ATP
AO Men: Day 5 review
Jannik Sinner had to change tactics to turn the tables after dropping his first two sets, but successfully reversed course for a 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 win over Marton Fucsovics to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.
The Italian needed three and a half hours to work his magic on his frequent practice partner from Hungary.
The 21-year-old winner had to change tactics to make his first career comeback from two sets to love down.
Sinner advanced into a contest against Stefanos Tsitisipas, at third the highest remaining seed in the field after early exits from top seed Rafael Nadal and No.2 Casper Ruud.
“The first two sets were tough for me,” sixth seed Sinner said. “I was feeling the ball well but missing a lot. My tactics were not so good.
“But I felt good physically in the fifth set, let’s see what happens in the next round.”
Sinner said that his strategy change was enough to see him through.
“I started with one tactic but had to change. I know his game very well, we are good friends.”
The Italian has reached Grand Slam quarter-finals four times and would make it a fifth should he win the next round.
Sinner, who has added Australian Darren Cahill on his coaching team, broke Fucsovics on four of 14 chances, ending with 31 winners and 52 unforced errors.
Tsitsipas dominated Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3 in just over two hours.
The Greek holds the edge over Sinner, winning their last four matches and standing 4-1 in the series; he beat Sinner here in the quarter-finals a year ago.
He won with an overhead smash on his third match point and has not lost a set so far at this edition.
“First crack of the whip,” Tsitsipas said of his initial match against Griekspoor.
“I mixed my shots well, opened up the court… my serving was exceptional (seven aces among 32 winners).
“There were not a lot of rallies on my serve, I played a clean match.
“I enjoyed fighting my way through, it was not easy at times.”
Tsitsipas said he feels confident going into the Sinner match.
“I have a good memory from last year. but I’m sure he’s much better prepared this time.
“I hope I can deliver a good level of game; it was close last time. It’s about maybe sticking to what worked previously, and continually sort of adding in the match.
“I have big weapons. I can, I think, generate even more power now than I did before. I have a lot of options out there.”
Sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who needed to pull off a comeback from two sets to love down in the previous round, had a somewhat easier test, defeating Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The winner converted six of his 20 break points.
“I do feel my level is getting better,” the winner said. “Today was a good start.
“I’m happy with the way I stepped out on the court. I was playing my best tennis.
“Of course, there’s going to be a reaction from the opponent, which is normal. I’m happy that overall I found a good level today. It’s positive for what’s to come.”
The luck ran out for Mackenzie McDonald 48 hours after upsetting top seed Rafael Nadal; the American was humbled 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-2 by Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in two and a half hours to end his unexpected Australian adventure.
Two-time champion Casper Ruud had to work for more than two and a half hours to overcome Jaime Faria, the Portuguese who put out Stan Wawrinka in the first round at the Gstaad Swiss Open on Thursday.
Faria was riding the momentum from Tuesday’s defeat of three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, set to retire this season and beaten in an opening match at his home venue.
Faria had his eye on a second upset as he faced Ruud, who lifted the trophy at this elite alpine village in 2021 and 2022.
Ruud ahd to dodge a bullet and mount a comeback to get through the second-round test against the Portuguese.
After dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker, Ruud played patiently as Faria saved five break points in the sixth game of the second set before failing on the sixth.
Ruud then pulled away for a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 victory, his first since Roland Garros.
“Sometimes it is hard to say when you get a good feeling and you start to win some games in a row,” the winner said.
“You try from the first game to the last, but suddenly something clicked in the middle of the second for me, luckily.”
He added: “I had to really fight hard and if I played one bad game in the second and he serves well, it could be over and it would be time to go home. But luckily I can extend the stay.”
The Scandinavian could join Spaniards Sergi Bruguera and Alex Corretja as three-time winners in the Alps, with Ruud now standing 10-1 here over his career.
Stefanost Tsitsipas said he slept soundly prior to finishing off a darkness-interrupted match on Thursday as he eliminated local Jerome Kym at the Gstaad Swiss Open.
The Greek who once cracked third in the world and the 186th-ranked Swiss returned to the clay after darkness on Wednesday night left them hanging at 5-all in the third set.
Tsitsipas revved up his game from the resumption to emerge into the quarter-finals 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).
The second seed now standing 85th in the world after several poor seasons and a split with his father as his coach, said getting his rest was not a problem after the interruption.
“It was strange going to bed and not being finished. I visualised what I wanted to do, my shot patterns.
“It worked out pretty well.
“I had a good night’s sleep, I was not too stressed and I recovered to get ready for the continuation.”
After saving break points in the first game on Thursday, Tsitsipas triumphed in the final-set tiebreaker
“I’m relieved I was able to save a couple of break points.. I put my game together and made it )victory) happen again.”
The Greek now faces off against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech for a semi-final spot.
“I’m expecting a lot of big serves, the altitude (1050m) helps. I’ll try to build consistency around my own serve.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas was handed a reprieve due to fading light with his second round match at the Swiss Open Gstaad stopped with the Greek deadlocked with local Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7 (2), 5-5.
The math had to be halted as night fell and electronic linecalling computers could not read the path of the ball on the clay in contrast to humans who could have carried on for a few additional minutes..
The 27-year-old Tsitsipas was taking the worst of it in the concluding stage after a promising start.against a journeyman opponent ranked 186.
Tsitsipas, his ranking down to 85th after once standing third in the world, lashed out verbally in the last few games, apparently frustrated with his racquet reactions.
The Greek was quick to make his point of an overnight stoppage to the chair umpire while Kym – who reached 5-all with a love service hold – left the court with a defiant fist pump for his public in this alpine resort village.
The cutoff came after just over two hours of play, with the contest to be concluded on Thursday. The winner reaches the Friday quarter-finals.
Tsitsipas produced his last notable result in April with a fourth-round showing at the Madrid Masters,
He is aiming for his second quarter-final of the season after Doha in February and his 2025 Barcelona 15 months ago.
Tsitsipas stands 10-1 vs. players ranked outside the top 100 this season with a sole loss to No. 104 Italian Matteo Arnaldi at the Roland Garros second round.
History repeats for Argentine spoiler in Gstaad
Ruud survives a scare to secure Gstaad quarters
Tsitsipas finishes off Kym after overnight pause
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