World No.2 Alexander Zverev and American Coco Gauff (3rd) rushed towards the round of 16 of the Australian Open on Friday, Aryna Sabalenka (N.1) getting there more painfully while Naomi Osaka ( 51e) was forced to abandon.
– Gauff pressed, Sabalenka broken, Osaka injured –
And eight: Coco Gauff signed her eighth victory in a row on Friday to earn her place in the round of 16 of the Australian Open.
The 20-year-old American, winner of the 2023 US Open, had no mercy on the Canadian Leylah Fernandez (29th), swept aside 6-4, 6-2.
Undefeated since the start of the season, Coco Gauff has a meeting in the round of 16 with Swiss Belinda Bencic (294th), Olympic champion in 2021 and ex-4th in the world.
Double title holder in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka provided the essentials by dismissing the Dane Clara Tauson (42nd) with a score of 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, Friday in the 3rd round. But she also showed surprising excitement in her service games.
The Belarusian, who must reach the semi-finals to hope to retain her throne as world No.1 against the attacks of her runner-up Iga Swiatek (2nd), was caught four times in her throw in the first set and five times in total.
“The first set was very difficult,” Sabalenka emphasized. “Winning it gave me a little more mental strength” and confidence about “winning this match without serving at best.”
Sabalenka will face in the round of 16 the young Russian Mirra Andreeva (15th in the world at 17), who beat the Polish Magdalena Frech (26th) in three sets.
The Spaniard Paula Badosa (12th) will also see the eighth, after her victory 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 against the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (18th).
Double winner of the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka (51st) on the other hand had to give up after losing the first set against Belinda Bencic, handicapped by an abdominal injury which had already forced her to retire in early January in the final at Auckland.
“I have a history since I was a teenager. At least once a year I have abdominal pain,” she explained, attributing the problem to her “quite explosive” service.
-– Zverev and Alcaraz attending Djokovic –
The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, in search of the only major title missing from his record in Australia, won in the third round but lost his first set of the tournament against the Portuguese Nuno Borges (33rd), beaten 6-2, 6-4 , 6-7 (3/7), 6-2.
“It could have gone better, I made a lot of avoidable mistakes,” regretted “Carlitos” at a press conference. “I have things to improve for my next match.”
Alcaraz will face the Briton Jack Draper (18th) or the Australian Aleksandar Vukic (68th) in the round of 16 to try to match his 2024 quarter-final, the best run of his career in Australia.
If he wins the title, Alcaraz (21) would become the youngest player to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The Spaniard got the local public in his pocket by promising to get a kangaroo tattoo if he wins the Australian Open: “All I have to do now is lift the trophy.”
Direct rival of the Spanish terror for the title, which would if necessary be his first Grand Slam trophy, the German Alexander Zverev (2nd) scored a third victory in three sets in a row, against the Briton Jacob Fearnley (92nd) .
Olympic champion in 2021, Zverev won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and will compete against a Frenchman for his place in the quarter-finals. The French N.1 Ugo Humbert (14th) and his runner-up Arthur Fils (21st) compete for the formidable privilege of facing him and around 8:45 p.m. (09:45 GMT), each of them had won a set.
The ten-time winner of the Australian Open Novak Djokovic was also on the court and led two sets to nothing against the Czech Tomas Machac (25th).
Third of the five French people present in the 3rd round of the Australian Open, Benjamin Bonzi was down two sets to zero against the Czech Jiri Lehecka (29th). The matches of Gaël Monfils (41st) and Corentin Moutet (69th) are scheduled for Saturday.
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