Key events
Righto, that’s us done for today – join us again tomorrow for more love and joy. Peace out.
Tomljanovic says the crowd never gave up even when she was two breaks down, so she thought that she shouldn’t either; without the crowd, she might’ve lost the decider 6-2. Martic never let her settle and there’s a bit of luck involved in her win tonight, but she’ll have an ice bath then play doubles tomorrow.
Ajla Tomljanovic beats Petra Martic 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4
An unbelievable win from Tomljanovic, who was twobreaks down in the decider. But she never game up, and shonuff Martic crumbled, her weak attempted drop on match point saying plenty about how she handled clutch. She meets Ostapnko next, and that’ll be a lot of fun.
Tomljanovic makes 30-all then clobbers a forehand winner down the line, and that’s match point! She’s handled the pressure superbly, winning four games straight to reach this point, and will fancy herself to see it out from here; Martic looks gone.
A big forehand raises game-point for Tomljanovic, and a long return means Martic, once a double-break up, must now hold to stay in the match at 4-5 in the third! Momentum is now with the home favourite.
No way! Tomljanovic, who’s staying much calmer than Martic, breaks again We’re back on serve at 4-4 in the decider, and I guess we’re seeing why the latter hasn’t quite made the most of her technical ability.
Pegula says last season, she learnt she could beat the best and that she could win on a bad day, and she now doesn’t get too upset if things aren’t great for her from the off. I’m not sure I agree with her, for the nothing it’s worth – she’ll need to beat one of the big four in a Slam for me to allow that – but if she believes she can’, that’s a decent chunk of the battle.
Jessica Pegula (5) beats Rebecca Marino 6-2 6-4
A typically solid effort from Pegula – Marino played well – and meets Clara Burel next.
Now Tomljanovic holds to love, and there’s life in this match yet, what’s left of the crowd cheering her on. Pressure for Martic, soon to serve leading 4-3 in the decider.
Up 15-0, Pegula bangs an ace down the middle, while Tomljanovic retrieves one of Martic’s two breaks, keeping the match alive at 2-4 in the decider.
Well done Rebecca Marino, who holds, thereby forcing Pegula to serve for the match at 6-2 5-4.
We’ve got two remaining live matches, both drawing to a close by the looks of things: Pegula leads Marino 6-2 5-3, while Martic leads Tomljanovic 6-7 6-4 4-1.
Mac interviews Alcaraz, who says he enjoys playing in Melbourne, and by the end he was at a decent level. They then discuss what a good player and nice bloke Gasquet is – that’s nice – and then prompted by Mac, Alcaraz admits that sometimes he hits unnecessary shots to entertain the crowd. He wants to “make the people enjoy watching tennis, make them enjoy my game,” doing stuff they don’t expect, so sometimes he “doesn’t see the score”. Finally, reminded that he once said his best quality on a tennis court is his ability to smile, he’s asked how he does it – being that good is part of it, I’d guess – and says that looking up at his family reminds him to “bring the joy” when on court. He plays tennis to enjoy the game, though when he was younger “was mad dog all the time”; but since then, he’s learnt how to have fun. What a tremendous young man he is.
Carlos Alcaraz (2) beats Richard Gasquet 7-6(5) 6-1 6-2
A great effort from Gasquet, who competed for a set before tiring as Alcaraz grew; he meets Sonego next and can play much better than he did today.
Gosh, Alcaraz just can’t get this done, Gasquet landing a backhand on the line that causes his riposte to drop long. But a framed drop-volley means another advantage and another match point…
By the way, Pegula is a break up on Marino, leading 6-2 3-2, while Martic leads Tomljanovic 2-0 in the third.
Another fine winner from Gasquet, a forehand return, earns him an unlikely break point, but Alcaraz quickly retrieves it ands raises a second match point, only to swing a forehand long to hand back deuce. No big-match temperament, that lad.
Gasquet makes 0-15, then finds himself sprinting to the corner, vainly chasing an Alcaraz forehand; he’s not the first. And what’s this?! Alcaraz then comes in only to net a forehand … for all the difference it makes. He quickly makes 30-all, races in to put a forehand into the corner – Gasquet almost gets it back but not quite – but he does spirit a forehand winner to save match point and raise deuce!
Down 1-5 in third, Gasquet has to fight through deuce if he wants to stick about for one more game, and respect to how hard he’s working to make that happen, coaxing a lovely backhand, on the run and down the line, to force Alcaraz to serve for the match.
Yup, Martic serves out to level the match at 6-7 6-4. She’s a better athlete than Tomljanovic, I think, and her best level is also better, so I fancy her to see it out from here.
Gasquet is on the board in set three at 1-4, and in comms, Kyrgios says he – and some of the other French lads – “like to have a shove”. I assumed he was talking about a flutter, but the continuation of the conversation suggests he means a bit of a chat – feel free to email in if you’ve a definitive read on the subject.
Alcaraz consolidates for 4-0 in the third and this is very nearly over, while on Laver, Pegula breaks Marino again then serves out for a 6-2 set, and on Cain, Martic is serving for 1-1 at 5-4 against Tomljanovic.
Alcaraz breaks Gasquet again, who you’ve got to give credit for still being about this life at 37. I wonder if he regrets not working harder in his 20s to maximise his talent, but I daresay he’s had an enjoyable time – to say nothing of this phenomenal excuse.
Oh, and Alcaraz, leading by two sets to love, is up a break at 1-0 in the third, Gasquet having emptied the tank while losing the first on a breaker.
Pegula is doing what she does, knocking off inferior players; she leads Marino 3-2 with a break, while Martic is up 4-3 with a break having lost the first to Tomljanovic.
Didn’t Sonego enjoy that match! He milks the win too, celebrating wildly, and with his serve, he can give Alcaraz aggravation even if he’s not got the game to actually beat him.
Lorenzo Sonego beats Dan Evans 4-6 7-6(8) 6-2 7-6(4)
That was a sensational match, and were Evans fitter, he might’ve taken it. But he fought his arse off and can be proud of that – if he can stay healthy, he’s got plenty to offer – while Sonego moves on to meet Alcaraz or Gasquet in round two.
Huck hum! Sonego slaps a decent forehand cross, Evans makes his volley on the stretch, the ball sits up begging to be punished … and the Italian nets! 4-5, and there’s a serious atmosphere out there … but then Evans, having done all the hard work, opens the space for a forehand down the line … and goes wide! Evans collapses on to his haunches, while Sonego has match point!
But Evans is a gamer, hooking a forehand cross, then sending a majestic backhand to the same corner for 2-5! He couldn’t could he? I don’t know because he’s just come in behind a serve and nailed a volley! 3-5! Alcaraz meanwhile, takes set two 6-1 and Gasquet wants to go home.
Oh dear. Evans tries a backhand drop on the return, trails 0-5, and Sonego is pretty much there. Forza Torino!
Back on 3, we’re into a fourth-set breaker, Sonego quickly reaching 3-0, while Alcaraz is making light work of Gasquent, now up 7-6 5-1.
Marino and Pegula are now away on Court, the latter in a peculiar predicament because the four players above her in the rankings, Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff, are so much better it seems impossible she’ll ever beat any of them when it really matters. And even below her, there are players with bigger weapons – Jabeur, Muchova, Ostapenko, Haddad Maia – therefore a much better chance of landing on a good day on the right day.
Gasquet has to fight through five deuces, but he’s now on the board in set two, down 1-3 as Alcaraz rushes through another hold. Meantime, Evans and Sonego are now 5-5 in the fourth, and I’m wincing in anticipation of a breaker, given the energy they’ve already expended.
You’ll not be surprised to learn that Alcaraz has broken and consolidated, to lead Gasquet 7-6 3-0, and Kyrgios wonders he might “abbreviate” his forehand on the faster surfaces to hit it better. He also suggests that the new big three will be Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune, noting that they’ve all got different personalities – Alcaraz is bubbly and childlike, Sinner serious and composed, Rune full of it. We shall see.
It took a fair old while, but Tomljanovic eventually won the first set against Martic 7-6(3) … before being broken immediately in set two.
Next on Court: Rebecca Marino v Jessica Pegula (5).
Have a look! Sonego can only smile – again – as, advantage up at 4-4, he’s powerless to do anything as a lush backhand passes him down the line. But a big forehand earns him another break point, Evans saves it, and this is such an intense match; he saves another, unfurls a monstrous inside-out forehand to finally make advantage having saved a succession of them, then Songeo nets a forehand and after seeing off seven break points in a game that lasted nearly 13 minutes, he’s still in the match, up 5-4 in the fourth!
Alexander Zverev (6) beats Dominik Koepfer 4-6 6-3 7-6(3) 6-3
That’s a big win for Zverev, who was properly tested so able to play himself into some decent form. He was much better in the fourth set than in the first and meets the qualifier, Lukas Klein, next.
Koepfer holds for 3-5, forcing Zverev to serve for the match, while Sonego again makes 0-30 and this time Evans can’t retrieve immediately, finding himself at 15-40. On Laver, meanwhile, Alcaraz raises set point with a huge forehand, then wins a net exchange and finishes with an overhead! I guess we knew it’d happen somehow and it did, a seriously enjoyable set (of tennis) going to the number two seed 7-5(5).
“Scary! Scary!” laughs Kyrgios as Gasquet lasers another backhand winner down the line. He then makes 4-3, but a poor approach allows Alcaraz to plonk a backhand on to his tootsies and we’re back on serve.
Alcaraz break immediately, but a majestic backhand return from Gasquet, down the line and into the corner, yanks it straight back and it’s now 2-2. Zverev, meanwhile, now leads Koewpfer 5-2 in the fourth, while Evans rebounds from 0-30 down to hold for 4-3, Sonego up by two sets to one.
…but obviously Alcaraz makes 30-all then wallops an ace, so when Gasquet swipes a backhand cross-court wide, we’ve got ourselves a tiebreak.
This Evans-Sonego match is still really good, though Evans probably wants to ignore someone nausing him up in the crowd. Leading 3-2 but trailing 2-1, he grouses to the umpire, then makes 30-all on his opponent’s serve; naturally, Sonego responds with yet another ace, then splatters a forehand down the line before following it in with a deft drop-volley. It’s 3-3 in the fourth now, while Zverev leads Koepfer 4-1 at the same stage and Alcaraz is serving at 5-6 15-30…
On Laver, Gasquet is still doing well, serving at 5-5 in the first, while Kyrgios notes that because Alcaraz is so good, he expects to come on court and play brilliantly all the time, and tennis isn’t like that. He does, though, say that Alcaraz’s bad day is his good day, which he knows isn’t true – though earlier, he advised that the youngster has the best body-language on tour, which is part of the same thing, Anyway, Gasquet bangs down an ace that gives him 6-5, and this is getting interesting.
Yeah, time’s up. Koepfer fights to hold, saving break points, but eventually Zverev leaps into a forehand, giving him a 4-6 6-3 7-6 2-0 lead. Given how well he serves, the assumption is that he closes out from here.
“He makes me excited about tennis,” Kyrgios says of Alcaraz, and that he’s eager to get back to play him, as I learn that much of the tactical wisdom he dispenses, he’s fed by Hawkeye. Still, he’s doing a good job of infusing that with his essential himness.
Leading 2-1 in set three but trailing 2-1 overall, Evans calls the trainer who massages his left knee but wirthout the need to a medical timeout.
I’d not been focusing on the Alcaraz match because the Zverev and Evans ones were at the end of sets, but our photo man, John Windmill, messaged to say that he’s enjoying Kyrgios’ co-commentary, and now I’m paying attention, so am I. It’s always great to hear active players seriously discuss their opponents, and he discusses Alcaraz’s willingness to return come in, noting that only Federer does that, and not at such tender years.
On Laver, Gasquet is hanging in there against Alcaraz – they’re 3-3 in the third, but in comms, Kyrgios notes that already it’s physical, and he reckons Gasquet is starting to gamble already, knowing he’s not got a long match of long rallies in his legs.
Evans shows decent moxie to save break points at the start of set four and hold. Had he been broken, he’d have been done for, but for now he’s still in the match.
When he really needs to, Zverev steps it up, the breaker featuring his best tennis of the match He takes it to three and now leads 4-6 6-3 7-6(3); Koepfer will have to go some to fightback from here.
Zverev does well to hang in a rally Koepfer controls, finding a cross-court backhand that incites his opponent to net. Mini-break to the number six seed, consolidated by a huge T-serve and a vicious forehand winner for a 4-2 lead.
Zverev duly hangs on to secure his breaker and usually you’d back his serve in such circumstance. But Koepfer is playing pretty much as well as he can and isn’t under anything like the same pressure, so who knows? Anyway, for now, it’s 1-1.
