The Australian Open
AO 2024 Women’s Day 4
Mirra Andreeva blew away her childhood tennis idol in the Australian Open second round as the 16-year-old crushed three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur 6-0, 6-2.
The lightning 56-minute rout marked the first Top 10 victory for the rising prodigy, junior champion here a year ago.
The adventurous Andreeva was a day removed from handling a snake and stroking a koala as a selection of Aussie animals were brought along with their keepers to the player area at Melbourne Park.
“I held a snake with my agent – he was so scared but I made him do it,” the teenager ranked 47 said.
The youngster’s dismissal of sixth seed Jabeur came at Andreeva’s fourth Grand Slam appearance, with her best so far being last summer’s Wimbledon fourth round.
.”I was really nervous before the match with Ons,” she said. “I’ve always been inspired by her and the way she plays, I used to watch all of her matches on TV.
“Now I had the chance to play her. In the first set (20 minutes long) I showed
an amazing tennis, I did not expect that from myself
“Last year I played the junior final on this Laver court, but I’m a bit more mature now.
“I’ve changed a lot – you can see that on the court.”
Jabeur has lost in the second round at a major only twice before, here a year ago and at 2018 Wimbledon; she has gone out six times in the first round.
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka schooled 16-year-old Czech prodigy Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-3, XXX.
The youngster, coached by Dominic Thiem’s former mentor Nicolas Massu, put up an early after breaking Sabalenka’s opening serve before finally falling to the world No. 2.
Sabalenka was the third Top 10 opponent that Fruhvirtova had ever played and left an indelible impression on the seed..
“For age 16 she is doing an incredible job,” Sabalenka said. “I wish I could have been at that level when I was 16.
“I’m super-happy with the win, I was focusing on myself and nothing else, just fighting for every point.
“I was not thinking of her age, I did not want to let this young lady go to the next round.”
The tennis comeback effort of former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki took a beating as the Dane lost 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 to 170th-ranked qualifier Maria Timofeeva.
The outsider was making her Grand Slam debut as she faced the 2018 Melbourne champion who retired in 2020 but returned to the sport last August as a mother of two.
Wozniacki was competing here for the 14th time as she played in her fifth event since stepping back into the sport.
Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion and Melbourne fourth seed, had to fight off determined fellow American Caroline Dolehide to finally earn a 7-6 (2), 6-2 trip into the third round.
The teenaged Gauff led 4-1 in the opening set but found herself at 5-4 in a set which led to a tiebreak which she dominated.
Gauff asserted herself in the second set to close out victory in 1hr, 45mins, with her opponent saving three match points before driving a forehand into the net to end a game of six deuces.
“It was really hard to get through the first set,” Gauff , won with seven straight match wins, said. “I started out playing well but I didn’t mix up my serve enough.
“If you give her a short ball she will punish it. I played deeper and heavy in the second set.
“I didn’t have any nerves today, I was just trying to play good tennis.”
2022 quarter-finalist and former Roland Garros winner Barbora Krejcikova barely registered in a 6-2, 6-2 loss to German Tamara Korpatcsh which took less than 90 minutes.
American Amanda Anisimova beat Argentine Nadia Podoroska 6-2, 6-3.
Canada;s 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez lost her second consecutive Grand Slam in the first round, going down to American Alycia Parks 7-5, 6-4.
Fernandez has not gone past the second round at a major since a Roland Garros quarter-final two years ago.
Australian qualifier Storm Hunter stopped Germany’s Laura Siegeund 6-4, 3-6.
Main photo:-Caroline Wozniacki losing in second round match – by ISF LTD
The Australian Open
Fashion-forward Osaka will tone it down at RG
Tennis style icon Naomi Osaka has no plans to try for one-upmanship in the informal fashion stakes at Roland Garros.
The former world No. 1 from Japan has sometimes made more news with her style choices than her racquet, especially after taking time off several seasons ago to have a child.
But Osaka has run against the traditional tennis grain with some of her outfits, which included an exo-skeleton ensemble at January’s Australian Open, where she walked onto court for her opening match wearing a large hat, veil, and carrying a parasol combination and wearing a pair of pleated pants..
The clothing was discarded before the start revealing a tennis dress, with the quirky player explaining the get-up was inspired by “the jellyfish, then butterflies, which ties back to the butterfly moment I had here a long time ago, in 2021,”
The world No. 16 also put on a fashion show at the spring Met Gala in New York, sporting a wedding dress-style garment combined with another huge hat..
For Osaka, it’s just another day in the office, but she said nothing special is planned when Roland Garros kicks of on Sunday in Paris.
“I don’t talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes,” she said on Saturday prior to the start of the year’s second major.
“That means I can be as loud with colors or patterns or
fabric as I want.
“I think that’s the fun part.. I feel we lost that a little in tennis. I grew up with, you know, Serena’s and Venus’s (Williams) grand reveals (included beaded hair and catsuits on court).
“I know there are some kids or some people who are similar to me that hopefully feel that same way about my outfits.
“But, yeah, I am a little dramatic when it comes to my fashion sense.”
ATP
Kyrgios due to resurface on German grass
Nick Kyrgios is being touted for a return to tennis after playing just one singles match all season, with the controversial Australian due in the lineups for Stuttgart and Halle in June.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist who turns 31 in a week, has been added to the entry lists for the pair of run-up events prior to the grass-court major which starts on June 29.
Kyrgios, who has missed months on end due to injury and motivational worries, has played just one Grand Slam match since 2022, losing in the Australian Open first round in 2025.
His lone outing this season was an ATP defeat in Brisbane on January 6.
Nevertheless, the acquired taste is feted as a crowd-puller and will have German organisers on alert as to his eventual availability.
“Nick Kyrgios has been one of the most dazzling personalities in world tennis for years,” Halle tournament organisers said in a statement.
“The Australian is known for his exceptional playing style, characterised by one of the best serves on the tour, spectacular winners, and great creativity.
“At the same time, his emotional personality and charisma attract considerable attention far beyond the sport.”
Stuttgart start the day after the Roland Garros final while Halle follows a week later in northern Germany from June 13-21.
ATP
Djoko dropping hints that career has short shelf life
Novak Djokovic has been making it plain that the end of his career is approaching, with the 38-year-old dropping his strongest hint ever about his future on court.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion who has been keeping his ATP scheduling options open and has competed this season only at the Australian Open (finals loss to Carlos Alcaraz) and winning two rounds last month at Indian Wells.
“Tennis is still very important to me, but it’s no longer everything,” the Serb told Esquire Australia, adding that family matters and two children are starting to take precedence in his life.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges – finding the right balance between tennis and family life, especially as my children are growing and have school commitments, so they can’t travel with me as much as before.
“When I’m on the court, I’m motivated not just to win, but to set an example – to show them values like dedication, resilience, and love for what you do. That motivation is very powerful and very personal.”
Main photo:- Novak Djokovic was runner up to Carlos Alcaraz in AO26 – by ISF Ltd
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