Jack Sock suffered a shock exit at the Australian Open on Monday as Yuichi Sugita booked his place in the second round 6-1, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3. Competing as the first American top-eight seed at a Grand Slam championship since Mardy Fish (Australian Open 2012), Sock struggled to reach the heights which saw him triumph at the Rolex Paris Masters in November 2017. Sugita looked impressive throughout with a 75 and 60 per cent success rate on points behind his first and second serves respectively as he recorded his first career Top 10 win (1-5 lifetime). The Japanese No. 2 has now reached the second round at three consecutive Grand Slam events and will face Ivo Karlovic, who dispatched on Laslo...
After a tremendous comeback in 2017, having thought his career could be over, Rafael Nadal is ready to launch his campaign for a 17th Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open.
Third seed Grigor Dimitrov made a strong start to his 2018 Australian Open campaign, dismissing Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 on Monday at Melbourne Park. The Bulgarian finished 2017 by winning the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals in London, where he beat David Goffin. After another strong effort at the ATP Training Camp in Monte-Carlo in December, Dimitrov opened his 2018 season with a semi-final showing in Brisbane, and is now looking to win his first Grand Slam championship. He reached the semi-finals in Melbourne last year, losing a heart-breaking five-set contest against Rafael Nadal. "It's still early in the tournament," said Dimitrov. "I just had to come out and just play my...
It did not take long for a classic to unfold at the 2018 Australian Open. And if the rest of the fortnight lives up to how it has begun, fans around the world are in for a treat. World No. 49 Kyle Edmund recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the fifth set to spring an early upset against the No. 11 seed Kevin Anderson, withstanding 35 aces in his 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory that lasted three hours, 59 minutes. "It was a really good result for me," said Edmund. "[There are] so many positive reasons - just getting through a tough match like that [against] a quality player... Just the overall thought [is a] personal satisfaction, the hours...
Roger Federer was, somewhat unbelievably, an underdog entering the 2017 Australian Open — seeded 17th after missing six months due to injury. But the Swiss did the seemingly impossible, shocking himself and the world by ousting four Top 10 players in the ATP Rankings to claim his first major trophy since 2012 Wimbledon. He trailed Kei Nishikori 0-5 in the first set of their Round of 16 encounter before winning in five sets. He fell behind 1-3 in the deciding fifth set of the final against Rafael Nadal. No matter, Federer still found a way to triumph despite his last official tournament prior to that coming at 2016 Wimbledon. “It was more of a 'let's see what happens' kind of...
