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    • Apis Canberra International Tennis
      • Canberra Challenger tournament transferred to Bendigo
      • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
      • Hoyt and Wu win men’s doubles Perez and Rodionova win women’s doubles at the Apis Canberra International
      • Rogowska moves closer to defending her Apis Canberra International title
      • Santillan jumping for joy as Duckworth left smashing
      • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
      • Duckworth gives Polmans an early trip home after their round one Apis Canberra International match
      • 2016 Champion James Duckworth faces 2016 Runner-up Polmans in round one action at the Apis Canberra International
  • Australian Tennis
    • Videos
    • Tennis News
      • Sam Stosur becomes a mum
      • Pro tennis is back in Australia
      • Australian Tennis Results 11-17 February 2019
      • Fed Cup USA v Australia preview
      • Peers and Thompson secure Australia’s Davis Cup finals spot
      • Barty advances to the fourth round for the first time at the Aussie Open
      • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
      • Team Germany Secure Their Spot in the Hopman Cup Final 2019
      • Strong Start for Angelique Kerber at the Hopman Cup
      • Tomljanovic and de Minaur march on in Brisbane, Kyrgios falls
      • de Minaur, Kyrgios and Thomson lead men’s Australian charge in Brisbane
      • Federer Claims Victory in Historic Doubles Match Against Serena Williams
      • Australian results for 14 November
      • Australian Tennis Results 5-11 November 2018
      • Stefanos Tsitsipas gets the better of Alex de Minaur to claim the Next Gen ATP Finals
      • Australian Tennis Results 29 October – 4 November 2018
      • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
      • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
      • Hon claims first ITF title in two years at the expense of Perez in Bendigo
      • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
      • Ellen Perez – forever the bridesmaid?
      • Australian Tennis Results 8-14 October 2018
      • Marc Polmans into the ATP Challenger Stockton $100,000 final
      • Marc Polmans and Jordan Thompson look to setup an all-Australian ATP Challenger final in Stockton
      • Alex de Minaur set to take over as the top ranked Australian
      • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 24-30 September 2018
      • Bernard Tomic Charges into the 70s as he comes back from four match points to win the ATP 250 title in Chengdu
      • Daria Gavrilova Advances Past Jelena Ostapenko – Ash Barty gets the better of Johanna Konta in Wuhan
      • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 17-23 September 2018
      • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
      • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 10-16 September 2018 – James Duckworth Claims Cary Challenger Title
      • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
      • Tomic wins Challenger event at Rafa’s home patch
      • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
      • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
      • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
      • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
      • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
      • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
      • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
      • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
      • US Open preview for the Australians
      • Maverick Banes wins his maiden ATP Challenger title
      • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
      • Maverick Banes ends Alexei Popyrin’s win streak in Korea
  • Grand Slams
    • Australian Open
      • 3 Positive COVID-19 tests – Keys out, Sandgren in, Murray maybe
      • Tomic the lone Aussie to advance through qualifying
      • More to get wild about at the Aussie Open
      • Australian Open wild cards so far
      • Australian Open dates confirmed
      • Australian Open dates still up in the air
      • Djokovic is great at eight
      • Ram and Salisbury claim their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Kenin completes the fairytale as she claims her maiden Grand Slam title
      • Barty blows it twice and Kenin swoops to take her place in the final
      • Could this be the changing of the guard?
      • Saville and Purcell advance to their first Grand Slam semifinal
      • Federer pulls off another escape act to advance to the semis
      • Barty books semifinal spot against Kenin after dismantling Kvitova
      • Kyrgios pushes Nadal to the limit before world no. 1 marches into the quarter finals
      • Barty bounces Riske to setup Kvitova quarterfinal rematch
      • Polmans gets breakthrough win at the Australian Open
      • The rain is the big winner at the Australian Open on day 1 but Barty advances
      • Aussies at the Australian Open – round one matchups and previews
    • French Open
      • Swiatek becomes first Pole to win a singles grand slam
      • Australian lucky losers and protected ranking player advance
      • Nadal the King of Clay reigns supreme at Roland Garros
      • Barty cruises to Grand Slam glory in Paris
      • Barty rides the rollercoaster into the French Open final
      • Barty charges into the French Open semifinals
      • Barty books French Open quarterfinal match against Keys
      • Barty enters new territory at Roland Garros
      • Top Aussies Barty and de Minaur advance at Roland Garros
      • Angelique Kerber is first to lose on the new Philippe Chatrier Court
      • Ash Barty headlines Aussie charge at Roland Garros
      • Nadal Stays Perfect in Roland Garros Finals and Claims Title Number 11
      • Simona Halep Finally Lifts a Grand Slam Trophy after Winning at Roland Garros
      • Gavrilova and Stosur crash out of the French Open
    • Wimbledon
      • Wimbledon cancelled for 2020 due to coronavirus
      • Djokovic fights off two match points to retain the Wimbledon title
      • Halep first Romanian to claim the Wimbledon Ladies singles title
      • Serena doing it for the mums at Wimbledon
      • Riske is rewarded as she bundles Barty out of Wimbledon
      • Kyrgios v Nadal match lives up to the hype as Nadal advances
      • Barty eases through to the third round
      • Tomljanovic and Popyrin lose their round two matches
      • Four Aussies still alive in Wimbledon qualifying draw
      • Mixed day for the Aussie women after a perfect start for the Aussie men at the Wimbledon qualifying
      • Aussies off to a perfect start at Wimbledon qualifying
      • Off Court News – What Have Some of the Players Been Up To Since Wimbledon
      • Novak Djokovic completes the comeback with a surprise Wimbledon title
      • Angelique Kerber Claims First Wimbledon Title
      • Aussies wiped out on Wimbledon’s opening Saturday
      • Barty, Gavrilova, Kyrgios, Ebden and de Minaur advance to the third round at Wimbledon as Tomic falls
      • Top three Australian women safely through to the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ singles
      • Day one Wimbledon wrap for the Australians
      • Australian Preview for Gentlemen’s Singles at Wimbledon 2018
      • Kubler, Smith and Bolt win through to the Wimbledon main-draw
      • Five from Eight Australian Men Advance at Roehampton in Wimbledon Singles Qualifiers
    • US Open
      • Mother of all comebacks falls short as Osaka claims title
      • Thiem tramples de Minaur to advance to semifinals
      • de Minaur into his first grand slam quarterfinal
      • Coric defeats Thompson to advance to the quarterfinals
      • Jordan Thompson advances to a grand slam fourth round for the first time
      • de Minaur advances Millman and O’Connell are out
      • Jordan Thompson advances to third round
      • Day two US Open Aussie review
      • Aussies fight hard but only Thompson advances
      • Aussies at the US Open – preview
      • Nick Kyrgios says no to the US Open
      • Barty confirms she won’t be playing the US Open
      • Wang Qiang ends Barty’s US Open
      • Barty and de Minaur take their place in the US Open round of 16
      • Rain sends most players packing at the US Open but Barty marches on
      • A good day for the Aussies in New York
      • Barty recovers from a slow start to Open her US Open campaign
      • Novak Djokovic joins Pete Sampras with 14th Grand Slam singles titles after defeating Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open
      • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Japan’s Naomi Osaka claims first Grand Slam title amid Serena coaching controversy
      • Lightning doesn’t strike twice as Djokovic advances past Millman
      • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
      • John Millman claims the biggest win of his career as he knocks off Roger Federer
      • US Open – Barty fails to captilise on break points and bows out to Pliskova
      • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
      • Alex de Minaur goes down fighting against Marin Cilic
      • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
      • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
      • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
      • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
      • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
      • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
      • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
      • US Open preview for the Australians
      • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
      • Six US Open Winners Headline the 2018 US Open Women’s Singles field
  • Women’s Tennis Association
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
    • Videos
    • Premier
      • Kenin bundles Barty out of the Rogers Cup – Osaka one win from no. 1 ranking but Pliskova also in the hunt
      • Pliskova sends a warning ahead of Wimbledon
      • Ash Barty is two wins away from no. 1 after advancing past Venus Williams in Birmingham
      • Barty overcomes a tough first round opponent in Birmingham
      • Barty could take world no.1 ranking in Birmingham
      • Barty can’t halt Halep surge for no. 1
      • Barty punctuates her top-ten arrival by claiming Miami Open title
      • Barty beats the rain and Kontaveit to reach the Miami final
      • Barty finally gets the better of Kvitova to advance to the Miami semifinals and lock-in top-ten ranking
      • Andreescu completes her Indian Wells fairytale
      • Barty sets up Svitolina showdown in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Daria Gavrilova breaks her duck in Indian Wells
      • Bencic claims the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship title
      • Mertens claims another top-10 scalp on the way to the Qatar Total Open title
      • Bertens overcomes a slow start against Vekic to claim the St Petersburg title
      • Bertens and Vekic to face off for the St Petersburg title
      • Vekic ends Kvitova’s win streak in St Petersburg
      • Kvitova begins St Petersburgh Ladies Trophy title defence defeating Azarenka
      • Gavrilova’s 2019 winless streak continues
      • Petra Kvitova breaks Aussie’s hearts as she claims her second Sydney International title
      • Barty defeats Bertens to book her second consecutive final at the Sydney International
      • Barty advances to semifinal showdown against Bertens
      • Kvitova ends Kerber’s title defence at the Sydney International
      • Sydney International Tennis Stars Cruise the Harbour
      • Birrell stuns world no. 10 Kasatkina at the Brisbane International
    • International
      • Konta ends Tomljanovic’s run in Rabat
      • Anisimova denies Sharma her first WTA title as she wins her first in Bogota
      • Astra Sharma advances to her first WTA semifinal after a tricky encounter with Sara Errani
      • Sharma marches into new territory in Bogota
      • Azarenka Outlasts Kerber to Advance to Final in Monterrey
      • Yastremska claims second WTA title at Toyota Thailand Open
      • Yastremska secures spot in Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Tomljanovic cruises into Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Yastremska too hot for Muguruza in Thailand – Tomljanovic, Linette and Zidansek also advance
      • Tomljanovic toughs it out in Thailand
      • Muguruza mounts comeback to oust Barthel at the Toyota Thailand Open
      • Muguruza defeats Lisicki to open Toyota Thailand Open campaign
      • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
      • Ajla Tomljanovic into Korea Open final after upsetting Hsieh Su-Wei
      • Ajla Tomljanovic battles past Mandy Minella to earn a semifinal spot in Seoul
      • Olga Danilovic is the first-ever lucky loser to claim a WTA singles title
      • Alizé Cornet heads to Gstaad final after Bouchard retirement
      • Sam Stosur Can’t Get Past the Mallorca Defending Champion
    • ITF
      • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
      • Honours even after Fed Cup day one – Australia v Belarus
      • Fed Cup finals spot up for grabs
      • Rogowska adds clay title to her Canberra hard court title
      • Hon to take on Rogowska for the ACT Clay Court International #2 title
      • Aussies shine despite gloomy weather for the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • No. 1 seed Hon advances while the defending champion goes down at the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • Priscilla Hon headlines the ACT Clay Court International #2 tournament
      • Destanee Aiava finally claims a Canberra title
    • Players
      • Angelique Kerber
  • ATP Tour
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • de Minaur back in action in Spain
    • Videos
    • Masters 1000
      • Indian Wells tournament called off due to coronavirus fears
      • Kyrgios and Thompson crash out of Miami along with Djokovic
      • Jordan Thompson steps it up in Miami
      • Kyrgios the entertainer marches on in Miami
      • Thiem overcomes Federer for Maiden Masters Title in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Potential Desert Duel for Kyrgios and Djokovic
      • Matt Ebden loses to Borna Coric in the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters
      • Djokovic finally gets his Cincinnati Masters title and completes career Golden Masters
      • Federer and Djokovic set to meet for the 46th time in the Cincinnati Masters final
      • Nick Kyrgios goes walkabout against Juan Martín del Potro
      • Rogers Cup – Barty Collects the Doubles Title in Montreal and Peers wins the Toronto Title
      • Kyrgios feeling the pain after falling to Wawrinka at Toronto
      • Nadal takes Rome Masters 1000 title from Zverev
    • ATP Cup
      • Australia defeats Great Britain in a thriller to advance to the ATP Cup semifinals
      • Australia takes another step toward the ATP Cup quarterfinals after despatching Canada
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur get Australia a winning start at the ATP Cup
    • World 500
      • Kyrgios Claims second ATP 500 title as he defeats Medvedev for the title in Washington – to rise to no. 1 ranked Australian
      • Kyrgios reaches ATP 500 final in Washington after rollercoaster ride against Tsitsipas
      • Nick Kyrgios silences the critics as he caps off an amazing week in Acapulco with title
      • Federer joins exclusive 100 club after claiming Dubai crown
      • Kyrgios ices Isner in Acapulco to book Zverev finals showdown
      • Federer one match away from 100 titles as he takes on his Australian Open conquerer Tsitsipas
      • Kyrgios Conquers Nadal in Acapulco
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur advance Popyrin falls in Acapulco
      • Alex de Minaur earns his first ATP 500 finals berth after epic battle against Andrey Rublev
      • Injured Kyrgios Withdraws from Washington – Duckworth into ATP 500 Third Round
      • Dominic Thiem proves too good for John Millman on the Hamburg clay at the ATP 500 event
      • John Millman Defeats Jan-Lennard Struff at Hamburg ATP 500 Event
      • Cilic Too Good for Kyrgios at the Queen’s Club
      • Kyrgios halts Murray’s comeback at Queen’s Club
      • Borna Coric takes the Halle title from Roger Federer
    • World 250
      • Millman claims his maiden ATP title in Nur-Sultan
      • Humbert defeats de Minaur to claim European Open title
      • de Minaur to take on Umbert for European Open title
      • de Minaur advances in Atlanta – Popyrin and Tomic are out
      • Thompson falls short in first ATP level final
      • Popyrin falls to defending champion in Estoril
      • Thompson fights back from defeat in Houston
      • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
      • Seppi into Sydney International Tennis final
      • John Millman falls short of Sydney International semifinal
      • Some late night Hewitt entertainment at the Sydney International
      • No. 1 seed knocked out of the Sydney International by Andreas Seppi
      • Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andreas Seppi preview
      • de Minaur Overcomes Thompson in an All Aussie Quarterfinal Clash at the Sydney International
      • Local hopes end as de Minaur and Tomljanovic bow out of the Brisbane International
      • Tomic grabs a top-100 ranking as he marches into the Chengdu final
      • Ebden falls to Isner in Atlanta – Thompson and Rodionova advance to finals in Binghamton and Granby
      • Ebden into Atlanta semis as Kyrgios retires against Norrie and Thompson marches on at Binghamton Challenger
      • Federer gets past Kyrgios to claim world no. 1 and reach the Stuttgart final
    • Challenger
      • Polmans wins the Zhangjiagang $54K ATP Challenger Title
      • Polmans overcomes a slow start to defeat Banes in Bangalore at the ATP Challenger Tour $150,000 event
      • Jordan Thompson rockets his ranking up to 73 after back-to-back ATP Challenger titles
      • Thompson aiming for eighth ATP Challenger final in 2018
      • Jordan Thompson wins his second ATP Challenger title for 2018
      • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
      • Jordan Thompson reaches back-to-back ATP Challenger finals
      • Kokkinakis and Smith roll into Las Vegas semifinals

Mother of all comebacks falls short as Osaka claims title

September 15, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Victoria Azarenka reached her first Grand Slam final in seven years after defeating Serena Williams for the first time at a grand slam.

Since her last final which was the 2013 US Open, Azarenka has become a mother and faced a custody battle. Both of which kept her out of tennis for an extended period.

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Azarenka had looked impressive during her run to the final and looked in control after taking the first set 6-1.

Osaka the 2018 champion was not going to give in. She slowly worked her way back into the match and fought off a game point in the third game on Azareka’s serve. That was the key moment when momentum shifted.

Instead of Azarenka holding a 6-1, 3-0 lead the match tightened and Osako had broken back. She held to consolidate the break.

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The Belarusian held for 3-2 before Osaka ran off the next four games to take the set, including an epic game to win the set.

Osaka broke in the fourth game of the deciding set to lead 3-1 and then fought off three break back points before holding for a 4-1 lead.

Azarenka again faced a long drawn out game before this time holding. In the next game Osaka was broken and Azarenka looked to be coming back into the set after breaking for 3-4 on serve.

Osaka would break again before serving out the match to complete a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in 1 hour 53 minutes.

Azarenka played almost perfect tennis in the first set, serving at 94% and winning 75% of first serve points. The winner were 7-5 to Azarenka while unforced errors were 13-3 to Osaka.

In the third set Azarenka served at 62% and won 62% of first serve points.

It was not to be for Azarenka but it had been a great return to form.

Osaka claimed her third Grand Slam singles title and her second US Open title.

Filed Under: US Open

Thiem tramples de Minaur to advance to semifinals

September 10, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Three time Grand Slam runner-up Dominic Thiem has defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur to advance to back-to-back Grand Slam semifinals.

The final score was 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

The scoreline looks one sided however Thiem was pushed hard by de Minaur.

Thiem opened the serving and held serve before breaking his opponent in the next game. de Minaur immediately hit back with a break however that would be the only game he won in the first set.

In the second set de Minaur was 2-1 on serve before stumbling again to lose the set 6-2.

The third set was a lot closer and de Minaur was looking likely to take that set before Thiem again lifted to close out the match.

Filed Under: US Open

de Minaur into his first grand slam quarterfinal

September 8, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Alex de Minaur has surged past big serving Canadian Vasek Pospisil, the world no. 94. The final score was 7-6(6) 6-3 6-2.

de Minaur ranked at no. 28 faced four set points in the opening set tiebreak coming from 2-6 behind.

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In the second set de Minaur broke for the first time in the match to move ahead 3-1, he held then broke again for 5-1. Pospisil managed to get one break back before the Australian closed out the set.

de Minaur broke to love in the third game of the third set to take control and he broke again for 5-2 after a long game with four deuces.

The Australian then served out the match.

“I’m obviously very happy,” De Minaur said. “This is where I want to be, and this is where I truly believe I belong – second weeks of Slams and going deep. I’m happy I’m finally at this stage.”

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“He’s very quick and what’s most impressive is he never breathes. He runs side to side and he’s never out of breath. He defies the laws of biology,” Pospisil said before the match. “It’s pretty impressive. He’s definitely a freak of nature and he’s extremely fit, never gets tired, runs side to side incredibly fast.”

Next for de Minaur is a quarterfinal match against the second seed Dominic Thiem. The Austrian leads the head-to-head 2-0. The pair met in the first round of the 2017 US Open with Thiem comfortably claiming a three set victory.

Filed Under: US Open

Coric defeats Thompson to advance to the quarterfinals

September 7, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

In a sensational day that saw world no. 1 and the hottest of hot favourites Novak Djokovic defaulted, Australia’s Jordan Thompson has lost to Croatia’s Borna Coric 7-5 6-1 6-3.

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Coric had come through a tough third round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas and it was interesting to see how he would bounce back.

As it turned out Coric was not adversely affected by that match. He was too strong for Thompson who was playing his first Grand Slam fourth round match.

Coric served for the first set at 5-4, but as he admitted after the match he choked and let Thompson back into the set before taking it 7-5.

The Croatian world no. 32 raced through the second set, dropping only five points on serve. He hit just three unforced errors, while a frustrated Thompson had 12.

“He knuckled down and played really solid,” Thompson said. “He didn’t give me any errors, made a lot of first serves, made a lot of returns.”

Thompson refused to give in and stuck with Coric early in the third set. But the Croatian broke to love again in the sixth game and moved ahead 5-2.

“It wasn’t my best serving display,” admitted a disappointed Thompson, who landed only 55 per cent of first serves throughout the match.

Coric served out victory after two hours and eight minutes on court. He finished the match with 30 winners and won 75 per cent of points on his first serve.

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Thompson fired 17 winners, but 36 unforced errors proved costly.

“All credit to him,” Thompson conceded. “He’s playing good tennis, too good.”

After securing a quarterfinal spot Coric said “There’s going to be new Grand Slam champion, for sure. Yeah, that could potentially can happen that some of us can do something more in the future. But again, it doesn’t mean anything. I’m really looking forward to see who it’s going to be. I think we all have a very good chance. Yeah, it’s going to be very interesting.”

Coric faces Germany’s Alexander Zverev for a place in the semifinals.

Filed Under: US Open

Jordan Thompson advances to a grand slam fourth round for the first time

September 5, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Jordan Thompson the world no. 63 faced world no. 90 Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakstan for a spot in the US Open fourth round. Kukushkin was 1-0 in the head-to-head.

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The 26-year-old Sydneysider was looking to reach a fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time. Thompson had previously reached the third round at Roland Garros in 2019.

In the opening set it was Kukushkin that got the first break to lead 3-2 however Thompson broke back immediately.

After games went with serve until Thompson was ahead 6-5, it was the Australian that took advantage of a break point to take the first set 7-5.

A wild Kukushkin forehand at 4-5, 15-15 gave Thompson a sniff at the second set.

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A forehand into the net brought up two set points. Just one was required. Thompson played a patient point with my slice backhands and eventually it was Kukushkin that pushed a backhand wide.

At this stage of the match Thompson had hit 20 winner to 19. The unforced error count had Kukushkin at 30-19. Thompson had converted 4 from 7 break point opportunites, his opponent was 2 from 5.

After the second set Kukushkin grabbed his bag and left the court for treatment or to change. On his return Thompson held serve and then broke to move to a 2-0 lead.

Despite a double fault Thompson consolidated the break to move to within three games of the fourth round.

Kukushkin was looking down and out at this stage hitting three consecutive unforced errors and a forced error to fall behind 0-4.

In the second round the player from Kazakstan upset No.13 seed Cristian Garin in a five-set battle that lasted almost four hours.

Another service hold and Thompson was at 5-0. He hit three aces in that game, along with another unforced error from Kukushkin.

A forehand that clipped the net and sailed wide gave Thompson his first match point. Kukushkin held on with some good ball striking that had Thompson scrambling to stay in the point.

Back-to-back forehands into the net saw Kukushkin avoid a 6-0 scoreline.

Another ace on match point saw Thompson into the fourth round after a 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 victory. He ended with 26 winners.

Next up is the winner of the Stefanos Tsitsipas v Borna Coric match.

Filed Under: US Open

de Minaur advances Millman and O’Connell are out

September 4, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Three Australian men had second round matches at the US Open today. Alex de Minaur face France’s Richard Gasquet, John Millman USA’s Frances Tiafoe and Christopher O’Connell took on 2019 runner-up Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

de Minaur was first to play on court 11. He defeated Gasquet 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-5 in just over three hours. The Australian world no. 28 should have been in the locker room a lot earlier but failed to convert match points in the third set.

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Millman followed de Minaur on court 11 and found himself two breaks behind at 2-5. He would fight back to 5-5 and then was in a tiebreaker for the first set.

In the tiebreaker Millman was in command at 5-2 but Tiafoe fought back to take the breaker 8-6.

Millman broke in the second game of the third set as Tiafoe started piling up the unforced errors. Millman held to love to consolidate the break and move to 3-0.

At this stage of the match Tiafoe had hit 49 unforced errors to Millman’s 29 and the winners count was 27-20 in favour of the Australian.

Millman continued to dominate and easily won the third set 6-1. At this stage you could have expected Millman to roll on and win the match. Tiafoe had other ideas.

Tiafoe broke to lead 4-1 before Millman held serve and then broke after Tiafoe sent a forehand into the net. It was now 3-4 with Millman serving.

Tiafoe was able to force errors from Millman and the American broke again for 5-3. He then served out the set to take the match into a fifth set.

Millman played a seven minute game to hold serve in the opening game after fighting off several break points.

Games went with serve until the seventh game when Tiafoe broke then held and broke again to close out a match that lasted 3 hours 56 minutes. The final score was 7-6(6) 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-3.

Tiafoe advanced to the third round at the US Open for the first time despite hitting 73 unforced errors to 44 winners. Millman hit 54 unforced errors to 50 winners.

The key stat was on break points won. Millman converted 7 from 23 with Tiafoe converting 5 from 14.

Millman will be left to rue the lost opportunities in the first set. He mounted a good comeback from 2-5 and took the set to a tiebreaker where he was 5-3.

“I didn’t play bad tennis, I thought Frances kind of caught fire there for a set and a half. He’s got that explosive game where he can do that,” Millman admitted. “Obviously I would have loved to have won … it’s always tough losing those tight ones.”

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O’Connell faced Medvedev on Louis Armstrong Stadium and was no pushover despite not being able to break the Russian’s serve throughout the match.

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Medvedev won the match 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours 16 minutes and converted 4 of 17 break points. O’Connell failed to convert from the two he earned late in the match.

Filed Under: US Open

Jordan Thompson advances to third round

September 3, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Sydney, Australia – 6 January 2019: Jordan Thompson from Australia serving in the first set against France’s Adrian Mannarino during a round one match at the Sydney International tennis on Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

Australia’s Jordan Thompson has defeated Belarus’ Egor Gerasimov 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to a round three match against Mikhail Kukushkin.

This is the first time he has reached the third round at the US Open and just the second time he has advanced to a third round at a Grand Slam after reaching the French Open 3rd round last year.

Thompson the world no. 63 broke his opponent five times throughout the match and was broken twice.

Gerasimov hit way too many errors with 51 for the match compared to 29 from Thompson. The Australian hit 29 winners to 23 from his opponent.

Jordan opened the serving in the match and held before breaking Gerasimov in the second game. Thompson broke again to lead 5-0 before Gerasimov finally held serve before the Australian closed out the first set.

In the second set Thompson broke in the fifth game to lead 3-2, a hold and then a break saw Thompson ahead 5-2. Gerasimov broke Thompson when the Australian was serving for the set and he held to get back to 4-5. Thompson then held to take the set.

The Belarusian fought back in the third set and broke to lead 4-2. He maintained that advantage to take the set 6-3.

Thompson broke early in the fourth set to take control of the match and was ahead 4-1. Thompson fought off a break point at 30-40 in the seventh game before holding for 5-2.

Thompson booked his spot in the third round when he served out the match at 5-3. A backhand error from Gerasimov handed the match to Thompson on match point.

Kukushkin the world no. 90 holds a 1-0 advantage in the head-to-head after winning a round one match at the 2017 ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells. Thompson retired in the third set with the score at 1-6, 6-1, 3-0.

It is a winnable match for Thompson.

Filed Under: US Open

Day two US Open Aussie review

September 2, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Four Australians were in action on day two with Alex de Minaur leading the way. He took on Slovakia’s Andrez Martin the world no. 98. Also playing were John Millman, James Duckworth and Christopher O’Connell.

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de Minaur broke once in the first set to take that 6-4, broke three times in the second while being broken once himself as he took the second set 6-3.

The Australian was serving for the match at 5-3 but was broken to have games back on serve. de Minaur would break again to close out the match 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 and setup a round two clash with world no. 51 Richard Gasquet from France, their first meeting.

John Millman raced through the first set against Georgia’s world no. 30 Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1.

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In the remaining two sets it was a bit closer but the likeable Australian did not drop serve once throughout the match.

Next up Millman will play world no. 82 Frances Tiafoe. Millman is 2-0 in the head-to-head matchup.

Against Christopher O’Connell Serbia’s world no. 81 Laslo Djere needed one break of serve opportunity to take the first set 6-4.

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O’Connell served for the second set at 5-3 and was 0-40 before smashing a winner followed by two big serves to get to deuce, only to eventually drop serve.

In the next game the Australian was 0-30 after a Djere double-fault, but a down the line winner from the Serbian took him to 15-30. Djere then faced two break points after hitting into the net. O’Connell took the set 6-4 after a lazy shot saw Djere hit long.

O’Connell was broken in the third game of the third set but would get that break back. The Australian was at 0-30 in the twelfth game before Djere held to take the set into a tiebreaker.

The Australian got an early mini-break, an ace took him to 3-1. A forehand into the net from Djere saw the Australian world no. 116 at 4-1, then a wide forehand from the Serbian gave O’Connell with a commanding 5-1 lead. A badly missed backhand gave O’Connell four set points, it took just one as he played a patient rally that ended when Djere hit a forehand wide.

O’Connell held a match point at 40-30 serving at 5-4 but a wide forehand from Djere forced an error to keep in the match. A return into the net gave O’Connell another match point and this time a good deep serve down the T forced a return error to give O’Connell a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory, his first at a grand slam on his third attempt.

James Duckworth held set point at 30-40 and had the set gifted to him after a double-fault by Italy’s world no. 100 Salvatore Caruso.

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In the second set Duckworth held a breakpoint at 3-2 but let that slip, he then faced a breakpoint in the next game before saving that to move to 4-3.

Duckworth had a set point with Caruso serving at 4-5 but failed to convert. At 5-5 Duckworth faced several breakpoints before finally letting that game go to Caruso. The Italian then served out the set to level the match.

In the third set Duckworth dropped serve at 5-5 to again allow Caruso to serve for a set. Some big serving gave the Italian three set points needing just one as Duckworth returned a second serve into the net.

The Italian go well on top in the fourth set to close out the match 4-6, 7-5,7-5, 6-2.

Filed Under: US Open

Aussies fight hard but only Thompson advances

September 1, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Seven Australians lined up for day one action at the 2020 US Open. Arina Rodionova had been added to the draw at the last minute but lost 6-2, 6-2 to USA’s Madison Brengle.

Rodionova was the only Australian to have a one-sided scoreline with the remaining players being very competitive.

First up Jordan Thompson and Ajla Tomljanovic flew the Aussie flag.

Thompson faced Italy’s Stefano Travaglia and jumped out to an early lead. The world no. 64 went to a 2-0 set lead before Travaglia hit back. Thompson settled and closed out the match to set up a meeting with world no. 72 Egor Gerasimov from Belarus.

Marc Polmans was two games from victory at 4-4, 40-0 in the fourth set against USA’s Marcos Giron before losing in five sets. It was the first grand slam singles victory for the American.

Tomljanovic had a tough opening round assignment against 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber from Germany. Kerber had made a late decision to actually confirm he spot in the draw and it was her first match in 187 days since losing at the Australian Open.

Both players failed to hold serve across the opening four games. Kerber the No. 17 moved away at 4-4, though, the three-time major champion raised her level and won eight straight points—one in which she displayed remarkable speed chasing a Tomljanovic dropshot—to claim the first set.

In the second set the German was able to get on top early with two breaks. She found herself serving for the match at 5-2. It was now that Tomljanovic lifted as she managed to get one break of serve back. Kerber did however hold her nerve to close out the match for a 6-4, 6-4 win.

World No.126 Astra Sharma went the closest out of the women when she lost in a third set tiebreaker against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. The final score being 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(2).

Maddison Inglis did well to take the 24th seed Magda Linette to three sets. Late in the third set she went for a volley that went just wide. If that had gone it things might have been different.

Linette was badly missing her groundstrokes late in the match but when she had to serve out the match she got the job done.

Men’s singles
Jordan Thompson (AUS) d Stefano Travaglia 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-2
Marcos Giron (USA) d Marc Polmans (AUS) 6-4 6-7(5) 3-6 6-4 6-2

Women’s singles
[17] Angelique Kerber (GER) d Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-4 6-4
[19] Dayana Yastremska (UKR) d Astra Sharma (AUS) 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(2)
[24] Magda Linette (POL) d Maddison Inglis (AUS) 6-1 4-6 6-4
Danka Kovinic (MNE) d Lizette Cabrera (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-2
Madison Brengle (USA) d (Alt) Arina Rodionova (AUS) 6-2 6-2

Filed Under: US Open

Aussies at the US Open – preview

August 31, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

After the long COVID-19 shut down of tennis the US Open is hours away.

There was a bit of a setback as France’s Benoit Paire tested positive for the virus and he has withdrawn from the tournament.

Ten Australians are competing in the singles event at the 2020 US Open after world no. 1 Ash Barty, Nick Kyrgios, Sam Stosur, Alexie Popyrin and Priscilla Hon decided not to take part.

Alex de Minaur is the top ranked Australian men’s player and is seeded at no. 21. He has an opening round match against Slovakia’s Andrej Martin the world no. 98. It is their first meeting.

Sydney, Australia - 9 January 2018: Alex de Minaur in his second round match at the Sydney International tennis. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)
Sydney, Australia – 9 January 2019: Alex de Minaur in his second round match at the Sydney International tennis. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

Martin has two qualifying matches under his belt at this same venue last week for the Cincinnati Masters. de Minaur lost in his first round match to Jan-Lennard Struff.

This US Open is so hard to tip due to the COVID-19 shutdown and a lack of matches to base decisions on although de Minaur has just won the Cincinnati doubles title with Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta. I am tipping de Minaur.

Sydney, Australia - 9 January 2019: Australia's John Millman in his second round match at the Sydney International tennis against Hungary's Marton Fuscsovics. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)
Sydney, Australia – 9 January 2019: Australia’s John Millman in his second round match at the Sydney International tennis against Hungary’s Marton Fuscsovics. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

John Millman who famously upset Roger Federer a few years ago at the US Open has a tough opening round match against world no. 30 Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia. I am tipping Millman to cause an upset.

The remaining Australians men’s players all have a decent shot at victory. Christopher O’Connell faces the toughest opponent with world no. 81 Laslo Djere from Serbia. The Serbian lost in straight sets in qualifying against USA’s Marcos Giron. O’Connell has some competitive tennis under his belt after playing in the UTR Pro Tennis Series in Australia.

Christopher O’Connell warming up for his match against Gavin Van Peperzeel in the ATP Challenge Tour qualifying tournament.

Marc Polmans faces the USA’s world no. 96 Marcos Giron. Polmans has some match play recently after competing at the UTR series in Australia. Both players are inexperienced at the Grand Slam level with Polmans tasting victory just once and Giron is yet to win a match at this level. I am tipping Polmans.

Melbourne, Australia – 21 January 2020 – Australia’s Marc Polmans in his round one match against Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan (Photo by Rob Keating)

In the women’s singles we see Ajla Tomljanovic taking on the 2016 US Open champion Angelique Kerber.

Melbourne, Australia – 21 January 2020 – Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic during her round one match on Margaret Court Arena. (Photo by Rob Keating)

Tomljanovic had a bit of an injury scare last week with a thigh injury. In an interview on Facebook she said she has recovered and is ready to face the German. Kerber has not competed since the Australian Open where she had injury issues as well.

Kerber was mostly practicing on clay before making a decision to head to New York while Tomljanovic has had some matches in the USA at Team Tennis. This could go either way as it is unknown just how Kerber will play after a long layoff.

Maddison Inglis plays Poland’s Magda Linette. Normally you would favour the Polish player but these are not normal times. Inglis is a fighter and has been playing in the UTR Pro series in Australia. I am tipping Inglis in an upset .

Canberra, Australia – 20 March 2019: Australia’s world no. 369 Maddison Inglis hits a backhand to Japan’s Mai Minokoshi in a round 1 match. (Photo by Rob Keating)

Astra Sharma faces Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska the world no. 25. Yastremska played some good matches last week before losing to Naomi Osaka. That experience will be too much for Sharma.

Canberra - 2 November, 2018: Australia's Astra Sharma against Apis Canberra International 2016 Champion Risa Ozaki from Japan. (Photo by Rob Keating - http://robiciatennis.com) #ApisCBRIntl #protour
Canberra – 2 November, 2018: Australia’s Astra Sharma against Apis Canberra International 2016 Champion Risa Ozaki from Japan. (Photo by Rob Keating – http://robiciatennis.com) #ApisCBRIntl #protour

Finally we see Lizette Cabrera against Danka Kovinic from Montenegro. Kovinic is ranked at no. 92 and Cabrera is the world no. 127. The Australian has had some match play during the UTR Pro Tennis Series in Australia, this could help give her the edge.

Canberra, Australia – 23 March, 2018: Lizette Cabrera in her quarterfinal match against Dalila Jakupovic (photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

US Open

Men’s singles
(21) Alex de Minaur v Andrej Martin SVK
John Millman v (22) Nikoloz Basilashvili GEO
Jordan Thompson v Stefano Travaglia ITA
James Duckworth v Salvatore Caruso ITA
Christopher O’Connell v Laslo Djere SRB
Marc Polmans v Marcos Giron USA

Men’s doubles
Luke Saville and Max Purcell v Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies GER
John Peers and Michael Venus NZL v N Lammons and Nick Monroe USA

Women’s singles
Ajla Tomljanovic v (17) Angelique Kerber GER
Maddison Inglis v (24) Magda Linette POL
Astra Sharma v (19) Dayana Yastremska UKR
Lizette Cabrera v Danka Kovinić MNE

Women’s doubles
Ellen Perez and Storm Sanders v Victoria Azarenka BLR and Sofia Kenin USA

Filed Under: US Open

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