Notebook 2 – Bencic’s move to play, Tiafoe’s indigestion, a stranger’s jackpot and Tsitsipas’s fed-up – rts.ch

A GOOD DAY AT WORK There are days like this when everything goes well for you, even though nothing augured it well. Just ask Francesco Passaro! Beaten in qualifying, the 24-year-old Italian had inherited the status of lucky loser and therefore had to pray for a withdrawal in order to take a place in the final draw. This was done Monday morning with the renunciation of his compatriot Fabio Fognini, called to do battle with Grigor Dimitrov. Passaro already found himself in the spotlight and with nearly 80,000 euros in his pocket (enough to easily repay the trip). But even better: 2 clock turns later, the injured Bulgarian put the arrow at 7-6 2-1 in favor of Passaro. Who, in a few hours of work and being well served by Lady Luck, won a place in the 2nd round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career and a nice prize pool of 120,000 euros. At least!

BENCIC HAS A SHOT TO PLAY Let us highlight the successful return of Belinda Bencic to the Grand Slam. Since giving birth to her little Bella last year, the Saint-Galloise had not yet competed in such an event and the challenge against Jelena Ostapenko looked potentially difficult. Except that on the one hand the Swiss was rather convincing and, on the other hand, the Latvian did… Ostapenko by spraying the corridors with disconcerting regularity. The result is 55 unforced errors for the winner of Roland-Garros 2017 and a qualification for Bencic for the 2nd round. Where she will have a real shot to play against the Batavian Suzan Lamens, 25 years old, titled in Osaka last fall and who had never won a Grand Slam match before this year.

TIAFOE’S TRIPS Frances Tiafoe enjoyed her day at work much less than Francesco Passaro. So yes, the American overcame the French obstacle Arthur Rinderknech after a battle of 5 sets (7-6 6-3 4-6 6-7 6-3), but he went through this match in a dirty state. Overwhelmed by the heat, the 16th in the world ended up vomiting on the court. “If it hadn’t been a Grand Slam match, I would have clearly withdrawn“, said the one who will have to contend with Fabian Maroszan in the next round. Apart from the return of services, it will be necessary to avoid dismissals.

AJLA ​​HOLDS HER REVENGE Ajla Tomljanovic lost outright last week in Adelaide against Ashlyn Krueger. Suffice it to say that for the Australian, finding the American in the first round in Melbourne seemed like a poisoned chalice. Error. The former double quarter-finalist at Wimbledon, who has experienced major physical problems over the last two years, has indeed worked well to take her revenge (6-4 4-6 6-4) and attack Diana Shnaider , seeded 12, in the next round. Interesting.

RUBLEV’S QUESTIONS Known for his double facet, that of a player capable of the worst as well as the best, Andrey Rublev has recently distinguished himself by his crises, exploding rackets and losing his temper more often than not. In a confession to the Guardian, the Russian spoke of the discomfort that took him into the depths of darkness. “Six months ago I reached the worst point of my life in terms of self-perception, he admitted. It had nothing to do with Tennis. I no longer saw any reason to live. The thoughts in my head were killing me, creating a lot of anxiety, and I couldn’t take it anymore.” Rublev had to turn to Marat Safin to find part of his salvation. “I took antidepressants and it didn’t help at all. So I stopped everything and Marat Safin helped me a lot. He made me aware of a lot of things and I started working with a psychologist.“To see now if the number 9 seed will be able to ensure Tuesday morning against Joao Fonseca, the revelation of recent months.

L’APPETIT DE WAWRINKA On the eve of entering his 19th Australian Open, Stan Wawrinka certainly no longer has what it takes to aim for the title, but the Vaudois is not shying away from the pleasure of being able to battle once again in Melbourne. “It’s a tournament that I really appreciate and I appreciate how lucky I am to be able to participate again.he told Sport Dimanche. I have done a lot of preparation to have a great year in 2025. I am, however, realistic in relation to my age and in relation to my level, but I am overall very positive. I feel pretty good.” After four years without a victory on the banks of the Yarra, will the 2014 winner be able to raise his arms again, Tuesday morning against Lorenzo Sonego (to be followed from 6:00 a.m. on rtssport.ch)?

AZARENKA IN THE HARD Victoria Azarenka (WTA 24) has twice tamed the Australian Open, in 2012 and 2013. But now aged 35, the Belarusian is struggling. Proof of this is that his wandering of the last six months continued on Monday in his favorite setting, with 37 unforced errors. Dominated 6-2 7-6 by Lucia Bronzetti (76th in the world), will the former WTA no.1 be able to enjoy a new rebound in her career?

A VERY SMALL TSITSIPAS Stefanos Tsitsipas has often lit up Melbourne, in 2019 notably by beating Roger Federer, even in 2021 and 2022 by reaching the last four or especially in 2023 with a final (lost, obviously) against Novak Djokovic. But for some time now, nothing has been going well in the world of the Greek who, despite the broad support of the Hellenic diaspora present in Australia, gave in without a fight to Alex Michelsen (7-5 ​​6-3 2-6 6-4) . Yet still 12th ATP, Paula Badosa’s companion no longer hides anything of his discomfort. “There was a time when I was more hungryhe said at a press conference. I had this desire to succeed in tennis. It’s different today… I’ve been well established for a while, I’ve seen the circuit from all angles… Always the same tournaments… The dynamic and the energy are different.” It smells like a big one!

GOLUBIC AND STRICKER OUT If one was able to dream, delivering excellent tennis and even benefiting from 2 match points against Elise Mertens, the other very quickly exploded, being destroyed in 3 sets by James Duckworth. Yes, bad first round for Viktorija Golubic and Dominic Stricker. A bitter taste will remain in the mouth of the Zurich woman, who could (should?) have put the final point in front of the Belgian to avoid stumbling in the WTA rankings. For the Bernese, apparently still affected in the lower back, things are going from bad to worse. You have to worry.

Arnaud Cerutti