would be like, ‘I wanna see this paint dry’.”
Ouch!
The mood was a lot less playful when the two players got into a social media spat later in the pandemic.
Thiem had earlier played in Novak Djokovic’s infamous Adria Tour event, of which Kyrgios was one of the loudest critics.
Nick’s vocal calling out of the world No 1 didn’t sit well with Thiem.
“It was his (Djokovic’s) mistake, but I don’t understand why a lot of people want to interfere,” he said in an interview at the time.
“Kyrgios did a lot of mistakes himself. It would be better for him to come clean instead of criticising others.”
Kyrgios wasn’t about to let that go through to the keeper, firing back in Twitter.
This just shows what a joke @ThiemDomi @AlexZverev & @DjokerNole think this is, 2 of them partying like potato’s during a global pandemic. People losing lives, loved ones and friends, and then Thiem standing up for the ‘mistake’🤦ðŸ½â€â™‚ï¸ these guys are the ‘top’ of our sport. SMH
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 7, 2020
“What are you talking about @ThiemDomi? Mistakes like smashing rackets? Swearing? Tanking a few matches here or there? Which everyone does? None of you have the intellectual level to even understand where I’m coming from. I’m trying to hold them accountable,” he posted.
“This just shows what a joke @ThiemDomi @AlexZverev & @DjokerNole think this is, two of them partying like potatoes during a global pandemic.
“People losing lives, loved ones and friends, and then Thiem standing up for the ‘mistake’. These guys are the ‘top’ of our sport. SMH.”
Adrian McMurray 5.20pm: ‘The most awkward I’ve felt’: Zverev through
Osaka and Zverev are both through to the fourth round.
Zverev defeated Mannarino 6-3 6-3 6-1 in 1hr 43min on Rod Laver Arena, while Osaka did tournament organisers a solid by getting through Jabeur relatively quickly, winning 6-3 6-2 in 1hr 18min.
That’s important because we’ve still got Karatsev-Schwartzman and Thiem-Kyrgios to come on John Cain Arena. It’s still not clear what will happen with the crowds if the last match goes into the early hours of Saturday morning and Victoria’s stage four lockdown begins.
Back to centre court, and we’ve had one of the more awkward interviews of the tournament so far. John Fitzgerald chats to Zverev.
He begins by asking whether Zverev had grown taller. He replies he doesn’t think so, and hopes he hasn’t because it will be harder to find a wife.
“The body is OK? It certainly looked like it was. That’s a question,” asks Fitzgerald.
“Um. Sure. Why not? The sleeveless looks makes it look OK, I guess. This is
the most awkward I’ve felt on court this year, by the way,” Zverev responds.
They go on to discuss Zverev’s father beating Fitzgerald back in their playing days and how good having a crowd is (not for much longer, sadly).
After all that, Zverev will face either Dusan Lajovic or Pedro Martinez in the next round. Osaka meanwhile will face last year’s finalist Muguruza. Handy match up!
Adrian McMurray 4.25pm: Osaka, Zverev on top
Top 10 players Osaka and Zverev are looking good this afternoon.
Zverev took the first set 6-3 over France’s Adrian Mannarino, with Osaka producing the exact same scoreline over Ons Jabeur.
It's been a TOUGH first set for Naomi Osaka, but she finally breaks through and takes it!
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 12, 2021
WATCH: @9Gem
STREAM: https://t.co/TYsz5RZN3Z#9WWOS #AusOpen #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/fPxvmCbPOP
Courtney Walsh 3.59pm: Williams unaware of lockdown before victory
American legend Serena Williams had no idea Victoria was about to be locked down ahead of her third round match at the Australian Open.
The 39-year-old, who defeated Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (5) 6-2, is glad she was unaware after overcoming a testing first set to progress.
“I think it’s good that I didn’t know. It’s rough,” she said.
“It’s going to be a rough few days for, I think, everyone. But we’ll hopefully get through it.
“It’s not ideal. It’s been really fun to have the crowd back, especially here. It’s been really cool. But … at the end of the day, we have to do what’s best.
“Hopefully it will be alright.”
Courtney Walsh 3.46pm: Organisers press for midnight exemption
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said discussions are continuing with the Victorian government regarding the potential for matches to extend beyond midnight in Melbourne on Friday.
With a strict lockdown to be enforced at 11.59pm, there is a potential fans in attendance at Melbourne Park will still be on site at that time.
Nick Kyrgios is scheduled to play Austrian star Dominic Thiem, a finalist in Melbourne last January, after 7pm on John Cain Arena.
But a marathon opening women’s match claimed by Su-Wei Hsieh over Sara Errani 6-4 2-6 7-5 in 2hr 44min is causing concerns on that court.
Australian Open favourite Naomi Osaka has just started her third round match against Ons Jabeur on the court.
Argentinian Diego Schwartman will follow in a clash against Aslan Karatsev before the Kyrgios and Thiem clash.
The Australian Open has also clamped down on the number of people who will be allowed on site. But the Open will proceed.
“Play will continue. The players will compete in a bubble,” he said.
“Those who will be allowed on site will be the players only and their support teams, as well as staff members who will be unable to do their work from home.
“Those who are essential for the delivery of the event will be on site.”
Tiley said that the players had been understanding of the situation.
Conference calls have been held with players and coaches since Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced the lockdown at 1pm.
“The players have all been very good about it. They understand. They have been through a rigorous program already,” he said.
“One thing the players have asked for is when they have lost, to have the comfort and be assured they will be able to fly home.
“All along in this process, we have said the number one priority will be the safety of the community. This was one of our plans, was to be able to compete in a bubble in a safe way.
“One thing they cannot do is go around the city, they won’t be able to do that, but that’s expected in the next five days. All of us will be adhering to that.”
Tiley said that refunds will be offered to those who have tickets over the next five days. Those who opt out of attending on Friday night will also be eligible.
“If fans do not want to come tonight because they don’t feel comfortable coming to the event, they can get a refund,” he said.
Adrian McMurray 3.10pm: Williams through, Carreno Busta retires hurt
Williams is through the fourth round, beating Potapova 7-6(7-5) 6-2. Jelena Dokic asks her post-match about her outfit and home, among other things. On her daughter, Williams says: “She technically already has an Australian Open title. The trophy is usually in her room. But you know, it was the only thing that we can do social distanced for almost a whole year of COVID. So I was like, ‘I would never put my daughter in tennis’ and then it is the best socially-distanced sport I think that you can play. So you know, she has a coach now. It is a lot of fun.”
🎾🎾🎾
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 12, 2021
"It's the best socially distanced sport."
Sure is, @serenawilliams 💯#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/naJkFQtcmv
Su-Wei Hsieh meanwhile has battled back from 3-5 down in the third to beat Sara Errani 6-4 2-6 7-5.
Pablo Carreno Busta has retired due to illness. Dimitrov was up 6-0 1-0 when the Spaniard pulled the pin.
Both players meet at the net as Carreno Busta is forced to retire with illness 😞 @GrigorDimitrov moves on to the Fourth Round ✅#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/9DaqmWpsYe
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 12, 2021
Wally Mason 2.42pm: Tennis Australia confirms arrangements
Tennis Australia has confirmed the Australian Open will continue as normal but without fans after the Victorian government announced a five-day COVID lockdown starting at midnight on Friday.
TA said in a statement it was continuing to work with the government on health and safety issues.
“We are notifying ticketholders, players and staff that there will be no fans onsite at the Australian Open for five days, commencing from Saturday, February 13,” the statement said
“Full refunds will be available for anyone who has tickets for these sessions and they will be advised on how to apply as soon as possible.”
Adrian McMurray 2.40pm: Williams back in control
It took a tie-break but Williams took the first set 7-6(7-5). And she’s powering ahead in the second, up 4-1. Looks like the first was just a blip, then.
Meanwhile in the men’s singles, 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov is well on top of Pablo Carreno Busta (the 15th seed), taking the first set 6-0 in just 26 minutes. Ouch.
Courtney Walsh 2.12pm: Andrews defends Aus Open call
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews defended the decision for the Australian Open to continue, just as other sporting events including football, soccer and racing will go on.
“It will be happening, but there will be no-one there watching,” Mr Andrews said.
“If you can work from home, you must work from home. That’s the guiding principle.
“You can’t be involved in AFLW from home. If it was longer than five days, that might be different, but that is not the case.
“People will make their own judgments and their own views, but I don’t have advice to cancel the event.
“You could equally say, ‘Why did you leave kinder open?’ Or ‘Why did you leave childcare open?’
“That is the nature of these things. We have to do what the advice tells us to do and is as proportional as possible.”
Adrian McMurray 2.02pm: Serena down in the first
Back to the actual tennis, Serena Williams is down 4-5 in the first against Potapova. Surely Williams won’t be beaten here … but as we’ve seen so far this week, anything can happen.
Hsieh and Errani are into a third set after the Italian qualifier won the second 6-2.
And Garbine Muguruza is into the next round after beating Zarina Diyas 6-1 6-1 in 56 minutes. Clinical.
Last year's runner up is into the fourth round!
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) February 12, 2021
WATCH: @9Gem
STREAM: https://t.co/TYsz5RZN3Z#9WWOS #AusOpen #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/YI1oD42IDg
Courtney Walsh 1.47pm: Clause allows Open to continue
A clause will enable the Australian Open to continue in Melbourne over the next five days, though without crowds.
Under the “circuit breaker action”, professional athletes have been defined as essential workers, and venues hosting professional events can remain open.
Effectively this will enable the major to continue while Victoria is in lockdown.
It will also apply to other sporting events being held in Victoria this weekend including AFLW matches.
Tennis Australia is yet to comment on the situation.
Adrian McMurray 1.34pm: Fans locked out of Australian Open
Fans will be locked out of the Australian Open as the Victorian government introduces a five-day snap lockdown from midnight.
While the tournament will continue, spectators have been barred from attending. Under the stage four restrictions, Victorians will only be permitted to leave their homes to shop for essentials, provide care or exercise.
As per the ‘circuit breaker’ restrictions: “Professional athletes are defined as essential workers, venues hosting professional sporting competitions can open, with essential staff attending to ensure the safe running of the event. No spectators.”
Fans at Melbourne Park today are likely to be the last to watch the tournament live this year, with the restrictions to remain in place until at least next Thursday and possibly the entire tournament.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has cautioned against heading out to the tennis (or anywhere, really).
“If you don’t have to go out tonight, then don’t,” he said.
“AFLW or any number of other large and small professional sport events, they will function essentially as a workplace. But they will not function as an entertainment event, because there will be no crowds. And the workforce will be the minimum that is needed in order for that to be COVID-safe and safe in lots of other contexts.”
More on the lockdown in the dedicated COVID-19 blog.
Adrian McMurray 12.55pm: Andrews to speak ahead of lockdown
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is about to speak with the state likely to be plunged into a snap lockdown. We’ll learn more about what that means for the tennis. We’ll have the full implications for the Open here, and you can watch the full press conference live from 1pm at the top of the page.
Adrian McMurray 12.31pm: Sabalenka cruises through to fourth round
Sabalenka wasn’t stuffing around this morning: she’s beaten Li 6-3 6-1 to progress to the fourth round. Li won plenty of fans with her efforts following her strict quarantine, but she’s been bundled out in an hour.
The seventh seed has set up an encounter (most likely) with Serena Williams, who’s on Rod Laver Arena at 1pm.
Courtney Walsh 12.18pm: Injury woes: Barty pulls out of doubles
Ash Barty has withdrawn from an Australian Open doubles match on Friday as she nurses a thigh problem.
The world No 1 declared after defeating Daria Gavrilova on Thursday that she was as “fit as a fiddle” despite heavy strapping on her thigh.
There was moment late in the second set when she thumped her left leg twice with her racquet in frustration.
The Australian had partnered with Jennifer Brady and was due to play second seeded combination Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens.
The world No 1 will meet Czech Ekaterina Alexandrova in a third round meeting on Saturday.
Adrian McMurray 12.13pm: Lockdown set to keep fans away
Our Victorian Political Reporter Rachel Baxendale says a five-day lockdown is on the cards.
“The Australian understands the snap lockdown being considered could last for five days from late on Friday and would be similar to Victoria’s second wave lockdown, with limits on leaving home, closure of non-essential services and gathering restrictions,” she writes in our dedicated COVID-19 blog.
“A government source said: ‘A cabinet meeting is taking place to consider a snap lockdown given the wildly infectious nature of this virus means we cannot sit still.’”
So that means that if authorities press ahead with these restrictions, there would be no one in to watch the tennis at Melbourne Park. We’re all pretty used to sport being played in front of no fans by now, but it’d be sad to see it introduced at the Open.
We’ll have more on this situation – and what it means for the tennis – throughout the afternoon.
Adrian McMurray 11.34am: Play begins on day five
Right! There’s a bit happening in Melbourne right now away from the tennis. You can keep up on the latest as Victoria’s crisis cabinet meets here.
Back at Melbourne Park, seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka is facing American Ann Li on Rod Laver Arena. Li has been impressive despite being part of the hard lockdown crew, but it’s Sabalenka who leads 4-2 in the first.
The 19th seed Marketa Vondrousova is having no such issue with Sorana Cirstea, up 5-2.
Later today we’ll have Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Alex Zverev in action, with Halep, Djokovic and Thiem-Kyrgios to come in the night session.
Emily Benammar 10.50pm: Aus Open pushes on amid lockdown fears
COVID-19 has already impacted the Australian Open significantly, but amid reports of an imminent lockdown in Melbourne, what happens to the tennis tournament?
Authorities fear Victoria is on the brink of the third COVID-19 wave with high-level discussions on Thursday night underway regarding the introduction of a snap lockdown.
State government advisers were on Thursday instructed to draw up a framework for another lockdown, which could be introduced as early as Friday night, or possibly within days.
Tennis Australia staff say it’s business as usual unless they’re told otherwise, and that they’ll continue to work with the Victorian government and follow the latest health advice.
TA CEO Craig Tiley has already endured a nightmare scenario in the lead up to this year’s tournament after 72 players were forced into hard lockdown after arriving in Melbourne.
Three charter flights returned positive COVID tests forcing stars and their entourage into strict quarantine.
One player – Paula Badosa – contracted the virus prior to the tournament. She was knocked out in the first round.
Ticket holders for this weekend’s action have taken to social media questioning if their passes will be refunded should a lockdown ben announced.
TA and Tiley have been contacted for comment.
Let’s not forget the huge clash that is slated for tonight, Nick Kyrgios looking for a 4th round berth but standing in his way Dominic Thiem.
Courtney Walsh 10.35am: Kyrgios the only Aussie in action on day five
Men of honour – Sinner and Cahill face an uncertain future, no?
Jannik Sinner and his Australian supercoach Darren Cahill, revered globally but under-appreciated locally, were the epitome of gracious victors. But a CAS hearing in April looms.
‘Among most educated’: Tiley rejects Bogan Slam tag
There was no shortage of drama at the AO. TA boss Craig Tiley addresses Alexander Zverev’s heckler, overloaded, raucous crowds and will we see the GOAT of Melbourne Park return?