In the next round, Medvedev will face Australian John Millman, who had a five-set duel against Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler – 6:7 (8:10), 7:5, 6:7 (2:7), 6:2, 6:3. And even Daniel admitted that a dangerous confrontation awaited him.
– I am very happy with the opening match. Marcos is not an easy opponent, so it’s good to beat him with such a score in the first round of the Major,” Medvedev said in an on-court interview. – True, in five or six years on the Tour, I never met Millman. But he is an excellent tennis player and he can prove his worth in a home tournament. Plus, he had at least one big game in his career. John beat the best Federer at the US Open. So Millman should not be underestimated. And I will have to show everything that I am capable of.
Another “flyer” on behalf of another Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov, who also dealt with Spaniard Bernabé Zapato Miralles in three sets – 7:6 (7:3) 6:2, 6:0. Next up is Jason Kubler from Australia.
A good start was made by the Russian Diana Schneider, who defeated the representative of Slovakia Kristina Kuchova with a score of 7:6 (8:6), 7:5. But Pavel Kotov did not stay long in the network. He lost to the Dutchman Tallon Grikspor (3: 6, 6: 7 (3: 6), 3: 6). Anna Kalinskaya fought back, but she lost to American Danielle Collins (5:7, 7:5, 4:6). Polina Kudermetova, the sister of the ninth racket in the world Veronika Kudermetova, who had a great qualification, was not strong enough for the main draw. She did not cope with the local tennis player Olivia Gadeki (5: 7, 1: 6). Anna Blinkova completed her singles performance in Australia, losing to American Madison Keys (4: 6, 6: 3, 2: 6).
As for the reigning champions, they are both in the business. The first racket of the world Polish Iga Sviontek eliminated the German Jule Niemeyer in two sets (6:4, 7:5). Record holder, 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal of Spain also began his title defense with a victory. Rafa made everyone nervous at the beginning of the match, then gave Great Britain’s opponent Jack Draper the second set, but still turned out to be stronger – 7: 5, 2: 6, 6: 4, 6: 1. “The The last two months have not been easy for me, but I hope this victory will help change everything,” Nadal said in an on-court interview.
Take care of your leg Novak
Yes, Nadal’s form raises questions. But it is also a known fact that the Spaniard is capable of scoring during the competition. Now more attention is focused on the status of nine-time Australian Open champion and current favorite of Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Let’s remember that at the start of the season, Djokovic suffered a hip injury. The injury occurred in the tournament that the Serbian won in Adelaide, in the semifinals against the Russian Daniil Medvedev. A little later, leg problems prevented Novak from completing the already exhibition match with Daniil. So even three medical timeouts didn’t help.
Djokovic will enter the fight today with a match with the Spanish Roberto Carballes-Baena. Nole missed practice on the Melbourne pitches and was photographed yesterday with a bandaged thigh.
A record $51 million prize pool will be on the line at the 2023 Australian Open. Champions will receive two million
Djokovic himself explains both the withdrawal from the exhibition match and the caution in training by the fact that he is saving his strength and does not want to take risks.
By the way, about real injuries that are incompatible with the performance in the “major” with its five-set format. Wimbledon finalist and Australian crowd favorite World No. 21 Nick Kyrgios withdrew from his home tournament due to a knee injury. In the first round match with the Russian Roman Safiullin, which will take place today, he will be replaced by the lucky loser, the American tennis player Denis Kudla.
Classification
On Monday, the WTA and ATP released updated world rankings. In the women’s singles, Russians Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova maintained their top ten positions (8th and 9th ranks, respectively). Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who defeated Kasatkina in the final of the Adelaide tournament and took the first title under Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov, moved up to the top 10. The top 3 remained unchanged: Iga Swiatek (Poland), Ons Jaber (Tunisia), Jessica Pegula (USA).
For men, the top three are also in place: Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), who is out of the Australian Open due to injury, Rafael Nadal (Spain) and Kasper Ruud (Norway). Russians Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev held the sixth and eighth lines. Aslan Karatsev had a serious fall. He lost 30 positions at once (82).
