The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Unseeded Rogers sends Halep packing
SWITZERLAND’S STAN Wawrinka survived a scare from Slovakia's Martin Klizan on Monday, fighting back from a break down in the final set to move into the Australian Open second round with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory. “It was a big fight tonight,” 2014 champion Wawrinka said on court after the match. “[The comeback] came from fighting every day, on and off the court. It was a great atmosphere here and I am happy to be back. He was playing well, he was close to winning. It was a tough match.”
It took the world number four more than three hours to subdue his left-handed opponent to cries of “Allez Stan” from the crowd in the Margaret Court arena. For long periods of the match Weawrinka was far from his best with errors flowing from his racket.
But as a pink dusk descended, Wawrinka slowly found the range on his groundstrokes to move ahead, although the outcome remained in the balance until the final few minutes. Klizan, who had chances to win the secondset,lookedfavouritewhenhebroketolead inthedeciderbutwawrinkadoggedlyheldon and broke from nowhere to make it 4-4.
In the following game he struck the 35th ranked Klizan with a ferocious forehand from point-blank range — immediately jumping over the net to check on his winded opponent. Serving to stay in the match Klizan had no luck with a challenge at 30-30 — the replay showing Wawrinka’s flashing winner had found a line — and the Slovak bowed out when he netted a forehand on Wawrinka’s first match point.
It preserved Wawrinka’s record of never having lost in the first round of the Australian Open, although it was a close call. The Swiss will face American Steve Johnson next.
“For sure it’s a big relief, especially when you’re a break down in the fifth, 4-3, 40-15. So I’m really happy to get through,” U.S. Open champion Wawrinka said. “I also know where I am right now. I think in general I’m playing well. I’m physically ready. Most important is to win. The next one is a different match, different day.”
Roger passes Melzer test
Swiss 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer won his first match at the Australian Open Monday after coming off a injury-blighted 2016. Federer downed his one-time junior rival Jurgen Melzer of Austria 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in 2hr 6min on Rod Laver Arena. The Swiss 17th seed will now play American qualifier Noah Rubin in the second round. “It’s nice to be playing normal tennis again and I couldn’t be happier to be back,” said Federer, who missed the second half of last season through injury.
“I hope I can stick around for a bit longer yet.” Federer, at 35, is bidding to become the second oldest man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title after Australian Ken Rosewall. The 17-time Grand Slam champion, playing in his 69th major, is seeded 17 at this year’s Australian Open after a knee injury restricted him to just seven Tour events last year.
Federer dropped out of the world's top 10 rankings for first time in 734 weeks or over 14 years last November and his 17th ranking is his lowest position since May 2001.
He fell behind to an early break against Melzer in the opening set but once he gained his playing rhythm he broke back and then again in the 11th game. Melzer, who grew up in the juniors with Federer, levelled the match taking the second set.
But the Swiss legend whipped through the third set in 28 minutes with the Australian crowd cheering his every winning point. Federer finished off in style with two breaks of serve to run a convincing winner.
Andy Murray is ambivalent about being introduced as "Sir" when he walks on court following his recent knighthood and it is a greeting he is unlikely to receive from Russian teenager Andrey Rublev when they meet in the Australian Open second round.
Sir Andy in firing line
Firebrand Rublev, 19, was one of two young Russians to enjoy impressive opening victories on Monday. The qualifier, the son of a professional boxer, knocked over experienced Taiwanese player Lu Yen-hsun while Karen Khachanov, 20, also needed four sets to beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
With 20-year-old Daniil Medvedev also on the rise, Russia finally appears to have found a clutch of players capable of filling the void left by mercurial former world number one Marat Safin. Rublev, who keeps in shape by sparring in the boxing ring and listens to the music of Metallica, has something of Safin’s volcanic demeanour on court, as well as the shot-making skills.
He has already got under the skin of opponents and two years ago Argentine Olivo Renzo accused Rublev of intimidating him during a Challenger match in Moscow.
Jeremy Chardy, France, def. Nicolas Almagro, Spain, 4-0, retired. Ryan Harrison, United States, def. Nicolas Mahut, France, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Tomas Berdych (10), Czech Republic, def. Luca Vanni, Italy, 6-1, retired. Viktor Troicki (29), Serbia, def. Damir Dzumhur, Bosnia-herzegovina, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 2-6, 6-3. Victor Estrella Burgos, Dominican Republic, def. Aljaz Bedene, Britain, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 0-6, 6-3. Kei Nishikori (5), Japan, def. Andrey Kuznetsov, Russia, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-2. Jo-wilfried Tsonga (12), France, def. Thiago Monteiro, Brazil, 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2. Jack Sock (23), United States, def. Pierrehugues Herbert, France, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
RESULTS:
SHELBY ROGERS, who made one of last season’s most surprising surges, picked up where she left off by delivering the first major upset of the Australian Open on Monday.
The unseeded Rogers beat Simona Halep, the fourth seed, in routine fashion, 6-3, 6-1, in the opening match on center court at Rod Laver Arena. Rogers, of South Carolina, dominated the match with her serve, winning 71 percent of her first-serve points and 63 percent on her second serve. She faced only one break point, which she saved, and broke Halep’s serve four times during a 75-minute match.
Rogers, 24, who is ranked No. 52 in the world, first made waves at the French Open last year, when she marched to the quarterfinals, losing to Garbiñe Muguruza, the eventual champion. Rogers was ranked No. 108 at the time.
“The biggest thing I took away from that was just that I can compete with the top players in the world, and I’m good enough,” Rogers said. “Little things here and there I need to work on, but I’m here. I need to believe in myself.”
Halep, ranked No. 4 in the world, took a medical timeout at the end of the first set as she struggled with her movement. She said after the match that she had painful tendinitis in her left knee. With Halep hampered, Rogers used her superior power to control rallies and overwhelm Halep’s defenses.
“I think I played great today, trying to be aggressive going out there,” Rogers said. “My game plan worked: Just move forward, hit your shots, be really aggressive. When I’m doing that, I’m playing well.” Halep, of Romania, beat Rogers easily in the third round of the 2015 United States Open, their only previous meeting. A two-time quarterfinalist in Melbourne, Halep also lost in the first round of last year’s Australian Open, losing to the Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai.
Kerber advances
Defending champion and top seed Angelique Kerber battled her nerves and faltered badly with victory in sight before finally overcoming Lesia Tsurenko 6-2 5-7 6-2 to reach the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.
The 28-year-old German was starting the defence of a grand slam title for the first time and initially struggled with her serve and the accuracy of her groundstrokes on Rod Laver Arena. Once she found her range, however, Kerber proved more than a match for world number 51 Tsurenko, who was reduced to scrapping to save her serve and the odd pearl of a consolation point off her rasping backhand. The German’s nerves returned when Kerber was serving for the match, however, and the world number one started ballooning shots all over the place, allowing her Ukrainian opponent to break back for 5-5.
Tsurenko grasped her opportunity with both hands and broke the Australian and U.S. Open champion again after a marathon nineminutegametosendthematchintoadecider.
The third set developed into a battle of wills but Kerber grabbed the key break for a 4-2 lead before rattling off the next two games to set up a second round tie against compatriot Carina Witthoeft.