Australian top seed Ashleigh Barty continues her quest to become the first home champion in 44 years, but Victoria Azarenka and fifth seed Maria Sakkari go out.
Britain’s Alfie Hewett reaches the semi-finals of the men’s wheelchair singles event at the Australian Open, but compatriot Gordon Reid goes out.
It was a swing that promised so much but ultimately delivered relatively little for Alexander Zverev.
The World No. 3 German ended his Australian Open campaign with a straight-sets loss to World No. 14 Denis Shapovalov Sunday at Melbourne Park. Coming into the Australian summer with the confidence of having beaten the world’s best to win his second Nitto ATP Finals title in November, the 6’ 6” German had every reason to believe big things were in store.
A shot at his first Grand Slam title and the potential to vie for World No. 1 in the first quarter of the season were realistic goals. But it all ended with a disappointing 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat to the Canadian on Margaret Court Arena.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to do better. I came here with a goal to win, and maybe to become No. 1 and all that,” Zverev said. “But if I play like that, I don’t deserve it. It’s as simple as that.
“I think after a match like this, it’s very silly to talk about [No. 1]. I think I need to figure myself out first.”
Zverev said that Shapovalov surprised him by standing farther back and putting more returns into play, but that he didn’t take a lot of confidence into the match.
The third seed began his year with strong wins over Cameron Norrie and Taylor Fritz at ATP Cup, but he also suffered a three-set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime. At Melbourne Park he had three straight-sets wins over Daniel Altmaier, John Millman and Radu Albot, but he said he never felt at the top of his game.
“I was playing bad the whole week. To be honest, I didn’t think I was playing that great,” Zverev said. “Except against John Millman maybe I had a good match, but the other two matches weren’t great either…
“To be honest, there is not much I can say or take away that was positive from today. Maybe since Wimbledon, [it’s] one of the worst matches I have played. It’s just tough.
“I give credit to Denis. It’s incredible he’s in the quarters. I think he deserves it. He’s done a lot of work. He’s improved his game. But I’ve got to look at myself, as well. Today was just awful from my side.”
Zverev said that he had a good preparation during the off season and hopes that he can quickly turn around his mixed start to 2022.
“It’s no one else’s fault. It’s not the coach’s fault, it’s not my team’s fault, it’s no one else’s fault. It’s purely me. At the end of the day, as the world No. 3, I have to take responsibility for the things I do and don’t do. Today was just not good enough to beat someone like Denis.”
Britain’s Jamie Murray and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares are beaten by Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the men’s doubles at the Australian Open.
The hot Melbourne sun couldn’t stop an ice-cold Denis Shapovalov from extinguishing the Australian Open hopes of World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Sunday afternoon.
The Canadian 14th seed had joked about sleeping in an ice bath after his marathon five-set second-round win over World No. 54 Soonwoo Kwon, and he kept a cool presence throughout as he brushed past an inconsistent Zverev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the fourth round.
“It’s probably the one I least expected to finish in three,” said Shapovalov in his on-court interview. “I’m very happy with my performance, definitely happy with where my game is at.”
An #AusOpen personal best unlocked ?
?? @denis_shapo upsets Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 for his first quarterfinal in Melbourne ? #AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/FewbPM1Le1
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2022
Having also come through the big-serving test of Reilly Opelka in the third round, World No. 14 Shapovalov’s return game looked finely tuned on Margaret Court Arena. He broke Zverev early for 3-1, the German dropping just his third service game of the tournament on the way to also losing his first set in Melbourne this year.
Zverev showed his frustration as Shapovalov broke again immediately in the second, but seven double faults in the set from the Canadian let the German back in. Despite serving for the set at 5-3, Zverev’s top level continued to elude him at crucial moments and Shapovalov was able to force a tie-break, already his seventh of the tournament in just four matches. The practise under pressure showed as the Canadian looked the more comfortable in the situation, taking it 7/5.
Shapovalov looked sharp throughout, hitting 35 winners and winning 81 per cent (22/27) of points at the net. Zverev battled but could find no answers as the 22-year-old Canadian sealed victory to complete just his second win against a Top 5 player and reach a third Grand Slam quarter-final.
“I think off the ground I was playing really well, really feeling my shots off both wings,” said Shapovalov. “I played pretty smart today, it felt like things were going my way early on. I lost a little bit of momentum mid-way in the second set but fought well to come back and just kind of rolled with it after.”
Shapovalov’s opponent in the last eight will be Rafael Nadal, after the sixth-seeded Spaniard beat Adrian Mannarino 7-6(14), 6-2, 6-2. Nadal holds a 3-1 ATP Head2Head series lead over Shapovalov, and the Canadian knows what to expect from the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“It’s always an honour to go up against a guy like Rafa,” said Shapovalov. “It’s always going to be a battle against him. It’s going to be a tough one and I’m definitely going to enjoy it.”
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The home crowds continue to inspire Aussie pairings in the doubles at the Australian Open. After Friday’s heroics from Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis against No. 1 seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, it was Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell’s turn to delight the fans on Saturday.
Ebden and Purcell channelled the vociferous home support to recover from a set down and beat Colombian fourth-seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 on 1573 Arena.
The Australian pairing hit 30 winners and just five unforced errors as it maintained a foothold in the match before striking at the crucial time, breaking for 6-5 in the third set.
Ebden served it out to set a third-round clash with 13th seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan.
American Rajeev Ram and Briton Joe Salisbury remain on track as they bid for a third consecutive final at Melbourne Park. The second seeds and 2020 champions didn’t offer up a break point and converted four of their own as they brushed past New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen 6-1, 6-2 in under an hour.
Sydney Tennis Classic finalists Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini showed more good form in ousting ninth-seeded Croatian-Brazilian pairing Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo. The Italian duo won six consecutive points on the way to winning the first set tie-break, before sealing a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory. Eighth seeds and 2016 Australian Open winners Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares await in the third round.
Germany’s Tim Puetz and New Zealand’s Michael Venus beat Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena and Frenchman Hugo Gaston 6-1, 6-4. Sixth seeds Puetz and Venus hit 25 winners to their opponents’ 11 as they advanced to set a third-round clash with another all-Aussie duo, wild cards Jason Kubler and Christopher O’Connell.
Marin Cilic rolled back the years Saturday to earn just his second Top 10 win since 2018, upsetting World No. 6 Andrey Rublev 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open.
The Croatian crushed forehands and hammered backhands in a free-hitting display on Margaret Court Arena to end Rublev’s stay in Australia in emphatic fashion, advancing after two hours and 37 minutes.
“It is incredible,” Cilic said in his on-court interview. “I enjoyed every single second of the match. Andrey is an incredible player, we have played several times in the past and it is always difficult. I had so much fun and played great tennis.”
The 33-year-old, whose last Top 10 win came against then-World No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut at the same stage in Melbourne in 2020, has now advanced to the fourth round at the Australian Open eight times, with his best result a run to the final in 2018.
Cilic has improved his ATP Head2Head series to 2-4 against the Russian and will next play Felix Auger-Aliassime after the Canadian defeated 24th seed Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
“In the evening it is a little bit cooler, so you can go for a bit more on your shots and it really went well for me,” Cilic added. “I served great and that is the way to go against the guys at the top. If you are giving them a chance to hit, you will have trouble, so I was trying to be aggressive and it paid off.”
The 27th seed is one of three former Grand Slam champions left in the draw alongside World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and 20-time major winner Rafael Nadal. Cilic clinched his only slam trophy at the US Open in 2014.
Cilic was strong on serve against Rublev throughout, firing 24 aces as he won 85 per cent (52/61) of his first-serve points. After a dominant first two sets, where the 20-time tour-level titlist swung freely to hit 34 winners, Rublev rallied from 1-3 in the third set. The 24-year-old won five games in a row, including the last 12 points of the set to claw himself back into contention.
However, the Russian was unable to carry his momentum into the fourth set, with Cilic breaking to lead 3-1. This time the Croatian made no mistake, advancing when he fired down an ace, releasing all the tension in the process.
Look who’s back ?
?? @cilic_marin upsets Andrey Rublev 7-5 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3 to reach the round of 16 at the #AusOpen for the eighth time.#AO2022 pic.twitter.com/rpaj8mTseh
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2022
Rublev was aiming to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for the third time. The fifth seed, who defeated Gianluca Mager and Ricardas Berankis earlier this week, is the highest seed to fall in Melbourne this year.
In other action, Australian Alex de Minaur defeated World No. 83 Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time.
The home favourite, who is making his fifth Australian Open appearance, hit 34 winners and broke five times to advance after two hours and nine minutes. The 32nd seed will next face Italian Jannik Sinner after the World No. 10 downed Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.