5 days ago
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Cilic beats Shapovalov 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Cilic has punched his ticket into round three for the first time since 2022, with the 37-year-old and 2014 US Open champ taking out the 21st seed Shapovalov in straight sets. Decent win, that. He’ll face the winner of Casper Ruud v Jaume Munar.
Stan is still alive! He’s broken Gea in the final game of the fourth set to snatch it 7-5, finishing off with a vicious backhand winner down the line. It’s got to be one of the most devastating shots in tennis hasn’t it? I don’t think even Federer’s single-handed backhand quite had the equal beauty and brutality that Wawrinka’s does. They’re going to a fifth.
Sinner does what Sinner does in the opening game, racing to 40-0 on serve. Though Duckworth gets his side of the scoreboard moving with an inside-in forehand winner. Sinner holds to 15.
It’s got to be the craziest outfit ever seen in tennis hasn’t it? Even Serena’s garb at the peak of her sartorial powers seems less whimsical in comparison.
And her come Osaka and the outfit that has generated more headlines than every other outfit, match and press conference combined at this tournament. Disappointingly she’s ditched the hat, veil and parasol today, instead opting for an altogether more practical visor, but the rest of the get-up is similar, and today it’s set off with a frilly turquoise tracksuit top.
A one minute’s silence has just taken place to honour those who died in the Bondi Beach attack last month. So Sinner and Osaka will be on next.
Meanwhile another much-loved veteran, Marin Cilic, is now two sets to the good against the 21st seed Denis Shapovalov, leading 6-4, 6-3.
Wawrinka nudges 4-3 ahead on serve in the fourth set, a set he must win if his Australian Open career is to continue, because this is the 40-year-old’s final trip to Melbourne and he’s trailing the French qualifier Arthur Gea by two sets to one.
I should also mention Maddison Inglis’s three-set victory. The home qualifier – Australia’s last woman standing in the singles – defeated the experienced German Laura Siegemund and awaits the winner of Osaka v Sorana Cirstea. They’re due on Margaret Court Arena in about five minutes’ time, while Sinner and Duckworth will soon make their entrance on Rod Laver.
Inspired qualifier Maddison Inglis has ridden an emotional rollercoaster in her first grand slam appearance in four years to book a spot in the Australian Open third round.
Inglis has joined big gun Alex de Minaur in the round of 32 after defeating German veteran Laura Siegemund 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-7) in a tense, gruelling and sometimes fiery match that lasted three hours and 20 minutes on ANZ Arena.
After failing to serve out the match in the second set, the 28-year-old’s hopes of progressing seemed over.
But in mirroring her first-round win over close friend Kim Birrell, when she failed to convert a gilt-edged opportunity, Inglis turned it around by breaking back when Siegemund was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set.
Despite appearing to injure herself late when stretching for a ball, the Perth product recovered and overcame some nervous moments to win the first-to-10-point tiebreaker.
Inglis fell to the ground after winning the final point in a tense rally, becoming the only Australian woman to make the third round.\
“I didn’t come in with high expectations. I can take it to anyone on any given day, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of this,” Inglis said.
“In the third set the crowd gave me the energy I didn’t think I had. Coming into this I hadn’t played a match for six weeks.”
She has spent six hours and 21 minutes on court in her two main-draw singles matches this campaign, plus a doubles match and three qualifying wins.
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Preamble
G’day! My flu fog has lifted, the rain that interrupted play yesterday has shifted and soon enough we’ll get to see Naomi Osaka dressed as a jellyfish again. Life feels good.
Also coming up in the night session we’ve got the 2x defending champ Jannik Sinner against the Australian wildcard James Duckworth, Taylor Fritz, the 2023 runner-up Elena Rybakina, the in-form Belinda Bencic and the ready-to-go-home-at-any-moment-if-his-wife-goes-into-labour Casper Ruud.
We’ll also be keeping an eye on the conclusions of Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 3-2 Arthur Gea*, Marin Cilic* 6-4, 5-3 Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas* 4-6, 6-3, 2-2 Tomas Machac. And all of this comes after straight-sets wins for Novak Djokovic, the 2025 winner Madison Keys, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, Jakub Mensik, Ben Shelton over the Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny and Lorenzo Musetti in the all-Italian, all-Lorenzo affair with Sonego. But the day five departees include Jelena Ostapenko, Paula Badosa and the Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and Taylah Preston.
Let’s go!
