Saturday started with a surprise at the Australian Open. Tommy Paul bows out of the tournament after a shocking and painful loss against Miomir Kecmanovic (6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-0)who recovered to his best level after a timid season in 2023 and managed to equal his best result in a Grand Slam, certainly at Melbourne Park.
The match started well for the Serbian, scoring the first set 6-4but from there the American reacted, raising his level significantly to score the second and third sets 6-3 and 6-2.
The important moment came in the fourth, when Paul squandered several match points and ended up losing in a dramatic tiebreak (9-7) which left the match tied, but was sentenced.
And in the fifth set, Paul collapsed and became a caricature of the player we are used to. Kecmanovic was ruthless and finished the match with a resounding 6-0.
He became the second Serbian, after Novak Djokovic (1), to reach the round of 16 in Australia on more than one occasion.
See them on Monday, probably in the morning, with a Carlos Alcaraz who won their only matchin Miami in 2022, by a tight 6-7(5), 6-3 and 7-6(5).
Good news for the Murcian, who was noticeably uncomfortable with Tommy Paul’s gameone of the players who make his life more complicated.
In other matches of the day, the young Frenchman Arthur Cazauxinvited to the contest, He continued his work after passing Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (6-3, 6-3 and 6-1).
His opponent in the round of 16 is the Polish Hubert Hurkacz (9), after he defeated the Frenchman Ugo Humbert (21) by 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) and 6-3, after two hours and 46 minutes of play.
For the first time in his career, the young man from Montpellier reached the round of 16 in a slam and established himself as the fortieth tennis player to qualify for the round of 16 of a ‘major’ after entering the final draw with an invitational.
Since Uzbek Denis Istomin reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park in 2017, both achieved only five visitors: Frenchman Hugo Gaston (Roland Garros, 2020), American Jenson Brooksby (US Open, 2021), Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven (Wimbledon, 2022) and Australian Rinky Hijikata (US Open, 2023).
Cazaux also became the eighth player to reach the last 16 on the banks of the Yarra River as a guestand joins Pat du Pre (1981), Tomas Smid (1983), Jason Stoltenberg (1988), Simon Youl (1990), Mats Wilander (1994), Lleyton Hewitt (2012) and Istomin (2017). In the previous rounds, the Frenchman defeated the Serbian Laslo Djere (6-2, 6-7(3), 6-2, 3-6 and 6-2) and the Dane Holger Rune (8) (7-6( 4), 6-4, 4-6 and 6-3).
The young man will have the chance to find a place among the eight best tennis players in the competition, which equals a ticket to the quarterfinals, in an unprecedented duel this Monday against the Polish Hurkacz.
Source: La Verdad
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