Allez, Bennet! As last hurrahs go, former World No. 25 Julien Benneteau is enjoying an Indian summer. The 36-year-old caused the biggest upset so far at the Australian Open on Thursday evening, when he held his nerve – in his final season as a pro – to beat seventh-seeded Belgian David Goffin 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-1, 7-6(4). Having fallen to No. 696 in the ATP Rankings two years ago, primarily due to abductor surgery, the Frenchman could have easily called it quits. But the sentimental favourite, with an 0-10 record in ATP World Tour finals, returned and worked his way back. Competing in intense heat, wild card Benneteau, who received on-court treatment, first served for the match at 5-4 in the...
A shaky start from Novak Djokovic – five double faults in the first set – had to raise Gael Monfils' hopes: Is this the day? The Frenchman had lost to Djokovic the first 14 times they had played in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including during the 2016 US Open semi-finals. Only nine other rivalries in the Open Era had been more lopsided. But after Monfils took advantage of Djokovic's slow beginning, the Frenchman fatigued in the Melbourne sun, and Djokovic settled his game enough to remain perfect against Monfils. The 14th-seeded Serbian advanced to the third round of the Australian Open for the 11th time 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. Most dominant Tour-level head-to-head records (Open Era) Player Opponent FedEx...
Dominic Thiem didn't have a lot of memories to rely on when he fell behind two sets to love against Denis Kudla of the U.S. on Thursday at the Australian Open. The fifth-seeded Austrian had come back from the deficit only one other time in his career (2014 US Open, d. Gulbis). Make that two times. Thiem advanced to the third round in Melbourne for the third consecutive year, hitting 57 winners and persevering 6-7(6), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. “I'm of course more than happy to be in the third round again,” Thiem said on court after the three-hour and 48-minute contest. Thiem, who's reached back-to-back semi-finals at Roland Garros, now sits a round away from matching his best showing...
Top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo advanced their hopes of winning a second Grand Slam title together on Thursday at the Australian Open. The 2017 Wimbledon champions spent only 51 minutes on court during a 6-2, 6-2 win against Italy's Paolo Lorenzi and Mischa Zverev of Germany. Kubot/Melo, who won the Sydney International doubles title last week, their seventh team crown in the past 11 months, captured 82 per cent of their first-serve points and hit 20 more winners than Lorenzi/Zverev (29-9). The top seeds will next meet Aussie wild cards Max Purcell and Luke Saville, who prevailed past Russians Mikhail Elgin and Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4. [ALSO LIKE] Third seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau also were on...
Ivo Karlovic fired down aces – as only he can – on Wednesday to become the oldest player to reach the Australian Open third round in 40 years. Karlovic, who turns 39 next month, came through the longest match of the tournament so far with 53 aces in a 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-5, 4-6, 12-10 victory over Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in four hours and 33 minutes. “I‘m happy, but also very tired,” said 6’11” Karlovic, who towered over 5’9” Sugita. “I was already feeling it at the beginning of the third set, but I just focused on my serve.” The Croatian, who will now take on Italian Andreas Seppi, will be the oldest player to compete in the third round since...
