Australian Open: Rafael Nadal beats Denis Shapovalov in five sets to reach semi-finals
Rafael Nadal shows the immense fight which has characterised his career to beat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and reach the Australian Open semi-finals.
Rafael Nadal shows the immense fight which has characterised his career to beat Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and reach the Australian Open semi-finals.
A former junior national skiing champion, Jannik Sinner has yet to carve into the fresh powder of a Grand Slam semi-final. He’s the only man in Wednesday’s quarter-final lineup yet to make a run to the final four, with Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Alassime all coming closer to the summit, and Medvedev reaching the peak as the 2021 US Open champion.
Sinner, 20, is also the youngest of the quartet—though he’s a long way from the bunny slopes as a Top 10 player and five-time champ on the ATP Tour.
The Italian prefers tennis to skiing because the racquet sport allows an opportunity to play through mistakes, while skiing slip-up spells the end of the race. In his fourth-round win over Australian No. 1 and home favourite Alex de Minaur, Sinner made 30 unforced errors. But after a slow start out of the gates, his attack began to gather speed. He finished with 35 winners in a 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4 victory.
“I tried to stay composed with myself, and today I have to say I raised the level, especially in the second and third set,” Sinner said following his Rod Laver Arena debut. “In the beginning, there was a little bit of tension on both sides, which is normal. I was expecting a long match.”
Tennis also allows the opportunity to recover from lost sets, though Sinner has only had to do so once this fortnight, when he dropped the second set of a third-round win over Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel. Only Gael Monfils, who was a perfect 12-for-12, had a better set record on the way to the quarters.
In World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sinner will meet his first Top 30 opponent of the new year. But he’s no stranger to the game’s elite, having made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, where he replaced Matteo Berrettini midway through round-robin play as an alternate in Turin. In replacing his countryman, Sinner became the youngest man to compete at the Finals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2000.
In comparing the two Italians, Tsitsipas gave a glowing review of his quarter-final opponent: “Jannik, I would consider the more talented player from the baseline, that looks like he’s very relaxed when he’s playing. Doesn’t show much tension when he’s out there; pretty cold-blooded in comparison with Matteo, who looks a little bit more emotional.”
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The Greek enters Wednesday’s meeting off a comeback, five-set win over American Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. A two-time semi-finalist in Melbourne (2019, 2021), Tsitsipas has been sharp in a return from an elbow injury that saw him follow Berrettini out of the Nitto ATP Finals. But he looked out of sorts for stretches before a mighty finish against Fritz.
Tsitsipas blamed his struggles on passive play: “There were certain moments where I got defensive and wasn’t going for my shot too much, and I kept talking to myself and kept saying, ‘Hit the ball, go for it.’
“That eventually was engraved in my mind. That voice became a reality in the fifth set.”
All things considered, he’s happy with his game and confident in his ability to challenge for his first major title—seven months after falling a set short against Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros final.
“I would predict that I’m headed towards the right direction and things look good for me so far,” he assessed. “With the right mindset and with the right attitude and with the right development throughout the tournament, my chances are pretty good.”
Tsitsipas holds a 2-1 ATPHead2Head advantage over Sinner, with all three meetings coming on clay courts during the European spring swing.
Wednesday’s second match will see Medvedev and Auger-Aliassime square off in a rematch of their 2021 US Open semi-final, a straight-set win for the Russian. Both men enter behind four-set wins, but the pair exited the fourth round with contrasting views on their victories.
“I’m not really happy about my, let’s call it, mentality today,” Medvedev said following a 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-5 win over American serve-and-volleyer Maxime Cressy. Over the course of the match, a frustrated Medvedev made several audible comments about his opponent’s luck, as Cressy saved a bevy of break points and struck line-clipping second serves.
“I was a little bit harsh with Maxime, who played a really good match,” he continued. “At the same time, I’m not the only player to do it, to try to get into my opponent’s head.”
Auger-Aliassime was a 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2, 7-6(4) winner over Marin Cilic. The Canadian, who was down two-sets-to-one in the opening round against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, is rounding into form as he seeks a second consecutive Slam semi-final.
“Knowing in the back of my mind that I have the stamina, the mentality to last in matches and tournaments, of course it helps me to know that I can go deep in these types of tournaments,” he said of his Melbourne run.
Medvedev holds a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against the 21-year-old, with the most recent meeting come in the semi-finals of the ATP Cup. The Russian triumphed in Sydney, 6-4, 6-0, but Team Canada went on to win the competition.
Going into what will be their third hard-court match in five months, Auger-Aliassime is uniquely prepared for one of the ultimate tests in the sport—facing Medvedev on his preferred surface.
“The reality is he’s the best player, almost, in the world now,” the Canadian said, leaning into his underdog status. I need to, you know, play a great match. I need to be able to give a great effort both mentally and physically to go through.”
After Wednesday’s action, the remaining men will enjoy a day off before both semi-finals take place on Friday.
Rafael Nadal and other top players are given preferential treatment by umpires, says Canada’s Denis Shapovalov after his quarter-final loss to the Spaniard in Melbourne.
Despite falling agonisingly short against former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open on Tuesday, Denis Shapovalov was proud of his spirited quarter-final performance in Melbourne.
The Canadian, who was making his first appearance in the last eight at Melbourne Park, rallied from two sets down to level, before being edged 3-6 in the deciding set on Rod Laver Arena.
“I’m happy with the way I was able to fight and come back,” Shapovalov said in his post-match press conference. “I definitely found my game late in the third and in the fourth [sets]. It’s good to have more time at the Grand Slams to have opportunities to try to find your game. [It was a] good tournament for me overall.”
The 14th seed upset World No. 3 Alexander Zverev to set up his match against Nadal, but struggled to cope with the Spaniard’s intensity in the early phases of their clash. However, he altered up the tactic board, showing his growing maturity as a player to claw his way back into the match.
“I just changed things,” Shapovalov added. “I felt like I was shanking a lot of returns, so I just tried to prep a little bit higher. Once I did that, I was really seeing his serves and returning well.”
The 22-year-old, who now trails Nadal 1-4 in their ATP Head2Head series, was ultimately left frustrated though with his level in the fifth set.
“It just sucks to lose that one,” Shapovalov added. “I definitely felt like I had it on my racquet. And, I mean, [in the] third, fourth and fifth set, I felt like I was the better player, had more chances. [It was] just one bad game from me.”
Nadal’s victory means he has maintained his chances of capturing a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title this week in Melbourne. When asked about the Spaniard, Shapovalov was full of admiration, acknowledging how tough of a competitor the 35-year-old still is.
“Rafa did a good job in the last set,” Shapovalov said. “Once he broke, he held his service games and served really big. He’s obviously putting a lot of pressure on you and making a lot of balls and playing aggressively when needed. Maybe other opponents would give me a little bit more freedom. It was definitely tricky.”
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Team Italy failed to reach the semi-finals at the ATP Cup to start 2022, but it was only a matter of time before Italians made their mark on the new season. Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner have not taken long to do just that.
Both Berrettini and Sinner are into the Australian Open quarter-finals, where they have a chance to make more history for their country. If both men advance to the last four, it will be just the second time that multiple Italian men have reached the semi-finals at the same Grand Slam. The last time that happened was 1960 at Roland Garros, where Nicola Pietrangeli and Orlando Sirola achieved the feat. No Italian duo has done it in the Open Era.
But perhaps what is most interesting about Berrettini and Sinner is their unique games, paths and personalities. In some ways they are similar — both men have powerful games and the utmost respect from their peers on and off the court. However, they are not carved from the same Italian stone.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will play Sinner in the quarter-finals, compared the two Italians.
“I would consider Matteo more of a heavy server than Jannik, meaning that he does generate more power and more precision with his serve and gets more free points from his serve than Jannik,” Tsitsipas said. “Jannik, I would consider [the] more talented player from the baseline. [He] looks like he’s very relaxed when he’s playing. Doesn’t show much tension when he’s out there. Pretty cold-blooded in comparison with Matteo, who looks a little bit more emotional.”
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
That was not in any way a slight of Berrettini. In terms of personalities, Berrettini is closer to fire and Sinner is nearer to ice. Berrettini is quicker to let out a big roar and a fist pump than Sinner, who remains closer to a flatline through the highs and lows of a match. Matteo has also praised his countryman’s maturity.
“Jannik is so young, but at the same time he’s so much older. He knows how to have fun, but how to put the work in at the same time,” Berrettini said. “I think what he’s doing is impressive, but I think it comes from his attitude and the way he goes through things. He’s really mature in that way, and that’s one of the reasons he’s getting crazy results.”
In a way, Berrettini, who will play Gael Monfils in the quarter-finals, has carved the path for Sinner to follow through. After Fabio Fognini became the third Italian man to crack the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2019, Matteo quickly followed later that year following his run to the US Open semi-finals. He has not dropped from the Top 10 since.
By advancing to the last eight at Melbourne Park, the 25-year-old Berrettini has now made at least the quarter-finals at all four majors. One more win would put him in joint second for most Slam semi-finals in history among Italian men alongside Adriano Panatta.
“It means that I’m doing great stuff, which I never believed I could do when I was younger. I always remember being here, playing the juniors and thinking maybe I’m gonna play qualies. I don’t know,” Berrettini said. “So it’s a good feeling.”
It is easy to forget, but Sinner is just 20, and he reached the Top 10 last November. When Berrettini was that age, he had never been inside the world’s Top 500.
Sinner spent much of his early years focussing on more than one sport. Hailing from San Candido, near the Austrian border, he was one of the best skiers of his age in all of Italy. But once Jannik turned his focus to tennis in his early teens, he has not looked back. Even now, Sinner is fully focussed on the future and most importantly, improving every day.
After Team Italy was eliminated from the ATP Cup, the World No. 10 gave a very veteran answer when a reporter asked what his plans were for the week ahead of the Australian Open.
“I don’t know yet,” Sinner said, before cracking a smile. “But I think practice every day.”
Stefanos Tsitipas’ back was against the wall in the fourth round of the Australian Open against Taylor Fritz, but the Greek’s inner voice helped save the day.
“I felt like there were certain moments where I got defensive and wasn’t going for my shots too much, and I kept talking to myself and kept saying, ‘Hit the ball, go for it’,” Tsitsipas said. “That eventually was kind of engraved in my mind. That voice kind of became a reality in the fifth set.
“I came to the conclusion that I cannot be too defensive, I cannot stay in the rallies too much. I have to make him move and I have to be aggressive at the same time.”
That mindset worked, as Tsitsipas rallied past the American 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his third Australian Open quarter-final. In the deciding fifth set, he made just four unforced errors to complete his triumph after three hours and 23 minutes.
“It was very tough, and I had to deal with these moments in the best way. Being able to overcome these difficulties required a lot of mental toughness, and I think I did the right things at these points and managed it very well. It was a great comeback,” Tsitsipas said. “It was a match with a lot of emotions, and I had to keep constantly reminding myself to stay in it and try and find solutions to all these problems, because there was heavy hitting, there were lots of rallies. Serves, big serves from both sides. So there were a lot of things going on.”
Overall, Tsitsipas struck 53 winners to just 44 unforced errors, a solid performance against an in-form Fritz. The American, who was competing in the fourth round of a major for the first time, showed little fear of the moment. He hit 52 winners to put Tsitsipas in trouble in the first place.
But the fourth seed dug deep and played the better tennis when it mattered most. Tsitsipas has put to rest discussions about his elbow, which hovered over him early in the season when he did not play his first singles match at the ATP Cup.
“I missed two weeks of preseason, which was not too bad, because the doctor predicted otherwise,” Tsitsipas said. “My recovery was faster than anyone would have thought it would have been. My recovery was very surprising to my doctor.”
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Tsitsipas’ determination has been impressive Down Under, and he is now into the last eight at the Australian Open for the third time in four years. The 23-year-old said it was an emotional win for him, and that he played better with those emotions.
“I was able to sustain that emotion and was able to deal with it in the best way. I think the crowd was very important today, encouraging me and giving me their energy from start to finish,” Tsitsipas said. “They [played] a big role in today’s success and overcoming the difficult obstacles that was presented to me throughout the entirety of the match.”
Next up for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion will be 11th seed Jannik Sinner. Tsitsipas leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 2-1.
