Arthur Cazaux struck the first big shot of the Australian Open, in a day of surprises and triumphs suffered

A day full of surprises offered this Thursday Australian Open of tennis. Different seeds, like the Dane Rune Holgerthe Kazakh Elena Rybakina and the American Jessica Pegola, they greeted the first Grand Slam of the season prematurely. On the other hand, the Spaniards Carlos Alcaraz won the third round of the competition which is played on the hard courts of Melbourne Park and offers $56.7 million in prizes

Those who attended the opening of the night session at the Margaret Court stadium saw Rune, eighth in the ATP rankings, capitulate, falling 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 4-6 and 6-3 to the French Arthur Cazaux122nd in the rankings and invited to compete, in a second round duel that lasted three hours and 22 minutes.

“It was a crazy match, a great fight. I’ve known him for a long time, I knew it would be a tough battle and I was ready for it,” said the 21-year-old Frenchman after achieving only his third win in an ATP match. A varied repertoire of shots and a very solid serve (he won 82% of the points played with the first serve) allowed him to advance to the third round, in which he will face the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor (28th), who also beat the French Arthur Fils 3-6. 6-1, 7-5 and 6-4.

The Russian Daniel Medvedevthird seed in the competition, he also saw the abyss up close, but after dancing on the ledge he ended up winning 3-6, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-1 ) and 6 -0 on the Finnish Emil Ruusuvuori (53rd) in a match that lasted four hours and 23 minutes and which kept the audience at the Rod Laver stadium in suspense until dawn in Australia: when the final setback of the defeated she reached behind the baseline, the clock showed 3:39.

After a start in which the 24-year-old Scandinavian showed an astonishing repertoire, the Muscovite, finalist in Melbourne in 2021 and 2022, returned to the game, overcame the difficulties and, with an arsenal of 51 winners and 23 aces, ended up overwhelming in the last round an opponent who had needed medical attention for a sore left shoulder when he lost 3-0 in that episode.

They also had to sweat a lot to advance Alexander Zverev (6th) e Casper Ruud (11th). The German took four hours and 31 minutes of work to defeat Slovakia’s Lukas Klein (163rd) 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) and 7-6 (10-7). who had gone through the qualification to access the main draw. “I would have preferred to win in an hour and a half, but he played incredibly and probably deserved to win more than me,” acknowledged Zverev, who will face Alex Michelsen (91st), one of the great promises of American tennis, in the third shift.

For his part, Ruud won a close match against local Max Purcell 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 3-6 and 7-6 (10-7) after three hours and 50 minutes of work. and, in this way, he improved his record compared to the last edition, in which he lost in the second round against the American Jason Brooksby. His opponent in the next instance will be the British Cameron Norrie (22nd), who needed five sets to beat the Italian Giulio Zeppieri (133rd).

Only a little less tight was the victory of the second seed of the tournament, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who beat the Italian Lorenzo 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 and 7-6 (7-3 ). Sonego (46th) in three hours and 25 minutes of play. With the passage to the third round, the Murcian has already equaled his best performance in Melbourne, given that in 2021 he fell in the second round, in 2022 he was eliminated in the third and in 2023 he was absent due to a muscle injury.

“I think we both played at a high level, with a lot of intensity. We put on a show, we scored good points. “It was a fantastic match,” said the 20-year-old Spaniard, who said that before each presentation he energized himself by listening to songs from the saga films. Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone. “I’m a huge Rocky Balboa fan and the songs take me to the workout sessions the movies offer. Listening to them helps motivate me a lot before the matches,” he explained.

Alcaraz’s next opponent will be the surprising Chinese Juncheng Shang, 18 years old, 140th in the ecumenical ranking and invited by the tournament organisation, who defeated the Indian Sumit Nagal (137th) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 and 6-4 in the second round. “I will have to be very concentrated because from what I have seen so far he seems like an impressive player,” warned the Iberian.

The women were not excluded from this complicated day for the favourites. The opening of the afternoon session also held a surprise at the Rod Laver Stadium, where the Russian played Anna Blinkova57th in the WTA ranking, she eliminated the third seed of the tournament, Kazakh Elena Rybakina, 6-4, 4-6 and 7-6 (22-20), in a vibrant match that ended after two hours and 46 minutes. minutes of play. action.

In a cinematic tie break, the 25-year-old from Moscow closed the duel on her tenth opportunity and after having collected six match points. “It was very difficult. I just tried to stay calm, concentrate on each point and be aggressive, but my hand was shaking and so were my legs. “This is the best day of my life, I will never forget it,” said the winner, who in the next phase will face the Italian Jasmine Paolini (31st).

The triumph of the French was much quicker Clara Burel (51st), who beat American Jessica Pegula, fifth in the WTA rankings, 6-4 and 6-2 in just 70 minutes. “I had a very solid performance, I was very focused and I didn’t let it get into the game,” boasted the player born 22 years ago in Rennes after achieving her first victory against a top 10 team. Her next opponent it will be his compatriot Oceane Dodin (95th).

On the verge of defeat was the big favorite of the tournament, the Pole Iga Swiatekwho after being down 4-1 in the third set managed to come out of the darkness by winning five consecutive games and thus beating the 30-year-old American Danielle Collins (62nd) 6-4, 3-6 and 6-4, who after this defeat he arrest announced that this will be his last season as a professional.

“Honestly, I was already at the airport,” a relieved Swiatek admitted after the match. “He played perfectly, but it was difficult for anyone to maintain that level, so I wanted to be prepared when mistakes came from the other side,” he added. Seeking her first title in Australia, the number one and quadruple Grand Slam champion will face Czech Linda Noskova (50th) in the third round.