The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
YOUNG AMERICANS STAY ON TRACK IN AUSSIE OPEN
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Frances Tiafoe rolled up his shirt’s right sleeve, flexed his biceps and slapped the muscle five times, then pounded his chest and yelled, “Yeah! Let’s go! Let’s go! Come on!”
Forgive the young American’s exuberance. This was, after all, the biggest victory of his nascent career. Down a set and 3-0 in the second, the 20-year-old came back to stun two-time Grand Slam finalist and No. 5 seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday in the Australian Open’s second round.
“I went to a different place. I dug insanely deep,” the 39th-ranked Tiafoe said. “It’s just about how badly you want it. I want it real bad.”
He was joined in the third round by another kid from the U.S. who’d never been that far at Melbourne Park, Taylor Fritz, who saved 12 of the 13 break points he faced while dispatching No. 30 seed Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5). Next for Fritz, 21, is a match against Roger Federer, the two-time defending cham- pion in Australia and owner of 20 Grand Slam titles.
A day after American men went 1-5, the country’s contingent produced those two upsets and threw a couple of scares into other seeded players, too. Mackenzie McDonald pushed No. 6 Marin Cilic before losing 7-5, 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4, and Denis Kudla went to a fifth set before fall- ing 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-7 (6), 6-4 to No. 18 Diego Schwartz- man. Reilly Opelka, who beat No. 9 John Isner in the first round, held a 67-2 ace advantage against Thomas Fabbiano but lost to the Italian 6-7 (15), 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
“This group (of Americans) really deserves the hype, I guess, because I think everyone’s good,” Fritz said.
Cilic was the 2014 U.S. Open champ and the runner-up at Melbourne Park to Federer last year. Against the 81st-ranked McDonald, 23, Cilic delivered 25 aces. “It was a much tougher match than I expected,” Cilic said.
For Tiafoe, it helped that Anderson’s best attribute, his intimidating serve, slowed down along the way because of problems with his right arm. Anderson was repeatedly visited by a trainer during changeovers and he lost pace on his first serves as the match wore on.
Tiafoe ended a six-match losing streak against top-10 opponents and is into the third round at a major for the second time. “These are the matches where they kind of define you and help you feel more and more comfortable to keep winning matches like that,” Tiafoe said. “So, yeah, I’m definitely going to remember this one.”
As for his postmatch flex, Tiafoe said: “I hope the crowd liked it.”
Federer, seeking a record seventh Australian Open title and third in a row, beat Dan Evans 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-3, and 2009 champion Rafael Nadal set up a third-round showdown against 19-yearold Australian Alex de Minaur with a straight-set victory of his own. The defending women’s champion, Caroline Wozniacki, advanced in straight sets, beating Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3, and will face Maria Sharapova next. Sharapova, whose five major titles include the 2008 Australian Open, had a 6-2, 6-1 win over Rebecca Peterson in Wednesday’s last match.
Three-time major champion Angelique Kerber moved on with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia. No. 5 Sloane Stephens opened the day in Rod Laver Arena with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over her junior doubles partner Timea Babos. Four seeded women were sent home, including No. 24 Lesia Tsurenko, a 6-0, 6-2 loser against 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova. No. 9 Kiki Bertens, No. 20 Anett Kontaveit and No. 29 Donna Vekic also exited. Vekic lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to Kimberly Birrell, a 20-year-old Australian ranked 240th who got into the field as a wild card.