The second day of the opening Grand Slam tournament of the 2023 season brings Tamara Zidanšek’s center court match against Ons Jabeur, which takes place at the Rod Laver Arena. The Tunisian won the first set after an extended game with 7:6 (8).
Tamara Zidanšek she started with a break, but then she Ons Jabeur streaked four games for 4:1. But the Konjičan woman rallied and tied the game at 4:4 after her service was taken, and in the tenth game she saved the final ball from the Tunisian woman. The first set was decided by an extended game, in which Tamara Zidanšek took the lead with 6:4, but Ons Jabeur kept calm and canceled as many as three balls of the Slovenian woman for the opening set. In the end, after more than an hour of play, the world’s second tennis player won the tie-break with 10:8 and the first set with 7:6.
The most anticipated men’s match on the second day of the 2023 Australian Open lasted four hours and 49 minutes. Fan favorite Andy Murray challenged 13th seed Matteo Berrettini, which meant full stands of Rod Laver Arena and a beam of spotlights.
Wasted a 2-0 lead in sets
The Scot won the opening two sets, but then the Italian woke up and leveled. The fifth set was forced by Berrettini only in extended play, in which Murray saved two balls for the set, but did not come up with a single chance to win and advance. In the end, Berrettini tied the match at 2:2 in sets with 9:7.
The fifth set was also incredibly close. In the tenth game, the 26-year-old Romanian won the final ball, but the 35-year-old from Glasgow saved it and tied the game at 5:5. With a sovereign serve, the winner was decided by an extended game to 10 points, as we are used to in doubles games.
In the extended game took a 5-0 lead
Murray started strongly, taking a 5-0 lead, but Berrettini didn’t give up and managed to cut it to 8-6, before the Scot just finished the job and after almost five hours, he was delighted to progress to the second round of Melbourne.
“Overjoyed. Proud of myself. A lot of work has been put in the last months. Thanks to the team that I was able to perform like this against Matteo,” was a visibly tired but smiling Andy Murray after the match, who also demonstrated extraordinary physical fitness during the five-hour match. In doing so, he ended Berrettini’s streak of success in extended games – he had previously won nine tie-breaks in Melbourne.
“I didn’t know his stats, which helped a little bit. It was the first time I played an extended game to 10 points, which is a lot different than seven points. I think he played some pretty good tennis in the end, though.” Murray added.
He also had to play five sets in just over four hours Sasha Zverev, who is coming back from ankle surgery. Against the Peruvians To Juan Pablo Varillas trailed 1:2 in sets, equalized with the help of an extended game, and won the decisive fifth set 6:4.
Eliminated a friend to begin with
Fifth seed Andrei Rublev easily eliminated Melbourne in three sets with 6:3, 6:4 and 6:2 in the first round Dominic Thiem, which was one of the main Tuesday’s matches at the Australian Open. The Russian beat the Austrian in 35 degrees Celsius in two hours and 10 minutes. Rubljov won as many as 16 break opportunities, but he used only four.
“It’s always difficult to play against Dominic, especially because we’re really good friends. He was really hot this time, so I’m happy that I was able to advance in three sets and save some energy for the next matches,” said the sixth player in the world after the victory, who hopes to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final in Melbourne.
The second day of the Australian Open 2023 was marked by high heat, which led to the suspension of all matches for 90 minutes in the middle of the day. But in the evening, a storm raged over the Melbourne pitches, which also interrupted the matches, with the exception of the central arena, which has a movable roof.
INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT – GRAND SLAM
MELBOURNE (US$18,718,600, hard base)
Round 1 (M), lower part of the table
RUBLE (RUS/5) – THIEM (AVT) 6:3, 6:4, 6:2 RUUSUVUORI (FIN) – PURCELL (AVS) CHARDY (FRA) – GALAN (KOL) 1:6, 7:5, 6:1, 6:4EVANS (VB/25) – BAGNIS (ARG) 6:4, 3:6, 6:4, 6:4 KUDLA (USA) – SAFIULIN (RUS) GASQUET (FRA) – HUMBERT (FRA) CRESSY (USA) – RAMOS VINOLAS (ŠPA) RUNES (DAY/9) – KRAJINOVIĆ (SRB) 6:2, 6:3, 6:4
CARRENO BUSTA (ŠPA/14) – CACHIN (ARG) 7:6 (4), 6:1, 7:6 (3)BONZI (FRA) – BELLUCCI (ITA) 4:6, 6:3, 7:6 (5), 6:4 ISNER (USA) – MANNARINO (FRA) DE MINAUR (AVS/22) – HSU (TJV) DIMITROV (BLG/27) – KARACEV (RUS) 7:6 (3), 7:5, 6:2 ĐERE (SRB) – BERGS (BEL) 6:4, 1:6, 6:4, 6:1 DELLIEN (BOL) – COUACAUD (FRA) ĐOKOVIĆ (SRB/4) – CARBALLES BAENA (ŠPA)
FRITZ (USA/8) – BASILAŠVILI (GRU) 6:4, 6:2, 4:6, 7:5 CENG (TJV) – POPYRIN (AVS) SHELTON (USA) – DŽANG (KIT) JARRY (CHILE) – KECMANOVIĆ (SRB/26) 6:3, 6:4, 7:6 (3)SCHWARTZMAN (ARG/23) – KRUTIH (UKR) 6:4, 4:7 (6), 6:3, 7:6 (5) WOLF (USA) – THOMPSON (AVS) 6:3, 3:6, 6:4, 7:5 GOFFIN (BEL) – LOKOLI (FRA) A. ZVEREV (NEM/12) – VARILLAS (PER)4:6, 6:1, 5:7, 7:6 (3), 6:4
MURRAY (UK) – BERRETTINI (ITA/13) 6:3, 6:3, 4:6, 6:7 (7), 7:6 (6) KOKKINAKIS (AVS) – FOGNINI (ITA) VUKIC (AVS) – HOLT (USA) BAUTISTA AGUT (ŠPA/24) – J. SOUSA (POR)DAVIDOVICH FOKINA (ŠPA/30) – BUBLIK/KAZ6:0, 6:7 (3), 3:6, 6:4, 6:3 PAUL (USA) – STRUFF (GER) 6:1, 7:6 (6), 6:2 O’CONNELL (AVS) – BROOKSBY (USA) RUUD (NOR/2) – MACHAČ (CZECH REPUBLIC)
1st round (W), lower part of the table
KASATKINA (RUS/8) – GRAČEVA (RUS) MARIA (GERMAN) – STEFANINI (ITA) CIRSTEA (ROMA) – PUTINCEVA (KAZ) PLISKOVA (CZECH/30) – Š. VANG (KIT) 6:1, 6:3 DŽANG (KIT/23) – TIG (ROM) MARTIĆ (CROATIA) – GOLUBIC (SVI) VOLYNETS (USA) – RODINA (RUS) 6:3, 6:2KUDERMETOVA (RUS/9) – ZANEVSKA (BEL) 6:2, 7:6 (4)
CONTAVEIT (EST/16) – GRABHER (AVT) 6:2, 6:3 SHERIF (EGI) – LINETTE (POL) TOWNSEND (USA) – PARRY (FRA) 6:1, 6:1 ALEXANDROVA (RUS/19) – BONAVENTURE/BEL6:2, 6:1 BEGU (ROM/27) – ŽENG (KIT) BRONZETTI (ITA) – SIEGEMUND (GERMAN) FERNANDEZ (KAN) – CORNET (FRA) 7:5, 6:2 GARCIA (FRA/4) – SEBOV (KAN) 6:3, 6:0
SABALENKA (BLR/5) – MARTINCOVA (CZECH REPUBLIC) 6:1, 6:4 ROGERS (USA) – HARTONO (NIZ) 6:4, 6:3 DAVIS (USA) – KOVINIC (ČG) MERTENS (WHITE/26) – MUGURUZA (ŠPA) 3:6, 7:6 (3), 6:1 SCHMIEDLOVA (SLK) – TREVISAN (ITA/21) 6:3, 6:2 GIORGI (ITA) – PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS) 6:0, 6:1 LIU (USA) – BRENGLE (USA) BENCIC (SWI/12) – TOMOVA (BLG)
HADDAD MAIA BRA/14 – PARRIZAS DIAZ/ŠPA STEPHENS (USA) – POTAPOVA (RUS) VEKIĆ (CROATIA) – SELEHMETEVA (RUS) SAMSONOVA (RUS/18) – PAOLINI (ITA) 6:2, 6:4 BIRRELL (AVS) – KANEPI (EST/31) 3:6, 7:6 (4), 6:1 L. FRUHVIRTOVA (CZECH REPUBLIC) – FOURLIS (AVS) 6:0, 6:4 RISKE AMRITRAJ (USA) – VONDROUŠOVA (CZECH REPUBLIC) JABEUR (TUN/2) – ZIDANŠEK (SLO) 7:6 (8), -:-Rod Laver Arena, today at 10:00 a.m.
Source: Rtvslo
