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The Australian Open (2022)

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Novak Djokovic remains in the Australian Open draw as the decision over whether the defending champion can stay in the country drags on.

The nine-time champion has been drawn against fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic.

Britain's US Open champion Emma Raducanu, seeded 17th, faces American world number 68 Sloane Stephens, the 2017 champion at the New York major.

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the 2022 season and starts at Melbourne Park on Monday.

The draw was originally supposed to be announced at 3pm local time (04:00 GMT) on Thursday but was delayed by one hour and 15 minutes.

Top seed Djokovic, 34, practised again at Melbourne Park earlier on Thursday, with Australia's immigration minister Alex Hawke still deciding whether to revoke his visa again and throw him out of the country.

The world number one is hoping to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open men's title which would be his 21st Grand Slam triumph, moving him clear of Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic is unvaccinated for Covid-19 and had his visa revoked when he arrived in Australia last week, following questions over the vaccine exemption that would have permitted him to enter.

However, on Monday a judge dramatically overturned the decision and ordered the release of the player from an immigration detention hotel.

What happened in the rest of the draws?

Britain's former world number one Andy Murray was drawn against 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili - a day after beating the Georgian to reach the Sydney quarter-finals.

British men's number one Cameron Norrie, seeded 12th, faces talented American Sebastian Korda, while 24th seed Dan Evans plays Belgium's David Goffin.

Heather Watson, who is the only other British woman to have directly qualified for the main draw, takes on Egypt's Mayar Sherif.

Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty starts her quest for a first home Grand Slam title against a qualifier, while defending champion Naomi Osaka opens against Colombia's Camila Osorio.

Top seed Barty could face Japan's Osaka, seeded 13th as she returns after a four-month break from the sport, in the fourth round.

Crowds capped at 50% on show courts

Crowds on the Australian Open show courts have been capped at 50% capacity in response to rising coronavirus rates in Melbourne, the Victorian government announced earlier on Thursday.

However, those sessions on Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena which have already sold more than that will not be affected. All tickets already bought will remain valid and there will be no changes to ground pass access.

More than 37,000 people tested positive for Covid in Victoria on Wednesday. The state, which has an estimated population of 6.7 million, recorded 25 more deaths and a further 953 people were hospitalised.

"These updates to arrangements for the Australian Open will mean that fans, players and the workforce can look forward to a terrific Covid-safe event," said Jaala Pulford, Victoria's acting minister for tourism, sport and major events.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/59976588
 
As much as the tournament looks an exciting prospect, it feels like at the moment the focus is only on one issue.
 
Rafael Nadal says the Australian Open will be "great with or without" Novak Djokovic as the world number one's visa drama remains unresolved.

But the 35-year-old Spaniard said he is getting "tired" of the Serb's situation dominating the tournament build-up.

"There is no player in history who's more important than an event," he said.

Djokovic, 34, faces deportation after his visa was cancelled for a second time and will appeal against the decision in a hearing on Sunday.

The top seed is still scheduled to play at the Australian Open on Monday.

Djokovic has been detained in Melbourne before Sunday's court hearing, which takes place at 09:30 local time (22:30 GMT on Saturday).

The Australian government has described Djokovic as a threat to public health, with his lawyers appealing against what they called an "irrational" judgement.

"From my point of view there are a lot of questions that need to be answered," said Nadal, who is seeded sixth.

"I think it will be good if everything clarifies soon. Everyone chooses his road. I respect Novak as a person, of course, and as an athlete, without a doubt.

"I really respect him, even if I do not agree with a lot of things that he did the last couple of weeks."

Djokovic is a record nine-time men's champion at Melbourne Park and another victory there this year would be his 21st Grand Slam title.

He is tied on 20 major wins with Nadal and Switzerland's Roger Federer, who is not playing in Australia because of injury.

German third seed Alexander Zverev, one of the players whose chances of winning would be boosted by Djokovic's absence, said he thought the visa row would "not be as big of a drama" if it did not involve the world number one.

"Everything else I cannot comment on because I'm not a politician," said Zverev, who is good friends with Djokovic.

"I understand the perspective from the Australian people and the government. The Australian government and the Victorian government should have been clear on what is going to happen beforehand.

"It's not very fair for a person to come here and not be able to play."

Zverev said the row should not lead to people questioning Djokovic's legacy, but Japan's Naomi Osaka - the defending women's champion - said: "He's such a great player and it's kind of sad that some people might remember in this way.

"But I also think it's up to not tennis players. It's up to the government how Australia is deciding to handle it."

Greek world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas, who said this week that Djokovic has made vaccinated tennis players "look like fools", refused to discuss the matter again in his pre-tournament news conference on Saturday.

"I'm here to talk about tennis, not Novak Djokovic. We may proceed please," he said.

BBC
 
Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray will lead the British interest when an Australian Open still clouded by the Novak Djokovic controversy starts on Monday.

Raducanu, 19, goes into the first Grand Slam of the 2022 season as the most recent women's major champion with everyone wondering how she will follow September's US Open win.

At the opposite end of the career scale is 34-year-old Murray. The five-time finalist is returning to Melbourne for the first time since an emotional news conference there in 2019, when he said he thought he would have to retire from the sport because of an impending hip operation.

The pair are joined by five fellow Britons - Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Liam Broady - in the singles draws.

But the tournament has been overshadowed by the saga involving Djokovic, who won the men's title for a record ninth time last year.

The 34-year-old Serb has been practising at Melbourne Park but faces deportation from Australia because of the row over his vaccine exemption, with his visa being revoked for a second time.

An appeal hearing is expected to be heard on Sunday. If he wins it, Djokovic is set to play his opening match on Monday.

Japan's Naomi Osaka will be defending her women's singles title after shaking off an injury, while world number one Ashleigh Barty is aiming to end Australia's 44-year wait for a home champion.

Nobody predicted before the 2021 Australian Open that Raducanu would end the season as a major champion. And how the British teenager is going to fare in 2022 is equally difficult to guess.

What is for sure is it will be fascinating to see how Raducanu develops in her first full season on the WTA Tour.

Expectations should be realistic and the chances of her winning back-to-back Grand Slams with victory in Melbourne appear to be slim.

Such a feat would again defy the odds. Osaka is the only woman in the past 20 years to follow her first Grand Slam title by immediately winning the next one.

Raducanu has a very tough start too, facing 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the opening round.

She is ranked 18th in the world and, when she played for the first time in 2022 after contracting Covid last month, lost 6-0 6-1 to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in Sydney.

"Even if I keep getting knocked down, it's just about getting back up and basically just falling in front," she said afterwards.

"You're one step better, you learn more."

Three years ago at Melbourne Park, Murray caught everyone by surprise by tearfully announcing he feared his illustrious career was coming to an end.

Now the three-time Grand Slam champion makes a poignant return to the event after managing to restart his career, despite having a metal hip and being stalled by a host of subsequent niggling injuries.

Ranked 135th in the world, Murray was awarded a wildcard by Australian Open bosses and he remains confident of going deep into major tournaments once again.

Encouraging performances towards the end of 2021 reinforced his belief and he backed that up by reaching the Sydney final - although he was beaten on Saturday by Russian top seed Aslan Karatsev.

Speaking before that match, Murray said: "It's not a goal of mine to get to a specific ranking, like in the next year, but improving your ranking and getting yourself up into the top 50, top 30, top 20, allows you to be seeded in tournaments.

"It potentially makes it easier to have better draws or to have a better run in a major event. There are many positive things to having good runs in these tournaments."

Murray starts in Melbourne against Georgian 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, who he beat on his run to the Sydney final.

Can Norrie continue 2021 success? And what about the other Brits?

During Murray's injury strife, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans have had turns as the nation's leading men's player and both go into 2022 on the back of career-best seasons.

Norrie, 26, is ranked 12th in the world after correctly predicting he would be one of the ATP Tour players to enjoy a breakthrough year.

The crowning glory came when the left-hander won the prestigious Indian Wells title in October, lifting him into the world's top 15 and overtaking Evans as the British number one.

Now Norrie will be looking to maintain that level and transfer that success into the Grand Slam events. In 16 main-draw appearances at the majors, he has never gone past the third round.

Evans, 31, also won the first ATP title of his career last season - at the Murray River Open in Melbourne - and continued his good form to reach a career-high ranking of 22nd.

This year has started successfully, too. Evans won all three of his singles matches at the ATP Cup and reached the semi-finals in Sydney.

Raducanu will be joined in the women's singles draw by Watson, who is the only other British player with automatic entry by ranking after Johanna Konta's retirement.

Dart, 25, beat Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell on Friday to come through qualifying and will play 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek in the first round.

Broady, 28, secured his place in the main draw for the first time with a comeback win against Russia's Roman Safiullin. His reward is a match-up with home favourite Nick Kyrgios.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Joe Salisbury heads the British challenge in the doubles alongside American Rajeev Ram.

Jamie Murray is one of six other Britons playing, along with Neal Skupski, Jonny O'Mara, Dom Inglot, Ken Skupski and Lloyd Glasspool.

In the wheelchair draws, five-time Grand Slam singles champion Alfie Hewett plays after being told he can continue his career. In 2019 he was told new classification rules would make him ineligible to compete.

Gordon Reid is aiming to replicate his 2016 triumph and resumes his dominant partnership with Hewett in the doubles.

Lucy Shuker competes in the women's singles and five-time doubles champion Andy Lapthorne is the nation's sole representative in the quad draw.

Who are the men's favourites if Djokovic doesn't play?
Djokovic's off-court saga has completely overshadowed the focus on what could happen on the court in Melbourne.

Dominating the tournament over the past decade - and the men's tour again last year - meant the Serb was the overwhelming favourite to win a record-extending 10th title.

Russia's Daniil Medvedev is the second seed and goes in as the latest Grand Slam champion, having beaten Djokovic in September's US Open final for his first major.

Spain's Rafael Nadal, who is tied with Djokovic and the injured Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam singles titles, is also among the contenders, having recovered from injury and a positive Covid test last month.

The sixth seed looked good as he won a warm-up tournament in Melbourne last week, although playing a higher calibre of opponents over five sets will be a step up for the 35-year-old.

Germany's Alexander Zverev is looking to build on a dominant end to 2021 by finally landing a Grand Slam title, while Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas - another looking to become a first-time major champion - says he hopes to be "performing at 100%" as he continues his recovery from elbow surgery.

Switzerland's Federer is still missing with a long-standing knee issue and Austria's Dominic Thiem is another absentee because of a wrist injury.

Dominant on the WTA Tour, two-time Grand Slam champion Ashleigh Barty goes again for the trophy which she really craves and is rated the favourite to win.

Home hopes of a first Australian Open champion since 1978 are pinned on the 25-year-old Queenslander, who won at Wimbledon last year.

Barty has been ranked as the world's leading player for 110 weeks in total and, in her first tournament back after ending her 2021 season in October, won the Adelaide title.

Osaka, 24, is expected to be fit after withdrawing from her semi-final at the Melbourne Summer Set with an injury.

The two-time champion is seeded 13th as she returns to Grand Slam action. The Japanese player took a four-month break from the sport after the US Open, during a year where she looked to protect her mental health.

Serena Williams misses another opportunity to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, with the 40-year-old American saying last month she was not "physically ready" to be able to compete.

BBC
 
<b>World 150th men's player set to replace Djokovic</b>

BBC Sport

With Novak Djokovic not allowed to play on Monday, it has meant a reshuffle of the men's singles draw.

The rules for Grand Slam tournaments state the withdrawal of the top seed after Monday's order of play is released means a lucky loser - someone who has lost in the final round of qualifying - comes into the draw.

That will be Italy's Salvatore Caruso, who is ranked 150th in the world. He plays Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic instead of Djokovic.

Tournament organisers are well accustomed to making late changes in draws because of injuries.

One because of the world number one being deported from the host country is unprecedented.
 
Japan's Naomi Osaka opened her defence of the Australian Open title with a dominant win over Colombia's Camila Osorio on day one in Melbourne.

Osaka, also champion in 2019, raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set before world number 50 Osorio fought back.

However, Osaka quickly reasserted her control and wrapped up a 6-3 6-3 win.

After taking a four-month break at the end of last season to protect her mental health, Osaka returns to Grand Slam action as the 13th seed.

"I thought I played pretty well given the circumstances," said Osaka, who has won 23 of her past 24 matches in Melbourne.

"Overall I'm happy to be here and see everyone in the audience.

"I like the hot conditions but when I come here everyone is warm and welcoming. I'm sure that has a positive effect on me."

The four-time Grand Slam champion will play Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska or American Madison Brengle in round two on Wednesday.

BBC
 
Rafael Nadal began his bid for a men's record 21st Grand Slam title with victory over Marcos Giron in the Australian Open first round.

Sixth seed Nadal, the only former Melbourne champion left in the men's draw, beat American Giron 6-1 6-4 6-2.

The Spaniard is making his return to Grand Slam tennis after a five-month layoff with a foot injury.

"I have had very challenging months, tough moments and a lot of doubts," he said on court.

Nadal is the only member of the 'Big Three' competing in Melbourne after nine-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic's visa was cancelled on Sunday.

His sole Australian Open title came in 2009 but he won the Melbourne Summer Set in the build-up to the tournament.

He was rarely troubled against Giron, hitting 34 winners to help set up a second-round meeting with either home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann.

"You never know when you come back from injuries - things are difficult and you go day by day," Nadal, 35, said.

"But I'm staying positive. I won three matches and a title here last week."
 
Britain's Andy Murray marked his return to the Australian Open - where in 2019 he thought he might have to retire - with a tense five-set win over Georgian 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Murray cruised to the first set in 23 minutes but any hopes of a routine win disappeared as Basilashvili recovered.

Momentum swung both ways before the wildcard won 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4.

Murray, 34, was one of three Britons to win on Tuesday, with Heather Watson and Dan Evans also progressing.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu and qualifier Liam Broady play later on Tuesday.

Murray, a five-time beaten finalist in Melbourne, will play Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in the second round on Thursday.

"It's amazing," Murray said shortly after winning on John Cain Arena, where he lost to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in 2019.

"It's been a tough three or four years but I've put in a lot of hard work to get here.

"I've played on this court many times and the atmosphere is always incredible.

"It is where I thought I had potentially played my last match but to win a five-set battle like that, I couldn't have asked any more."

Same court, same excitement

Three years ago at Melbourne Park, Murray caught everyone by surprise by tearfully announcing he feared his illustrious career was coming to an end.

The hip injury that had plagued him since the summer of 2017 was debilitating and the only option left was resurfacing surgery that saw metal inserted into the joint.

No player has returned to the singles game after that operation - but Murray did later that year.

On Tuesday he played on the same court where a retirement video - featuring messages from his peers - was infamously and prematurely played after he was beaten by Bautista Agut.

Another niggling injury stopped Murray going to Melbourne Park in 2020 and last year his hopes were scuppered when a positive test for coronavirus stopped him flying out.

The venue's title has changed - renamed from Melbourne Arena in honour of the former Victorian Prime Minister - and the atmosphere was different, with only 50% capacity allowed because of coronavirus restrictions.

But the fluctuations of the match - and the associated tension for Murray fans - remained.

Little troubled Murray as he rattled through the opening set, where Basilashvili's woes were summed up by an extraordinary serve that hit the racquet frame and flew upwards into the stands.

Powerful hitting is the Georgian's strength and once he managed to execute his biggest weapon, he regained a foothold in the match.

The second set saw Murray's serve broken three times on the way to the Georgian levelling.

An entertaining third set was edged by Murray at the fourth opportunity, but the Scot was pegged back again when Basilashvili started hitting lines with crunching winners to take control of the tie-break.

But, with the crowd behind him, Murray summoned the energy to win the decider. He moved into a 3-0 lead and sealed his place in the last 64 with his third match point.

How far can Murray go?

Ranked 113th in the world, Murray has repeatedly said he remains confident of going deep into major tournaments once again.

Encouraging performances towards the end of 2021 reinforced that belief and he backed that up by reaching the final last week in Sydney, although he was beaten by Russian Aslan Karatsev.

Murray needed almost four hours to beat Basilashvili and there were moments after long rallies where he looked exhausted.

On his aims in Melbourne, he said: "Hopefully keep improving - there are things in my game I could do better.

"I would like to have a deep run. It's something I haven't had since I came back from injury - and I hope I can do it in this tournament."

BBC
 
Raducanu beats Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in first round of Australian Open
 
Emma Raducanu 'fed off' Australian Open crowd in debut win; Sloane Stephens says British No 1 is 'carrying a whole country'

Emma Raducanu says she "fed off" the Melbourne crowd in her Australian Open debut victory over Sloane Stephens, who said the British No 1 is "carrying a whole country".

The 19-year-old Brit overcame a second-set blip to beat Stephens 6-0 2-6 6-1 on Tuesday in her first Grand Slam match since her remarkable triumph at last year's US Open.

Raducanu picked up exactly where she left off at Flushing Meadows in September, winning 20 points to Stephens' four in a first set that last just 17 minutes, but was forced to a deciding set after letting her American opponent back into the match.

Raducanu did not drop a set in the entire US Open (including during three qualifying rounds) and also claimed all three of her victories at last year's Wimbledon in straight sets, so dealing with the disappointment of giving up the lead in a Grand Slam match was a first for her.

"I think 2022 is all about learning for me," said Raducanu, who will face world No 98 Danka Kovinic in the second round on Thursday.

"Being in those situations of winning a set and then having to fight in a decider is definitely just all accumulating into a bank of experience that I can tap into later on down the line.

"I'm very happy that today I can add to that."

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/ne...says-british-no-1-is-carrying-a-whole-country
 
Australian Open: Ashleigh Barty & Naomi Osaka race through in Melbourne

World number one Ashleigh Barty says continuing to live like a "hermit" is helping her breeze through the Australian Open draw.

Australian Barty, 25, reached the third round by beating Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti 6-1 6-1 on Wednesday.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka also looked set for a win inside an hour against American Madison Brengle.

Japan's Osaka won the first set in 20 minutes but lost her way in the second before securing a 6-0 6-4 victory.

Barty will face Italian 30th seed Camila Giorgi next, while Osaka faces exciting American teenager Amanda Anisimova.

Anisimova beat Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic 6-2 7-5 and has yet to lose a match this season.

Another serving masterclass from Barty
As she aims to become the first home champion since 1978, Barty says trying to avoid coronavirus as rates rise in Melbourne has not affected her.

"For us, it's pretty low-key anyway," she said.

"We come and practice and do what we need to do. Otherwise a good book and a coffee and I'm set."

The two-time Grand Slam champion has not dropped a game on her serve at Melbourne Park this week, beating Bronzetti in 52 minutes to back-up another emphatic win in the first round.

On Monday, the 2021 Wimbledon champion dropped one game as she thrashed Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko in 54 minutes.

Barty has started the 2022 season by winning all six of her matches, having lifted the Adelaide International title last week.

On the strength of her service game, she said: "I'm continually trying to make it a weapon.

"I'm not the biggest girl out there, but I know I've got a sound technique and I know if I can get my rhythm right and use it effectively, it can be a weapon.

"As a kid, I was always serving baskets and baskets of serves to try to create that weapon, try to create a really sound shot."

Osaka continues to thrive in Melbourne
Few players in the women's game - if anyone - are better than 24-year-old Osaka when she executes the power and precision which has led to four Grand Slam titles.

Those fans inside Melbourne Park for Wednesday's night session witnessed some fine ball-striking in the first set, which left Britain's Andy Murray impressed as he watched on the television.

After cruising through the first set, Osaka briefly lost her way midway in the second. Brengle finally got on the scoreboard - drawing great applause from Rod Laver Arena - before further stalling the two-time Melbourne champion.

Mounting frustration peaked for Osaka after she whacked a smash long to let Brengle break for 4-3, only for the 13th seed to instantly hit back.

Then she rediscovered a better level in the final couple of games to wrap victory in one hour and five minutes.

"I returned pretty well, that's not my usual stat but I've been really working on that in the off season," said Osaka, who took a four-month break at the end of last season.

"I'm trying not to rate my level, if I compare myself to the past I will never be satisfied. I'm trying to take it one day at a time.

Svitolina comes through 'rollercoaster' match

Ukrainian 15th seed Elina Svitolina said it was "sad" to see her opponent Harmony Tan helped off court in a wheelchair during their second-round match.

France's Tan had fought back to take Svitolina to a deciding set before injuring her left calf.

She was trailing 6-3 5-7 5-1 when she attempted to serve out the final game of the match but was advised by the umpire to stop.

"It was a rollercoaster match," Svitolina said. "It's very sad to see her leaving the court in a wheelchair.

"It's never, never good to see a player getting injured."

Svitolina, long tipped as a future Grand Slam champion, will face two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka next after the Belarusian swept past Switzerland's Jil Teichmann 6-1 6-2.

Spanish eighth seed Paula Badosa saw off Italy's Martina Trevisan 6-0 6-3, while Madison Keys kept up her early season form with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Romania's Jaqueline Cristian.

Greek fifth seed Maria Sakkari saw off China's Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-4 and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova prevailed 6-2 6-3 over Xiyu Wang to set up a meeting with Jelena Ostapenko.

Ostapenko, who won Roland Garros in 2017, hit back to beat Alison Riske 4-6 6-2 6-4, while China's Wang Qiang battled to a 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win over Alison van Uytvanck.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60048733
 
Dan Evans has been given a bye to the third round of the Australian Open after opponent Arthur Rinderknech withdrew with a wrist injury.

Evans, who is seeded 24th, had been set to face the Frenchman at Melbourne Park on Thursday but received a walkover prior to the start of play.

Evans, 31, will face ninth seed Felix Auger Aliassime of Canada or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain on Saturday.

The British men's number two beat Belgium's David Goffin in round one.

Rinderknech's withdrawal means Evans is through to the last 32 in Melbourne for the first time since 2017.

That year, he went to to make the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time.
 
Britain's former world number one Andy Murray produced a subdued display as he was beaten by Japan's Taro Daniel in the Australian Open second round.

Murray lost 6-4 6-4 6-4 to qualifier Daniel - ranked below him at 120 in the world - on John Cain Arena.

It was a far cry from his performance in Tuesday's victory over Georgian 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, who the Scot beat in a gruelling five-set win.

Murray's defeat means Dan Evans is the final Briton left in the men's singles.

Murray had never previously lost a Grand Slam match to an opponent ranked as low as 28-year-old Daniel.

For Daniel, victory meant he reached the third round of a major for the first time in his career.

Murray shot a disconsolate look towards his box after Daniel clinched victory with a crisp backhand volley on his first match point.

The three-time Grand Slam champion walked off court shaking his head before giving a quick thumbs up to a crowd glad to see him back at Melbourne Park and appreciative of his efforts.

Live updates as Raducanu aims to reach Melbourne third round
"Winning a big match like this is unbelievable," said Daniel.

"It was an amazing level from me, I was getting nervous in the third set.

"I tried not to make a big deal about this - everyone said I was playing Murray - but I tried to treat it like another match."

Murray unable to extend Melbourne return
The point Murray has fought back to borders on a miracle, resurrecting his career after a hip surgery that he initially feared would bring his playing days to an end.

The victory against Basilashvili was particularly poignant as it came on the same Melbourne court where, in 2019, he thought he might have played his final match.

Since then, the former Wimbledon and US Open champion has returned to the sport with a metal hip and even won an ATP title.

Last week Murray was denied another trophy, losing in the Sydney final, and came to Melbourne with the target of making a deeper run in a Grand Slam tournament.

At face value, Daniel appeared to be someone of the ranking and pedigree that Murray should be able to beat.

But in reality he faced a sharp opponent brimming with confidence after coming through qualifying and the first round without dropping a set.

In contrast, Murray appeared to lack energy virtually from the start.

After losing serve in a 13-minute third game, he broke back for 3-3 but then produced a double fault as Daniel instantly regained a lead that allowed him to serve out the first set.

Murray made 16 unforced errors in the opening set compared to only six from his opponent.

The Japanese player maintained his level in the second set, although had to see off four break points to hold for 1-1, and broke serve again in the third game.

Murray never looked like retrieving it, winning only two more points on return as Daniel moved within one more set of the most notable win of his career.

However nerves started to emerge for Daniel and he gifted his opponent a break in the second game of the third set with a double fault.

Finally it brought out more emotion from Murray, who gave a gentle shake of the racquet to his box. But he then made the same mistake to allow Daniel to put the set back on serve.

The crowd tried their best to gee up Murray but it proved fruitless as he lost the final three games to end his brief return to Melbourne with a whimper.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60066710
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60065277

<b>Australian Open 2022: Emma Raducanu beaten in three sets by Danka Kovinic</b>

Emma Raducanu was warned by her team not to play in the Australian Open second round because of a blister on her racquet hand that hampered the Briton in the defeat by Danka Kovinic.

The US Open champion, 19, raced into a 3-0 lead before needing treatment on her hand and losing the opening set.

She fought back to win the second set but was beaten 6-4 4-6 6-3 by the world number 98 on Margaret Court Arena.

Raducanu says she has been nursing the blister for about five days.

She has been "trying every solution" to tape the affected area because it "kept ripping off".

"It has been a challenge, for sure," she told BBC Sport. "The past few days I have been really hindered in my practice and couldn't hit any forehands or serves at all.

"Some people in my team didn't really want me to go out there. I wanted to go and fight and see how far that would take me."

However, Raducanu says the experience showed she is "probably tougher than I thought in terms of playing through that much pain".

"I also learnt that I have got some hand skills, even though some people tell me I've got the hands of a bricklayer," she added.

"If I can use these sort of hand skills, and improve it going forward and mix it with my aggressive game, I think I can be pretty dangerous."

Montenegro's Kovinic is into the last 32 of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Raducanu had only lost one Grand Slam match before this meeting and while she may ultimately have been defeated, the Briton will surely have won even more admirers for her gutsy display.

The teenager has been spending almost 12 hours on site every day to "get my business done", which she says means training, having lunch, doing recovery, more training, gym work and then more recovery.

That extra work initially paid dividends as Raducanu delivered the perfect start, breaking in the opening game and storming into a 3-0 lead.

She looked set to replicate her first-round meeting against Sloane Stephens, where she claimed the opening set without dropping a game, although she was then taken to a deciding set by the American for the first time in her Grand Slam career.

The blister then started to affect Raducanu and, at 3-2 after Kovinic had responded by winning two games, the Briton took a medical timeout for treatment.

She double faulted on her return to the court and looked tentative as Kovinic broke again to level and completed the turnaround by winning five games in a row.

A toiling Raducanu strung together a series of cleverly constructed points to break for the third time, but that resistance was short lived as Kovinic closed out the set.

If Kovinic believed the second set would continue as a similar procession then Raducanu, smiling through gritted teeth, had other ideas.

The teenager seemed to be effectively playing with just a backhand at times, jabbing and slicing on her forehand side to minimise the discomfort as she opened up a 3-1 lead.

First-round opponent Stephens, a former US Open champion herself, warned Raducanu after their meeting that the teenager will have to learn to deal with "ups and downs".

But Raducanu is a star student and showed during this chapter of her early Grand Slam education that she can learn on the job, letting out a huge "come on" after her adapted approach made it 4-2.

The world number 18 had a chance to extend that advantage with break point on Kovinic's serve, but the Montenegrin displayed tactical nous and composure of her own to hold.

Raducanu appeared to be grimacing with every forehand yet still chalked up another two break points at 4-4 and converted a superb winner off the troublesome side.

The guile and desire that made her the first British woman to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977 then shone through.

Raducanu complemented a punchy serve with aggressive groundstrokes to fend off two break-back points and take the second set, shaking her blistered hand in celebration.

Kovinic took a long bathroom break before the decider, no doubt wondering how she had failed to close out the match in two sets against an injured opponent.

Indeed it was Raducanu who missed early break points and then, on a sweltering day in Melbourne where temperatures touched 30C, the Briton began to look fatigued for the first time as Kovinic converted her own to open up a 3-1 lead.

Both players looked on as the crowd cheered a seagull circling inside the arena, and it looked like the breather Raducanu needed, as she broke back to love.

But it was Kovinic who outlasted her opponent in the final set.

She teed up two match points and although she watched the first scream back past her off a Raducanu forehand winner, she then found the corner with a backhand to cap a fine display and reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.

"It was a really nice experience to play Emma here and make the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time after many years," said Kovinic, the world number 98.

"Emma has had amazing results, winning a Grand Slam at such a young age. She is an amazing talent. I'm just so happy I could play such a high level.

"I was a little bit low in my energy through the third set so I tried to focus on myself, not show much emotion and save my energy."
 
Last Brit standing:

Britain's Dan Evans is through to the third round of the Australian Open after opponent Arthur Rinderknech withdrew with a wrist injury.

Evans, 31, had been set to face the Frenchman on Thursday but received a walkover prior to the start of play.

Evans, who is seeded 24th, will face ninth seed Felix Auger Aliassime of Canada on Saturday.
 
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka brushed aside Elina Svitolina to reach the Australian Open fourth round for the first time since 2016.

The Belarusian world number 25, champion in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013, won 6-0 6-2 against the Ukrainian 15th seed.

Azarenka will now play French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Czech Krejcikova, seeded fourth, came from behind to beat Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko 2-6 6-4 6-4.

Australia's world number one Ashleigh Barty is in action against Italy's Camila Giorgi from 08:00 GMT on Friday.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka also features in the night session at Melbourne Park, taking on American Amanda Anisimova.

Elsewhere, Greek fifth seed Maria Sakkari recorded a 6-4 6-1 victory over Russia's Veronika Kudermetova and will now play American Jessica Pegula.

Spanish eighth seed Paula Badosa overcame Ukrainian teenager Marta Kostyuk in three sets, prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-4.

Next for Badosa is American Madison Keys, who survived a final-set tie-break to get past Wang Qiang, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (10-2).

Azarenka trying to stay 'in the moment'

Azarenka needed just one hour and seven minutes on Rod Laver Arena to end former world number four Svitolina's challenge.


The 32-year-old, seeded 24th, made her intentions clear with a break of serve in the opening game and dominated from there, eventually converting her sixth match point.

After reaching at least the fourth round in Melbourne in eight consecutive years between 2009 and 2016, she only played the tournament twice between 2017 and 2021, losing in the first round in 2019 and last year.

She was absent in 2017 after the birth of her son, Leo, missed 2018 because of a custody battle and did not enter the 2020 event for personal reasons.

The former world number one, who was joined by Leo in her post-match news conference, said: "When you look in the past, which I don't like to do, your memory is a bit distorted. Maybe you want to remember something, you want to forget the other

"I try to take it day by day. That mentality, to stay in the present, continue to do what I can in the moment.

"That's really what I'm trying to say - that ladder I want to climb step by step. I think the danger is to try to skip a few steps. That's something I'm actually learning not to do. That's been helpful."

BBC
 
Defending champion Naomi Osaka is out of the Australian Open after American opponent Amanda Anisimova survived two match points before clinching a memorable third-round victory.

Japan's Osaka, 24, was beaten 4-6 6-3 7-6 (10-5) at Melbourne Park.

Unseeded Anisimova, 20, will play Australian top seed Ashleigh Barty in the last 16.

Barty has still not dropped a set this week after a 6-2 6-3 victory over Italy's Camila Giorgi.

The 25-year-old Queenslander is carrying the hopes of a nation desperate to see a home Australian Open champion for the first time since Chris O'Neil in 1978.

Live radio and text as Nadal wraps up Friday's night session
Most expected Barty to face Osaka in the last 16 when the draw pitted two of the game's biggest stars in the same section.

Osaka was seeded 13th after taking a four-month break at the end of last season, during which she revealed she had been suffering from depression.

The two-time champion, who also won the 2019 title at Melbourne Park, had also breezed through her opening two matches but faced a different proposition in Anisimova.

The American announced her arrival as a potential star when she reached the 2019 French Open semi-finals aged 17.

But the death of her father and coach Konstantin shortly before the US Open later that year understandably had a debilitating effect on her career.

Against Osaka, the world number 60 showed on the biggest stage that she has rediscovered her best form and was able to effectively use her power.

Anisimova also showed her ability to stay calm under pressure, saving the two match points at 5-4 in the deciding set when her depth from the baseline forced two backhand errors by Osaka.

"Going into this match I knew I had to be playing sharp if I wanted to give myself a chance," said Anisimova, who lifted the Melbourne Summer Set Two title earlier this month and has now won all eight of her matches in 2022.

"She is an absolute champion so I knew I would have to step up my game and be aggressive.

"I'm honestly so grateful that I was able to play so well today and get this win. It means a lot."

Now Anisimova will look to trouble the very best when she faces Barty.

The Australian has topped the world rankings for 112 weeks, winning five WTA titles last season and starting 2022 by adding another in Adelaide.

But she has come up short in each of the past three years at Melbourne Park, having reached the 2020 semi-finals in between quarter-final defeats in 2019 and 2021.

Tougher moments are sure to lie ahead over the rest of this tournament, potentially against Anisimova on Sunday.

But so far, she has been untroubled in three emphatic victories across which she has dropped only eight games.

"I thought tonight was really clean, I looked after my service games really well, was able to keep my momentum going. A pretty good performance," Barty said after beating 30th seed Giorgi.

"I felt like I was out of my weight class, the way she hits the ball is incredible. I was able to use my slice effectively, particularly that short one."

BBC
 
Rafael Nadal continued his pursuit of a record-breaking 21st major title by beating Karen Khachanov in four sets to reach the Australian Open fourth round.

Nadal, the 2009 champion and five-time finalist, defeated Russian 28th seed Khachanov 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1 in Melbourne.

The Spanish sixth seed faces Russia's 18th seed Aslan Karatsev or France's Adrian Mannarino in the last 16.

German third seed Alexander Zverev and Italian seventh seed Matteo Berrettini both also reached the fourth round.

Berrettini overcame Spanish prospect Carlos Alcaraz in an enthralling five-set battle, after the Spanish 18-year-old - the youngest man in the draw - fought back from two sets down.

But Berrettini held his nerve to win the deciding tie-break 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 2-6 7-6 (10-5) at the Rod Laver Arena.

Zverev had a more straightforward passage into the last 16, seeing off Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Nadal insisted he was not feeling any pressure ahead of his meeting with Olympic silver medallist Khachanov on the main stage.

The 35-year-old is the only former Melbourne champion remaining in the men's draw - although his sole Australian Open title came 13 years ago.

With the absence of fellow 20-time major winners Novak Djokovic, deported over his vaccine exemption, and Switzerland's Federer, who is recovering from injury, this tournament offers Nadal a major opportunity.

Having won the Melbourne Summer Set in the build-up to the tournament, he has made a flying start on his Grand Slam return following a five-month layoff due to a foot injury and is yet to drop a set after three matches.

The Spaniard raced 3-0 ahead and dropped only one point on his serve in a devastating opening set.

He carried that momentum into the second set, breaking Khachanov in the opening game. It was not all plain sailing - the Russian creating a break opportunity when trailing 2-1 - but the imperious Nadal responded by winning three consecutive games.

Khachanov battled on admirably, however, and saved a break point early in the third set before breaking Nadal for the first time, from 40-0 down, for a 3-1 lead.

The Russian survived three break points in the following game and although he was unable to clinch three of his own when 4-1 up, it did not prove costly as he forced a fourth set.

The set-back brought a determined reaction from Nadal, who sealed a double-break with a ferocious cross-court forehand before serving out the match.

Wimbledon finalist Berrettini looked in control for the first set and most of the second before Alcaraz grew in confidence, breaking back and taking it to a tie-break that he lost.

But the young Spaniard clinched the third set before storming through the fourth to set up a decisive finale.

Berrettini turned his ankle early in the set and needed treatment, but the 25-year-old Italian dug in to fend off a break point and then brought up match point at 6-5.

Alcaraz, who beat Berrettini at the Erste Bank Open in Austria last year, saved the point with a fizzing second serve and battled back to hold and force the tie-break.

However, it was the more experienced Berrettini who edged ahead and did not let up in the first-to-10 decider, winning a match that lasted more than four hours.

"He is unbelievable," said Berrettini of his teenage opponent. "He is impressive and will only improve playing matches like this, he has shown everyone his potential. Luckily today I won."

Berrettini's next opponent is Spanish 19th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who defeated another rising star, American Sebastian Korda, 6-4 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 6-3.

Zverev will meet Canadian 14th seed Denis Shapovalov, who beat American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3 6-4.

Meanwhile, French 17th seed Gael Monfils overcame Chile's 16th seed Cristian Garin 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 6-3.

He will play Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, who knocked out Italian 25th seed Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-7 (8-10) 6-2 7-5.

BBC
 
Russian world number two Daniil Medvedev reached the Australian Open fourth round with a straight-set win over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

The 2021 finalist claimed a comfortable 6-4 6-4 6-2 win against the world number 57 inside Margaret Court Arena.

The US Open champion will play American Maxime Cressy in the last 16 after he beat Australian Christopher O'Connell.

Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also progressed with victory in four sets against Benoit Paire.

Tsitsipas, 23, recorded a 6-3 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 victory on Rod Laver Arena against Frenchman Paire, ranked 56th.

The two-time semi-finalist will face American 20th seed Taylor Fritz for a place in the quarter-finals.

Fritz overcame Spanish 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in five sets, battling back from losing consecutive sets to win 6-0 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-3.

After coming through an entertaining four-set match against Australian Nick Kyrgios, Medvedev encountered few problems against the only player to win a set against him on his run to the US Open title in September.

A break of serve in the third game of the opening two sets was enough to put the Russian, 25, in control of his third-round match - although the second seed did face a break point when leading 3-2 in the second.

But the impressive Medvedev, the highest ranked player in the draw, recorded a double break in the third set as he clinically closed out the match by winning five consecutive games.

Upcoming opponent Cressy, 24, beat wildcard O'Connell 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-2 to secure his first major fourth round appearance.

Tsitsipas had won his previous three meetings with Paire and took his first break point of the match as he raced into a 3-0 lead on the way to claiming the first set.

The 23-year-old escaped two break points on his opening service game in the second and was unable to take one of three opportunities in the following game - but he eventually made the breakthrough in the 11th game before serving out the set.

He could not find a way through Paire in the third and the Frenchman was rewarded for his resolve as he dominated the tie-break.

However, Tsitsipas struck the decisive blow with a break to love to seize his first match point after two hours and 45 minutes.

BBC
 
The last British singles player is OUT of the Australian Open

Dan Evans is beaten 6-4 6-1 6-1 by Felix Auger-Aliassime (but not before quite an amusing rant about the music next door being too loud).
 
Dan Evans was unable to match his best run at the Australian Open as defeat by ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime ended British interest in the singles.

British men's number two Evans, seeded 24th, was beaten 6-4 6-1 6-1 by the Canadian in the Melbourne third round.

Evans, 31, lost a tight opener after two sloppy errors at 5-4, handing over the set and the momentum.

Auger-Aliassime also dominated the big points in the second set and cruised through the third to reach the last 16.

Evans is the last of seven Britons to fall in the singles at Melbourne Park, after the earlier exits of Andy Murray, Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Liam Broady.

Evans received a walkover into the third round after France's Arthur Rinderknech withdrew through injury.

He was aiming to move into the last 16 for the second time in his career after reaching the same stage in 2017.

"It's tough to say the walkover had a negative effect on me, but maybe I would have to deal with it better next time if it happened. I had a lot of time to think," said Evans.

Auger-Aliassime, who also reached the Melbourne fourth round last year, will face Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev or Croatia's Marin Cilic in the last 16.

Evans philosophical after 'good' Australian swing

Evans made a fantastic start to the 2022 season, winning all three of his matches at the ATP Cup and reaching the semi-finals in Sydney.

A straight-set win against Belgium's David Goffin at Melbourne Park maintained his run of positive results, but he did not have to hit a ball on the match court to reach the third round after Rinderknech pulled out.

"I wasn't at the races as I have been and losing is difficult to take. But it has been a good swing here in Australia and a lot of positives to take," Evans said.

"Losing here today is not the be all and end all. Losing is part of the sport."

After four days without a match, Evans started well on serve - despite being irritated by loud music from an outside stage drifting over onto court - and created the first break points of the match.

The Briton dumped a forehand into the net at 2-2, before a double fault from Auger-Aliassime gave him another opportunity at 4-4.

This time, the Canadian's deep baseline returning and an ace denied Evans taking a crucial lead.
The scoreboard pressure then told on Evans.

At 5-4, a rare foray forward ended with a stretching volley being pushed long for 30-40 and a forehand drive volley into the net on set point - the first break opportunity of the match for Auger-Aliassime - left Evans trailing.

"It was a bit of a snowball effect. I was nervous, it was difficult and it was a big opportunity," Evans said.
"I didn't take care of business when I had break points so that made it a little worse for how I was feeling."

Evans' despondency at losing the opener in such a manner appeared to carry over into the second set.
A double-fault allowed Auger-Aliassime to break for a 2-0 lead and Evans continued to struggle on first serve.

The Canadian took advantage to go a double-break up at 4-0 and comfortably saw out a set where Evans landed 50% of his first serves.

After Evans held at the start the third set, the one-sided nature of the contest quickly resumed. Auger-Aliassime broke for 2-1 and then dropped just four more points as he cruised to victory.

"It is tough not to feel better, it is one of the best Grand Slam performances I've had," said Auger-Aliassime.

"Everything was working for me today, I'm happy to be through in straight sets."

Beatles and Elton John covers provides unusual atmosphere

Evans suffered the same fate as Murray and Broady by losing on John Cain Arena, which is known as the 'people's court' because it is open to non-ticket holders.

Usually that leads to a boisterous atmosphere in the stands but, on this occasion, the noise drifting onto court during the opening five games came from live music on a stage entertaining fans outside.

It was a bizarre situation, one not befitting such an important Grand Slam match, and irritated Evans in particular
.
Evans created a break point for 3-2 as a version of The Beatles' Hey Jude played out, but put the forehand into the net and let umpire Jaume Campistol know his feelings at the changeover.

"It's not like it's a little bit loud, it's on the court," Evans told the official.
The tunes soon stopped and allowed Evans to focus on the set which mattered - the opening one of the match, not the musical variety
.
Afterwards, Evans joked they should have kept the music on.
"I played better with it on," he said. "It was probably the best part of the match, listening to that, I think 'Rocketman' by Elton John."


Dan Evans is not a man to make excuses.
He had his chances early on, he failed to take them, and then experienced a "snowball effect" in the second and third sets.

Felix Auger-Aliassime served superbly and put the hammer down in the third set to try and win as quickly as possible, after spending eight hours on court in the first two rounds.

Evans won seven matches in Australia (if you include his walkover here in Melbourne) in another good start to the year. After a short break and some fitness training he has another string of hard court tournaments to look forward to - in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami.

He is inching closer to the world's top 20 but does have quite a number of ranking points to defend over the next three months, including last year's semi-final performance on the clay of Monte Carlo.
 
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Rafael Nadal progressed to the Australian Open quarter-finals with a straight-set win over Adrian Mannarino as the Spaniard continues his quest for a record-breaking 21st major title.

Nadal, 35, edged an epic 28-minute first-set tie-break as he eventually converted his seventh set point.

Mannarino struggled with injury after the tie-break, as the sixth seed went on to claim a 7-6 (16-14) 6-2 6-2 win.

Nadal plays German third seed Alexander Zverev or Denis Shapovalov next.

Nadal, the 2009 champion and five-time finalist in Melbourne, also faced four set points in a remarkable opening set which lasted one hour and 22 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

That breathless battle took its toll on the 33-year-old Mannarino, who had a problem with his knee and groin and was subsequently broken in the opening game of the second set.

Nadal made a fast start in the third too, breaking Mannarino in the opening game once again, but despite struggling the Frenchman rallied and broke back to love.

He could not deny Nadal in third game, despite saving five break points - the Spaniard taking his sixth chance to begin a four-game run to move clear and seal victory in two hours and 43 minutes.

The only former Melbourne champion remaining in the men's draw, Nadal faces a tough challenge against either Zverev or Canadian 14th seed Shapovalov in the last eight.

"I was a little bit lucky at the end of the tiebreaker, I had my chances but then he had a lot of chances too," Nadal said.

"That crazy first set was so important and the service break at the beginning of the second set too."

He added: "He had been playing some fantastic tennis during the whole tournament, winning against amazing players, and today the first set was super difficult.

"His ball was very difficult to control, very flat, very fast and I am very happy that I survived that."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60097395
 
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian Open organisers said the safety of Peng Shuai remains their "primary concern" even as security officials at the Grand Slam forced fans to remove shirts referring to the Chinese former doubles number one.

A video posted on social media on Saturday showed security staff at Melbourne Park confiscating shirts and a banner bearing the slogan: "Where Is Peng Shuai?"

Peng's well-being became a matter of concern among the global tennis community in November when she appeared to allege that a former Chinese vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her in the past. After that post, she was absent from public view for nearly three weeks.

Last month she said she had never accused anyone of sexually assaulting her, and that a social media post she had made had been misunderstood.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) suspended tournaments in China due to what its concerns over Peng's safety, which the Tour says have not been alleviated by her recent public appearances.

"Under our ticket conditions of entry we don't allow clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political," organisers Tennis Australia said in a statement in response to questions raised about the video.

"Peng Shuai's safety is our primary concern. We continue to work with the WTA and global tennis community to seek more clarity on her situation and will do everything we can to ensure her wellbeing."

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka, who is part of the WTA Players Council, said earlier this week that they were yet to hear directly from Peng.

"There hasn't been that much development in terms of contact with Peng Shuai even though from our side we will continue to make any and all efforts to make sure that she is safe, she feels comfortable," Azarenka said.

"Hopefully we will get to hear from her personally at some point. I think that's the goal, the main goal right now."

World number one Ash Barty said the situation had brought the tennis community together.

"Hopefully it's not too long until we see her back out here," the Australian said at Melbourne Park.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...d-at-australian-open/ar-AAT3aRX?ocid=msedgntp
 
World number one Ashleigh Barty's quest to become the Australian Open's first home champion in 44 years continued with a victory over Amanda Anisimova.

Barty, 25, has still not dropped a set in Melbourne this fortnight after a 6-4 6-3 win over Anisimova, who previously beat defending champion Naomi Osaka.

Barty will play another American, Jessica Pegula, in the quarter-finals.

Pegula beat fifth seed Maria Sakkari, while two-time champion Victoria Azarenka lost to Barbora Krejcikova.

Greece's Sakkari was beaten 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 by former quarter-finalist Pegula, who is seeded 21st.

Azarenka, who won the title in 2012 and 2013, fell to French Open winner Krejcikova 6-2 6-2.

Elsewhere, Madison Keys continued her strong form with victory over Spanish eighth seed Paula Badosa and the American goes on to face fourth seed Krejcikova.

Wimbledon champion Barty is aiming to become the first Australian singles player to win the opening Grand Slam of the year since Chris O'Neil won the women's title in 1978.

While 32nd seed Alex de Minaur is still in the men's draw, it is Barty on whom the nation is largely pinning their hopes.

The world number one has been in supreme form, having now won all eight of her singles matches this year.

After beating three top-20 players to win the Adelaide International title earlier this month, the 25-year-old Queenslander has been dominant in the opening four rounds in Melbourne.

On a supportive Rod Laver Arena, Barty was pushed more by Anisimova than any of her previous three opponents.

"The last two years have been extraordinarily tough for everyone around the world and us tennis players have been lucky enough to keep playing," said Barty, who has reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the fourth straight year.

"Having the fans back brings more to the tennis, it is a lot more fun and more enjoyable for me to play at home."

Anisimova, 20, was edged out of a tight opening set by a single break at 3-3, unable to take any of the two opportunities she earned herself in the fourth and eight games.

Surviving those meant Barty extended her run of service games without being broken to 63 games.

However, that record was ended in the first game of the second set as Anisimova - like she did against Osaka in the third round - threatened to come back from behind and cause an upset.

But Barty, backed by a noisy home crowd and watched by 11-time Grand Slam champion Laver, instantly broke back for 2-1 and then claimed the final four games as Anisimova's level dropped.

Victoria Azarenka received a medical timeout for treatment to her neck during her loss to Barbora Krejcikova
Azarenka's exit means that Rafael Nadal is the only former Australian Open champion remaining in either the men's or the women's draw.

The Belarusian took a medical timeout for treatment to her neck during her match against Krejcikova.

Czech Krejcikova, who has yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park, is in contention for the world number one ranking along with Barty and Aryna Sabalenka.

"It was really amazing today because she is a champion here and I really admire her," Krejcikova said.

"It was a dream to play in a court like this and against such a champion."

Former US Open finalist Keys needed just 71 minutes to beat Badosa 6-3 6-1 and secure her place in the quarter-finals.

Keys won the Adelaide International 2 title in the build-up to the Australian Open and is on a 10-match unbeaten streak.

Compatriot Pegula described her win over Sakkari as her "best match of the year"" as she outlasted the Greek in the Melbourne heat.

BBC
 
https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60097395

Rafael Nadal progressed to the Australian Open quarter-finals with a straight-set win over Adrian Mannarino as the Spaniard continues his quest for a record-breaking 21st major title.

Nadal, 35, edged an epic 28-minute first-set tie-break as he eventually converted his seventh set point.

Mannarino struggled with injury after the tie-break, as sixth seed Nadal went on to claim a 7-6 (16-14) 6-2 6-2 win.

Nadal plays Denis Shapovalov next after he beat third seed Alexander Zverev.

Canadian 14th seed Shapovalov, 22, reached his first Australian Open quarter-final with an impressive 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory over Germany's Olympic champion.

The exit of the 24-year-old Zverev, a 2020 semi-finalist, leaves Nadal as the highest ranked player remaining in the top half of the men's singles draw.

It proved a frustrating match for Zverev, one of the pre-tournament favourites after winning the ATP Finals for a second time in November, and his wait for a first Grand Slam title goes on. Nadal, the 2009 champion and five-time finalist in Melbourne, also faced four set points in a remarkable opening set which lasted one hour and 22 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Mannarino had come through a mammoth four-set match against Russia's 18th seed Aslan Karatsev that lasted four hours and 48 minutes in the previous round.

And the breathless battle at the start of this match took its toll on the 33-year-old, who had a problem with his knee and groin and was subsequently broken in the opening game of the second set.

Nadal made a fast start in the third too, breaking Mannarino in the opening game once again, but despite struggling the Frenchman rallied and broke back to love.

He could not deny Nadal in third game, despite saving five break points - the Spaniard taking his sixth chance to begin a four-game run to move clear and seal victory in two hours and 43 minutes.

"I was a little bit lucky at the end of the tiebreaker, I had my chances but then he had a lot of chances too," Nadal said.

"That crazy first set was so important and the service break at the beginning of the second set too.

"He had been playing some fantastic tennis during the whole tournament, winning against amazing players. The first set was super difficult.

"His ball was very difficult to control, very flat, very fast and I am happy I survived that."

The only former Melbourne champion remaining, Nadal faces a tough challenge against Shapovalov in the last eight as he looks to seize his opportunity in the absence of fellow 20-time Grand Slam winners Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

"It's always an honour to go up against a guy like Rafa," Shapovalov said.

"It's always going to be a battle against him. It's going to be a tough one but I'm going to enjoy it."

Italian seventh seed Matteo Berrettini will meet French 17th seed Gael Monfils in the last eight after both players recorded straight-set wins.

Berrettini, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last year, produced 28 aces and won 87% of his first serve points as he defeated Spanish 19th seed Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.

Monfils, 35, is into his 10th major quarter-final and first since the 2019 US Open with a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic.
Click to expand...
 
Daniil Medvedev demonstrated again why he is the man to beat at the Australian Open with a battling win over Maxime Cressy in the Melbourne heat.

The Russian second seed reached the quarter-finals with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 victory over the American.

Medvedev was frustrated by 24-year-old Cressy's resistance, needing his ninth break point to finally take control of the fourth set and the match.

"I've played harder matches but this was long. It wasn't easy," he said.

"The fourth set was crazy. Every time I had a break point he would have second serves and hit the line. I couldn't return them."

The 25-year-old goes on to face Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who saw off 27th seed Marin Cilic of Croatia in his fourth-round match.

Auger-Aliassime, who knocked out Britain's Dan Evans in the previous round, won 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-4).

Italian 11th seed Jannik Sinner also progressed, winning in straight sets against Australian 32nd seed Alex de Minaur to reach his first quarter-final in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena and will play Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or American 20th seed Taylor Fritz in the last eight.

Medvedev, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, is the highest seed in the men's singles because of Novak Djokovic's absence.

The Serb world number one was not allowed to play at Melbourne Park after he was deported from Australia because he was unvaccinated for Covid-19.

Medvedev dropped a set in his second-round match against home favourite Nick Kyrgios, but this battle against world number 70 Cressy left him even more frustrated.

After winning the first two sets, it seemed Medvedev was heading towards the quarter-finals when he led by a mini-break at 4-3 in the third-set tie-break.

But Cressy swung momentum back his way by winning both of the following points on Medvedev's serve.

The serve-and-volleying American put away a forehand at the net and then thumped a blistering winner past the Russian on his way to forcing a fourth set.

For the first time since the opening set, Medvedev forced a break point in a lengthy third game but was not able to take it as Cressy held on.

Medvedev's frustration began to show.

After shouting "this is so boring" before Cressy held for 2-1, the Russian complained at the changeover that his opponent was taking too long with his serves and claimed the 25-second shot clock was not being applied properly.

That annoyance was channelled into a 45-second hold to love, followed by creating three break opportunities for a 3-2 lead.

Cressy has won nine matches so far in 2022 and reached the first ATP final of his career in a warm-up event at Melbourne Park before the Grand Slam.

With Medvedev becoming increasingly rattled, Cressy showed why he has been successful by maintaining his composure and playing smartly.

Cressy survived two more break points in the seventh game, leading to Medvedev lamenting the "most unlucky day of his life".

But his pressure finally told in the 11th game when Medvedev decisively broke and served out victory in three hours and 30 minutes.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60108098
 
Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas battled to a thrilling five-set victory over American Taylor Fritz to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old twice came from behind to record a 4-6 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4 win shortly after midnight in Melbourne.

It will be a third Australian Open quarter-final for 2021 French Open finalist Tsitsipas as he continues his bid for a first major title.

He will meet Italian 11th seed Jannik Sinner in the last eight.

Sinner, who is through to the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, defeated Australian 32nd seed Alex de Minaur 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-4.

World number four Tsitsipas, who had surgery on his right elbow in November, had to show fight and resilience to overcome Fritz in the American's first major fourth-round appearance.

The 20th seed was not short on confidence following a five-set victory over Spanish 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the previous round and brought up the first break points of the contest on Rod Laver Arena in the fifth game.

Though unable to take that early chance, he clinched his third break point in the seventh game and went on to calmly seal the set with a love hold.

The American did not face a break point until the 10th game of the second set - but in a closely fought duel it proved decisive as Tsitsipas capitalised on a rare opportunity to level the match.

The Greek escaped four break points to hold under pressure in his opening game of the third but Fritz persevered, eventually making the breakthrough with a seventh break point of the set in the seventh game.

The stubborn Tsitsipas continued to thrive under pressure and he saw off three set points to hold, however Fritz once again served out to love to move one set from victory.

An enthralling encounter was taken to a fifth set as the indomitable Tsitsipas broke at the second attempt for a 5-3 lead before rescuing two break points to complete the job.

Serving first in the final set, Fritz held to love in consecutive games to lead 4-3, yet Tsitsipas was clinical when it mattered. Breaking for 5-4, he then needed just one chance, securing the win with his first match point to end an enthralling contest.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/60109972
 
Rafael Nadal again showed the immense fight which has characterised his career as he overcame physical issues to beat Canada's Denis Shapovalov and reach the Australian Open semi-finals.

Spanish sixth seed Nadal won 6-3 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-3, despite struggling physically in the fourth set.

Nadal, whose only title at Melbourne Park came in 2009, needed medication for what seemed to be a stomach issue.

The 35-year-old faces Matteo Berrettini or Gael Monfils in the last four.

Italian seventh seed Berrettini and French 17th seed Monfils meet in their quarter-final later on Tuesday.

Nadal is two more victories away from earning a record 21st Grand Slam men's title, which would move him clear of long-time rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal's relief at coming through the toughest of tests was evident after Shapovalov pushed a backhand volley wide on the Spaniard's first match point.

Grinning widely, Nadal celebrated by standing in front of his box and staring at his team while shaking both fists. In contrast, Shapovalov demolished his racquet on the court.

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Afterwards, Nadal said he "didn't know" how he managed to win on a Melbourne afternoon where temperatures topped 30C.

"I was completely destroyed," he said. "It was a very tough day, very warm, I didn't practice for it.

"At the beginning of the match I was playing great, I know how difficult it is to play against a player like Denis.

"I had my chances at the beginning of the third, I didn't get it and then started to feel a bit more tired and he pushed me."

'Australia late to show LGBT support but now we're here'
Keys races into Australian Open semi-finals
Live scores, results and order of play
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'Playing again is the present of life'
In the absence of the deported Djokovic and the injured Federer in Melbourne, Nadal can move ahead of his great rivals in the race to finish with most major titles.

While eager to win as many Grand Slam titles as possible, Nadal has often said he is not motivated by beating Djokovic and Federer.

At this year's Australian Open, he is grateful to be even playing.

Nadal missed five months because of a foot injury which - he revealed last week - left him doubting whether he would even return to the top-level.

A bout of coronavirus in mid-December also left him "very sick with fever".

After beating Shapovalov to move closer to another Grand Slam title, Nadal said: "Of course, I'm surprised to be here.

"We can create history but the real thrill is that two months ago we didn't know if we could be able to get back on tour.

"For me this is a present of life to be playing tennis again and I am just enjoying it."

Shapovalov frustrated by Nadal taking his time
Denis Shapovalov (left) and Rafael Nadal (right) at the Australian Open
Shapovalov (left), who was bidding for his second Grand Slam semi-final after reaching the Wimbledon last four in July, had a discussion with Nadal (right) at the net following his complaint
Throughout his career, Nadal has exerted every bit of energy and fight possible - with all those trademark qualities on show in an absorbing contest with 14th seed Shapovalov.

Everything seemed to be going swimmingly for Spaniard when he led by two sets against the 22-year-old, who was aiming to reach his first Australian Open semi-final.

Nadal broke once in each of the opening two sets and did not face a break point himself.

Shapovalov, who struggled with his returning game in particular, showed his frustrations at the start of the second set.

First, he complained to umpire Carlos Bernardes about how long it took Nadal to change his kit.

Shapovalov asked the official to give a time violation and after he declined, Shapovalov shouted: "You guys are all corrupt."

The Canadian remonstrated with Bernardes again before the second game of the second set, now about the time Nadal was taking to serve.

Eventually he regained his composure and changed the momentum of the match in third set.

Shapovalov, now guided by Andy Murray's former coach Jamie Delgado, was unable to convert either of the two break points in the sixth game but sealed the set with his fourth chance.

Another break for the Canadian saw Nadal trail 4-1 in the fourth, when the Spaniard called the trainer for his stomach issue.

Nadal grimaced as he discussed the issue with the medic, pointing to his abdominal area before taking medication to alleviate the problem.

Shapovalov maintained his advantage to level the match and bring back memories of Nadal losing from two sets up against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's quarter-finals.

But Nadal broke serve in the second game of the decider, saving break points in his service games either side, to reach the Melbourne semi-finals for the first time since 2019.

"I am not 21 anymore, after this match it is great to have two days off," said Nadal, who went off court at the end of the fourth set for a medical examination.

"I felt quite good physically in terms of movement but the conditions haven't been that hot."

BBC
 
Title favourite Daniil Medvedev saved a match point before producing a stunning comeback against Felix Auger-Aliassime to set up an Australian Open semi-final against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Second seed Medvedev eventually won 6-7 (4-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 6-4, becoming the first player to fight back from two sets down in Melbourne this year.

Fourth seed Tsitsipas earned a dominant straight-set win over Jannik Sinner.
The 23-year-old, beaten by Medvedev in last year's semis, won 6-3 6-4 6-2.
Now Tsitsipas has the opportunity to avenge that defeat against the Russian and reach his first Australian Open final.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60144405

<b>Australian Open: Ashleigh Barty to meet Danielle Collins in Melbourne final</b>

Ashleigh Barty became the first home player to reach the Australian Open women's singles final in 42 years as she beat Madison Keys in straight sets on a jubilant Rod Laver Arena.

Wimbledon champion Barty, 25, won 6-1 6-3 against the unseeded American.

Now the top seed is one win away from becoming the first Australian - man or woman - to win the singles since Christine O'Neil won the title in 1978.

Barty will face American 27th seed Danielle Collins in Saturday's final.

Collins, 28, beat seventh seed Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-1 to reach her first Grand Slam final, less than a year after she had surgery for endometriosis.

Channelling her passion into power, Collins settled more quickly than 2020 French Open champion Swiatek and raced into a 4-0 lead with a double break.

The 20-year-old from Poland reduced the deficit to 5-4 after breaks of serve in three straight games, only for Collins to reset and take the opener on her fifth set point.

Collins continued to pick apart Swiatek's game in the next set with her aggressive returning, particularly punishing her second serve, as she moved into another 4-0 lead.

The level of Collins' intensity remained high, cracking another clean winner - her 27th of the evening - to set up a first match point and taking advantage on the second when a deep return forced Swiatek long.

"It feels amazing to reach my first Grand Slam final. It has been such a journey, it doesn't happen overnight," said Collins.

"Along with all the health concerns, I couldn't be happier."

While Collins showed aggression and clinical execution to dominate Swiatek, she looks likely to face a tough task stopping Barty.

The world number one reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in 2020, with defeats in the quarter-finals coming either side.

This year, Barty has so far looked unstoppable and unburdened by the weight of Australian expectation.

"It's just unreal - as an Aussie we are spoiled that we are a Grand Slam nation, and now we have a chance to play for a title," she said.

The 25-year-old Queenslander has been in supreme form in 2022, having now won all 10 of her singles matches this year.

After beating three top-20 players to win the Adelaide International title, she has continued that dominance in Melbourne.

Strong serving has been the bedrock of her success, with her returning game - characterised by a tricky backhand slice - also proving difficult to unpick.

Barty has not dropped a set in her opening six matches, conceding just 21 games on her way to the final.

Key, a former US Open runner-up looking to reach her second major final, was nervous from the start and never looked like troubling Barty.

A deep forehand from the Australian brought a break point in the first game of the match and another cross-court winner, punishing a drop-shot from Keys, enabled her to take it.

Barty backed that up with successive holds to love and then broke again for 4-1, with her returning game proving difficult for Keys to cope with.

A double fault brought up a set point after 26 minutes, which Barty converted with a crisp forehand winner down the line.

Barty saved a break point at 2-2 in the second set when she put away a smash - moments after dumping one into the net - and the Australian promptly broke again for 4-2.

The passionate crowd - including 11-time major champion Laver himself - roared as Barty waited to serve on match point, with the volume increasing further when she put away a forehand to win in one hour two minutes.

"I just tried to run and make as many balls as I could, point by point and just try to do the right things every time," she said.
 
Rafael Nadal moved one win away from a record 21st Grand Slam men's title after a dominant start enabled him to beat Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the Australian Open semi-finals.

Seventh seed Berrettini eventually turned the match into a contest, but Nadal completed a 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 win.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is level on 20 major titles with long-time rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal will face Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final.

"The first two sets were some of the best I've played for a long time," said Nadal, who won his only Melbourne title in 2009.

"I had to suffer and I had to fight but to be in the final again means a lot."

Nadal's achievement in reaching a 29th Grand Slam final comes only a few months after he thought a foot injury could end his illustrious career.

Russian second seed Medvedev plays Greek fourth seed Tsitsipas later on Friday in the second men's semi-final at Melbourne Park.

It is the first time both men's semi-finals have been played on the same day since 1999, after the decision by tournament organisers to put both women's semi-finals in the primetime Thursday night session.

US Open champion Medvedev, 25, was beaten in last year's final by Djokovic, who did not play this year after being deported from Australia in a visa row related to him being unvaccinated.

Tsitsipas, 23, is targeting his maiden Grand Slam title - after losing to Djokovic in last year's French Open final - and his first Melbourne final.

Nadal shows killer instinct at either end of the match
Before the match there were some lingering doubts about Nadal's chances, not least because of his injury problems last year.

These centred around the indoor conditions perhaps favouring the powerful Berrettini - severe thunderstorms in Melbourne meant the roof was closed throughout - and how 35-year-old Nadal would have recovered after being "destroyed physically" from a gruelling five-set quarter-final against Canada's Denis Shapovalov.

With the benefit of two full days without a match since Tuesday's win, Nadal quickly quashed any uncertainty.

Nadal started sharply as he attacked Berrettini's backhand - considered the weakest part of the Italian's game - from the outset.

A stream of mistakes came from this side as the Italian fell 3-0 behind and Nadal appropriately sealed the opening set with a serve to the Italian's backhand which hit the net.

This Berrettini shot continued to break down in the second set, enabling Nadal to take his opening two service games and move into another 3-0 lead.

Head bowed, the Italian looked unsure how to neutralise Nadal and the other facets of his game were suffering too.

When Nadal sealed the second set after one hour and 25 minutes, Berrettini had already hit 24 unforced errors. His inability to test Nadal - also down to the Spaniard's brilliance - had been costly.

Holding serve at the start of the third set, and putting scoreboard-pressure on Nadal, was imperative for Berrettini.

Once he achieved that, the Italian's confidence grew and his fearsome forehand began to trouble Nadal more.

Finally he earned his first break points of the match, taking the second for a 5-3 lead with another forehand winner and serving out to love to ensure at least a fourth set.

Both men held serve in the opening seven games but Berrettini letting half a chance slip at 3-3 15-30 with two missed forehands proved crucial.

The Italian had held to love in five successive service games - but then let Nadal in when it mattered most.

After Nadal missed a first break point with a wide forehand to end an intense 23-shot rally, Berrettini hit a forehand into the net for the third time in the game on the second.

Serving for the match, Nadal started with a double fault but clinched victory when Berrettini, rather aptly, put another backhand into the net.

BBC
 
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Daniil Medvedev has exploded at the close of the second set, claiming Stefanos Tsitsipas is being coached by his father from his box in an extraordinary rant to chair umpire Jaume Campistol.

“Are you mad? Are you mad? For what? His father can coach every point? Are you stupid? His father can talk every point? His father can talk every point? His father can talk every point? His father can talk every point? Repeat answer to my question. Will you answer my question. Will you answer my question? Can you answer my question? Can you answer my question, please? Can his father talk every point?” he screamed at the chair umpire.

He then was heard calling the chair umpire “a small cat” in a bizarre twist to the outburst.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...s/news-story/91992c5cd44301ed3ff9d71ed08296b5
 
Medvedev beat Tsitsipas, and Nadal overcame Berrettini's test, taking them to the Australian Open final this Sunday

Will it be a record 21st Grand Slam victory for Rafael Nadal or will Daniil Medvedev win successive Grand Slam titles and secure his first in Australia?
 
Australian Open: Ashleigh Barty plans to enjoy first final at home Grand Slam in Melbourne

Ashleigh Barty has said she plans to enjoy her first Australian Open final and play it with a "massive smile on my face" on Saturday in Melbourne.

The world No 1 goes into the final with a 10-match winning run in her corner. She has not dropped a set during the course of this year's Australian Open and has lost just 21 games in six matches.

"It's unreal. It's just incredible," Barty said about reaching her first Australian Open final following a 6-1 6-3 dismissal of American Madison Keys.

"I love this tournament and I love coming out here and playing in Australia. As an Aussie, we're exceptionally spoiled that we get to be a Grand Slam nation and that we get to play at home, in our own backyard.

"I'm just happy that I get to play my best tennis here. I enjoy it and I've done well before and now we have a chance to play for a title. It's unreal!"

Barty's references to 'we' weren't a mistake, it's deliberate and a mark of how important her team are to her. She's an individual that does things her way on the Tour and always speaks about the team's success or work.

https://www.skysports.com/tennis/ne...y-first-final-at-home-grand-slam-in-melbourne
 
Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins to win the Australian Open title, ending the home nation's 44-year wait for a Grand Slam women's singles champion.

Top seed Barty fought back from 5-1 down in the second set to win 6-3 7-6 (7-2) on a jubilant Rod Laver Arena.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/60181930

<b>Australian Open: Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis win maiden Grand Slam title</b>

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis clinched a maiden Grand Slam title as they beat fellow Australians Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the men's doubles final at the Australian Open.

Dubbed the 'Special Ks', Kyrgios and Kokkinakis won 7-5 6-4 in front of a lively home crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

It was the first all-Australian men's doubles final in Melbourne since 1980.

The match completed a memorable day for Australian tennis, after Ashleigh Barty won the women's singles title.
 
Don't watch tennis much but watching it today.. and Rafa is struggling, too many unforced errors by him..
 
Brilliant from Nadal! Looked totally out of it but he's come roaring back. That break point backhand and then the dominant set-winning game after was spectacular.

Medvedev still the favourite surely, as Nadal can only go for so long, but he's got the momentum right now.

Meanwhile, first thing goes against Medvedev in the match and the annoyance at the crowd and umpire-whining has begun.
 
Nadal cashes in on the 7th break point of the game! This is a stunning match.
 
He gets the break with an outstanding forehand down the line!

After 5 hours, he is still just unstoppable. What a match.
 
This is one of the most epic comebacks in Australian open history.
 
Nadal broken, Medvedev squares it 5-5 in the decider.
 
Oh wow. This has to be one of the greatest matches I've ever witnessed.
 
What a comeback!!

Incredible athleticism and resilience from Nadal.
 
I am totally speechless. The 2nd longest grand slam final in history.
 
Rafael Nadal won a record 21st Grand Slam men's title in the most stunning fashion, fighting back from two sets down to beat Russia's Daniil Medvedev in a classic Australian Open final.

Backed by a loud Melbourne crowd, sixth seed Nadal rallied to win 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.

US Open champion Medvedev was going for his second successive major title.

Medvedev, 25, was in command before Nadal showed all of his renowned grit and fight to earn an extraordinary win.

The 35-year-old Spaniard has been at the centre of some of the sport's most incredible triumphs - but this surely goes down as the most amazing Grand Slam victory of his illustrious career.

In the absence of the deported Novak Djokovic and the injured Roger Federer in Melbourne, Nadal has moved one ahead of his great rivals in the race to finish with most major men's singles titles.

Nadal's achievement comes only a few months after he thought he would never be able to return to the tour because of a foot injury.

"Without a doubt it is one of the most emotional wins of my career," he said after the trophy presentation.

The issue restricted him to only one tournament in the final seven months of 2021, while a bout of coronavirus in mid-December also left him "very sick with fever".

Those setbacks meant the Australian Open was just Nadal's second competitive event in five months, having won a warm-up tournament at Melbourne Park earlier in January.

Nadal sealed victory after five hours 24 minutes - and at 01:11 local time in Melbourne - when Medvedev could not return a net volley on the first of the Spaniard's three match points.

Dropping his racquet to the floor, Nadal stood motionless with his hands on his hips and his jaw dropped. After a warm embrace with Medvedev, he walked towards his support team and exploded with emotion.

A triple first pump was followed by a drop to his knees, his hands covering his face as he looked up to the sky.

The intensity of his celebration illustrated the euphoria Nadal felt after the obstacles he had overcome - on the night and in the recent months - to win.

Previously in his career, Nadal had only won three matches from two sets down and the last of those came at Wimbledon in 2007 against Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.

Victory came at the end of the second longest Grand Slam final in history, just 30 minutes short of the 2012 final at Melbourne Park when Nadal lost to Djokovic.

Afterwards, Medvedev thanked his team, and joked: "I'm sure my wife is watching back home but I think the TV will be broken now."
 
If Djokovic was not deported and he met Nadal, they would have met before the final.

How many sets would he have taken?

The last time Nadal beat Djokovic on a HC was in 2013 and if you all recall Nadal looked amazing in 2019 up until the final where he soundly thrashed in the final.

As as Dkjokovic fan, this one stings because even though there's no guarantee he would have won the title, it's pretty much a done deal when he plays Nadal on a HC.
 
bones said:
If Djokovic was not deported and he met Nadal, they would have met before the final.

How many sets would he have taken?

The last time Nadal beat Djokovic on a HC was in 2013 and if you all recall Nadal looked amazing in 2019 up until the final where he soundly thrashed in the final.

As as Djokovic fan, this one stings because even though there's no guarantee he would have won the title, it's pretty much a done deal when he plays Nadal on a HC.
Click to expand...

You have been spreading misinformation in multiple threads on this forum.

Djokovic lied about isolating for 2 weeks before coming to Australia, when in reality he met kids and posed for photos, gave an interview while covid positive which risked the interviewers health as he was not aware of Djokovic testing positive and he visited Spain as well.

He even lied to his own country, they are not doing a thing against him otherwise things would be worse for him.

Australia takes its vaccine rules seriously, he is banned from there for 3 years (which might be overturned but it certainly ensured he was banned from the Australian Open 2022) so not sure why you cannot comprehend this takes precedence over your fantasies, Nadal won and this is a fact.

Serbia is a proven genocidal country with remarkable hatred for Muslims so your love for Djokovic is all the more fascinating. There is a reason why Djokovic is classified as selfish by tennis experts and for crowds always rooting for Nadal and Federer when they face Djokovic in a GS.
 
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