World No.2 Alexander Zverev and his first pursuer Carlos Alcaraz (3rd) won their place in the round of 16 of the Australian Open on Friday, in three and four sets respectively, after the tedious qualification of Aryna Sabalenka (1st ) earlier today.
– Sabalenka passes despite her serve, room for Gauff and Osaka –
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 on the court of the Rod Laver Arena, she also showed surprising excitement in her service games.
The Belarusian, who must reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open to hope to retain her throne as world No.1 in the face of attacks from her runner-up Iga Swiatek (2nd), was caught four times in her throw-in in the first set and five times in total.
“The first set was very difficult,” Sabalenka emphasized at a press conference. “Winning it gave me a little more mental strength” and confidence about “winning this match without serving at best.”
Sabalenka thus achieved a third victory in two sets in a row and 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.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (32nd) had put an end in two sets to the adventure of the German Laura Siegemund (97th), surprise faller in the 2nd round of the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (5th), finalist in 2024 in Melbourne.
The Spaniard Paula Badosa (12th) will also see the round of 16, after her victory 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 against the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (18th).
Double winner of the Australian Open and finalist in Auckland, Naomi Osaka (51st) began her match around 5:00 p.m. (06:00 GMT) against the Swiss Belinda Bencic (294th), gold medalist of the Tokyo Games in 2021 and former -4th in the world.
World No.3 Coco Gauff is expected early in the evening at the Margaret Court Arena, where she will play her third round against Canadian Leylah Fernandez (29th).
– Zverev and Alcaraz await Djokovic in the round of 16 –
-World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz took over from Aryna Sabalenka on the Rod Laver Arena court, before the third round of ten-time winner Novak Djokovic (7th) in Melbourne, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (08:00 GMT).
The Spaniard, in search of the only major title missing from his record in Australia, won 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.
He 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 at the Australian Open.
If he wins the title in Melbourne, Alcaraz (21 years old) will become the youngest player to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments.
On Friday, the Spaniard got the local public in the pocket as soon as his match was over by promising to get a kangaroo tattoo if he wins the Australian Open. “All I have to do now is lift the trophy,” Alcaraz laughed.
Direct rival of the Spanish terror for the title in Melbourne, which would if necessary be his first Grand Slam trophy, the German Alexander Zverev (2nd) lined up 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) will cross swords in the evening to determine who will have the formidable privilege of going up against Zverev.
Third of the five French people present in the 3rd round of the Australian Open, Benjamin Bonzi will play late in the afternoon or early in the evening against the Czech Jiri Lehecka (29th). The matches of Gaël Monfils (41st) and Corentin Moutet (69th) are scheduled for Saturday.
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