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A surprise scheduling call is set to “haunt” the Australian Open with the opening quarter-final on day 10 running long amid bizarre scenes. Follow live below!
Fourth seed Coco Gauff’s clash with Marta Kostyuk took nearly two and a half hours to reach a third set, with both players well below their best and making errors at will.
It is threatening to break the record for the longest women’s match of the tournament, which was three hours and 14 minutes for Iga Swiatek’s win over Danielle Collins.
And it means delays for the rest of the schedule are almost certain, with the third set getting underway at 3:42pm AEDT, just over three hours before the night session is supposed to begin at 7pm.
That’s because the match started at 1pm AEDT – rather than 12pm like all other day sessions – even though the two-match sessions beginning at midday have still managed to run long and delay the night session during this tournament.
Reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are in action later tonight.
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DJOKOVIC: ‘Sporting integrity’ fears behind 15-year advantage… and why snub could be his downfall
BIZARRE SCENES IN COCO-KOSTYUK QUARTER-FINAL
Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff has been in brilliant form at the Australian Open, and is undefeated in 2024, but her quarter-final with unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk has been of a bizarrely low quality.
Despite hitting just five winners and trailing 5-1, down a double break, Gauff claimed the first set 7-6(6).
Serving for the opener, Kostyuk double-faulted twice to hand a break back, failed to convert a set point in the ensuing game at 30-40, and from 0-40 in her ensuing service game could only save two of the three break points, as Gauff got things back on serve and made it 5-5.
At that stage Gauff had hit just three winners to 19 unforced errors.
Gauff then broke again for 6-5, serving for the set on a huge wave of momentum, yet a series of errors including a double-fault on break point got Kostyuk into a tiebreak.
Before the tiebreak Kostyuk was battling a left foot issue, with her foot already wrapped but needing a medical timeout to check on a toe blister.
Once the tiebreak got underway the errors continued including Gauff giving back a mini-break with a double-fault, before a cracking return gave Kostyuk a set point on serve at 6-5, but another unforced error by the Ukrainian threw it away. She then erred again to hand Gauff set point on her own serve, Gauff forcing the error to claim the set 7-6(6).
Gauff was then broken to begin the second set, before breaking back in a game where all five points were decided by errors. She was nearly broken at 3-2 before a series of costly Kostyuk errors, resulting in the Ukrainian throwing her racquet.
Another Kostyuk error gave Gauff the break for 4-2, before Kostyuk broke back to love.
Yet the drama continued as Kostyuk won arguably the point of the tournament, surviving again and gain, before losing every point for the rest of the game to give Gauff a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve for the semi-finals.
But Gauff was then broken again, before Kostyuk held to love for 5-5.
In the tiebreak, Kostyuk leapt out to a 4-0 lead, with Gauff’s forehand proving to be a massive liability. The Ukrainian eventually claimed it 7-6(3).
A lengthy opening game of the third set saw Gauff break for 1-0.
Kostyuk has campaigned strongly for more support for her home nation amid the ongoing war, complaining about a US Open social media post which used the Russian flag. Players from Russia and Belarus are not playing under their national flags at this tournament.
Awkward Alcaraz interview | 00:31
KYRGIOS HILARIOUSLY REVEALS POST-DJOKER PLAN
Turns out all the Aussies who’ve been waiting for Nick Kyrgios to turn into a super-serious tennis machine only have to wait a little bit longer. Well, maybe.
Currently injured and working for TV networks ESPN and Eurosport during the Australian Open, the Wimbledon finalist has joked that he’s lying in wait for Novak Djokovic’s eventual retirement to finally strike.
“I think when Novak decides to pack it all up you’ll see a bunch of guys winning Slams,” Kyrgios said with a smile.
“Secretly that’s my tactic, I’m just waiting for Novak to go, then I’ll go into hibernation, get in the best shape of my life, protected ranking.
“It’s been my plan all along. Leave me alone Novak.”
For what it’s worth Kyrgios has seemingly not applied to ‘freeze’ his protected ranking which could cost him dearly once he’s fit again.
HEWITT ACT MIGHT HAVE ‘CROSSED THE LINE’
Aussie great Lleyton Hewitt has come under fire for working double-duty during Alex de Minaur’s matches at the Australian Open.
A Code Sports column questioned whether Hewitt was “crossing a line” by doing live commentary for broadcaster Nine while sitting in de Minaur’s players’ box.
Hewitt gave his thoughts multiple times during de Minaur’s five-set fourth-round loss to Andrey Rublev, but it is incredibly uncommon for a coach to speak on their own player during a tournament, never mind during a match.
“Remember when Ash Barty was on her way to the 2022 title, and Alicia Molik was the Billie Jean King Cup captain similarly moonlighting as a commentator during the Aussie summer of tennis? Ever see Molik — or Barty’s bestie Casey Dellacqua, for that matter — wielding a microphone from the heart of the entourage while a match was underway?” author and long-time journalist Linda Pearce asked.
“Did not happen. Never would have been allowed.”
She added: “It is de Minaur’s box, not Hewitt’s TV studio. It is also the player’s decision, of course, but sometimes, perhaps, it can just be more comfortable to go along with something than risk conflict or disharmony by pushing back.”
Pearce noted successful coaches like Darren Cahill, now working with Jannik Sinner, or Brad Gilbert, who assists Coco Gauff, do not discuss their players at all during a tournament.
Read the full column here.
FULL DAY 10 PREVIEW
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka take the next step in their campaigns to retain their Australian Open titles Tuesday with tricky quarter-finals to negotiate in Melbourne.
Serbian top seed Djokovic faces American 12th seed Taylor Fritz, while the Belarusian world number two tackles ever-consistent Czech star Barbora Krejcikova.
Djokovic, gunning for an 11th title and record 25th Grand Slam crown, ran rings around fourth-round opponent Adrian Mannarino, losing just three games.
But he is expecting a harder test from Fritz, who beat last year’s finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to set up their afternoon showdown at Rod Laver Arena.
“I’m really excited to enter the second week. I look forward to the battles because obviously the opponents are higher-ranked,” said the 36-year-old.
“I play Fritz. There’s no easy matches, no doubt about that.
“But the experience of knowing what I need to do with my own body, with my training, with the maintaining of the kind of level, I guess tennis-related specifics that I need to work on, and also recovery has been on point.”
The winner will meet either in-form Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner or Russia’s fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who face off in the evening.
Both are targeting their first taste of a Melbourne Park semi-final. Like Djokovic, Sabalenka was ruthless in her fourth-round match and has conceded just 11 games so far to position herself as the red-hot title favourite.
But she too is expecting a more thorough examination from ninth seed Krejcikova.
“Barbora, we played a lot of matches. She plays really well. I think she’s coming back after injuries, so also super-motivated. Always a tough battle,” she said.
Awaiting the winner will be either US Open champion and fourth seed Coco Gauff or unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.
Like Sabalenka, Gauff is another in player in form and said she had learned from her experience of winning at Flushing Meadows last year.
“Super-happy to be in this position and be here. Hopefully I can keep going for more,” she said.
— AFP
DAY 10 ORDER OF PLAY (Quarter-finals – all times AEDT)
Rod Laver Arena
Not before 1pm: Marta Kostyuk (UKR) vs No.4 Coco Gauff (USA)
Not before 2:30pm: No.1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs No.12 Taylor Fritz (USA)
From 7pm: No.9 Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) vs No.2 Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
Followed by: No.4 Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs No.5 Andrey Rublev (RUS)
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