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Aussie Max Purcell has fallen just short of a stunning upset over world number 11 Casper Ruud, losing a five-set thriller in a heartbreaking match-tiebreak.
Purcell, after reaching the second round of his home Grand Slam for the first time, pushed the Norwegian superstar all the way in a Margaret Court epic, only to fall agonisingly short of victory.
Meanwhile, world number one Iga Swiatek has survived a massive scare from Danielle Collins, fighting back from 1-4 down in the third set to win 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Swiatek was also down 0-40 when serving at 2-4, and said she was ‘at the airport already’, so close was she to defeat.
But other big upsets have blown the women’s singles draw wide open, while a star hit out at questions over a looming court case in an ugly press conference.
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ZVEREV BLOWS UP AGAIN OVER COURT CASE QUESTIONS
Alexander Zverev isn’t happy about journalists asking him about his upcoming court case over domestic violence allegations.
Zverev, the sixth seed from Germany, needed a match tiebreak to claim victory after a 4h 31m epic against a player ranked just 163rd in the world.
But after his 7-5 3-6 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6 (10-7) win, Zverev again was asked about a looming court case over allegations he assaulted former partner Brenda Patea, the mother of their daughter Mayla, in Berlin in May 2020. He has denied the allegations, as well as other allegations from another woman.
Asked if he would attend the trial in Berlin, a shocked Zverev hit out, saying: “Wow, that’s the question.”
“I just played four hours and 40 minutes. It’s not the first question I really wanna hear, to be honest,” he said.
“I’ve got no idea. It’s in May,” he added. There were no other questions in English in the press conference.
Zverev hit out after his first-round win over questions about the allegations, while many other players have been quizzed about Zverev’s role on the ATP player council as well as his feature role on Netflix’s Break Point show.
Channel 9 also faced criticism for choosing to show Zverev on TV in a primetime night match instead of a clash between world number three Elena Rybakina and former world number one Karolina Pliskova.
14th seed Daria Kasatkina wrote on X: “No women’s tennis shown on TV. They are playing on Rod Laver, prime time and for what. don’t wanna say who they actually showing now.”
‘Like who?’: Zverev fires back in heated presser amid uproar over assault claims
‘Genuinely shocking’: Dark cloud hanging over Aus Open as star’s concerning allegations take twist
PURCELL FALLS JUST SHORT OF HUGE UPSET
Australian Max Purcell’s ambitious bid to oust three-time major finalist Casper Ruud has ended in heartache with the Norwegian winning a thriller in a deciding supertiebreaker.
After 3hr 50m, the No.11 seed managed to edge the Davis Cup representative 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3 3-6 7-6 (10-7) in a fascinating contest between players with contrasting style.
Purcell attacked the net with vigour, approaching the net more than 100 times during the match in what dual-Australian Open champion Jim Courier declared “good, old-school style tennis”.
Ultimately the aggression fell marginally shy, with the disciplined Ruud making just 19 unforced errors in a phenomenal display of consistency.
Purcell was forced to fight hard to stay with Ruud throughout a high-quality deciding set.
Repeatedly on big moments, the Sydneysider’s ability to conjure a quality approach shot and then deliver with an excellent volley enabled him to keep the three-time major finalist at bay.
A case in point occurred at 5-all in the deciding set where he was able to save a break point by forcing a backhand error from Ruud when perched at the net.
He was particularly aggressive on both his second serve and also his forehand, a clear tactical change from his regular style on tour.
It was high risk tennis but it reaped rewards for a period. But in the super tiebreaker, the consistency of the No.11 seed came to the fore as he surged to a dominant lead.
But the Sydneysider was able to fight back into the tiebreaker, with a phenomenal forehand winner when stretched wide on the court at 4-7 simply remarkable.
“It was an outrageous winner at the moment he most needed it,” Courier said in commentary.
Using exceptional variety, from drop shots to topspin lobs, Purcell moved his rival around the court as Ruud tightened up to close the advantage to 8-7.
But when a forehand from Purcell sailed long, the match was over, with the pair embracing warmly at the net.
Ruud praised the performance of the plucky Australian, noting the variety he displayed made him a tricky proposition to handle.
“What can I say? It was an incredible match, honestly. It could have gone both ways,” Ruud said.
“If he keeps playing like this, he will have good chances to do good results this year.”
The Norwegian noted that Purcell’s style was a throwback to the days of the 1980s and 90s when stars used to serve-and-volley regularly.
“He plays fast. Serve-and-villey, he is one of the most unorthodox players thers days,” he said.
“That is tough, because you are not used to playing players like that these days. I was lucky in the end. Only a few points separated us in the end.”
WOMEN’S DRAW WIDE OPEN AFTER ANOTHER SHOCK
Fifth seed Jessica Pegula was dumped out in straight sets on Thursday afternoon, the fourth top-ten player on the women’s draw to lose in the opening two rounds already.
Pegula fell 6-4 6-2 to Frenchwoman Clara Burel in an hour and ten minutes.
Pegula served at just 52 per cent and was dogged by errors in a sloppy performances=, making nine winners to 31 unforced errors.
The American was broken five times as world number 51 Burel impressed in her first win over a top-ten player.
Pegula, the third-ranked doubles player alongside her No.5 singles ranking, had reached the quarterfinals at the last three Australian Open tournaments.
Burel is into the third round at the Aus Open for the first time in her career, with the draw opening up significantly thanks to a number of upsets in recent days.
No.7 Markéta Vondroušová was the first major upset as she was dumped out in the first round, and she’s now been followed by No.5 Pegula, No.6 Ons Jabeur, and No.8 Maria Sakkari.
In total, 18 of the 32 women’s seeds have lost in the first two rounds, with eight other seeds still yet to finish their second round matches.
Swiatek escapes Collins in thriller | 00:26
SWIATEK PULLS OFF STAGGERING RECOVERY
World No.1 Iga Swiatek avoided her earliest grand slam exit in five years when overcoming a significant deficit against former Australian Open finalis Danielle Collins on Thursday.
The four-time grand slam champion was in significant peril when trailing the feisty American by two service breaks at 1-4 in the third set, with the momentum firmly against her.
But Collins, who let slip a 5-1 second set lead in her straight sets loss to Ash Barty in the final two years ago, endured a similar dip in dominance when losing the last five games.
Swiatek, a semi-finalist in Melbourne last year, said after her 6-4 3-6 6-4 triumph 3hr 14min that she tried to extend Collins in the latter stages hoping her hot streak would start to cool.
“Oh my God. I don’t even know. Honestly, I was at the airport already,” she said.
“I wanted to fight to the end. I knew she had played perfectly but that it would be hard for anyone to keep playing at that level. I am really proud of myself, because it was not easy.”
After conceding the first of the two service breaks in the third set, Collins had the chance to reclaim the momentum when holding three break points on the top seed’s serve at 4-2.
But they went begging and exacerbating the squandered opportunities was the loss of her conviction from the baseline.
Where once she was firing winners as regularly as fist pumps, she began erring badly from both wings, though she did continue to fight.
The 30-year-old saved two match points when serving at 4-5, one by driving a backhand straight at Swiatek at the net, to keep her hopes of an upset alive.
But after a spirited rally on her third match point, Swiatek was able to chase down a drop shot and whip a backhand winner up the line to clinch a spot in the third round.
Swiatek was wearing a black band underneath her left knee to assist with a niggle dating back to her triumph in the WTA Tour Finals in Cancun last November.
“It does not matter, because I have been struggling a little bit with my knee since Cancun. You don’t have to be worried, because it is all good,” she said.
She will play Czech Republic teenager Linda Noskova on Saturday for a spot in the Round of 16.
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EX-FINALIST MAKES SHOCK RETIREMENT CALL
After a heartbreaking three-set loss to Iga Swiatek, 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins made the shock revelation that she will retire after this season.
Collins led 4-1 in the final set and had three break points with Swiatek serving at 2-4, but the American couldn’t get it done, losing 4-6 6-3 6-4 to the No.1 seed.
The 30-year-old was asked in her post-match press conference whether some losses ‘stay with you longer than others’.
She replied: “At this point, you know, I’m kind of at the end of my career and they don’t sting quite as much, to be honest.
“I feel like I have kind of gotten to the point where obviously they matter and, you know, my career means a lot to me, but the end of the day, you know, you either win or you lose, and that’s all there is to it.”
Reporters in the press conference were stunned to hear her mention the end of her career, and asked a follow-up.
“This is going to be my last season, actually, competing. I don’t really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that,” said the American.
One reporter asked: “Really?”
Collins replied “Yeah,” before adding: “I have other things that I’d kind of like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to kind of, you know, be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”
DJOKOVIC BATTLING MYSTERY ILLNESS
Novak Djokovic has lost a set in both the first and second round for the first time since 2018, and eagled eyed viewers suspect the World No. 1 is carrying a mystery illness.
Djokovic struggled with a wrist complaint during the United Cup and said he was “a bit under the weather” during the early stages of his campaign at Melbourne Park.
“I’m definitely not playing or feeling my best,” Djokovic said.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg tweeted: “Djokovic admitted after his first round that he wasn’t feeling great. And if I saw correctly, I think a tissue fell out of his pocket during that last game?”
— news.com.au
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DAY 5 ORDER OF PLAY (Show courts)
Day session from 12pm AEDT, night session from 7pm AEDT, unless listed
ROD LAVER ARENA
Day session
No.1 Iga Swiatek (POL) def. Danielle Collins (USA) 6-4 3-6 6-4
Not before 1:30pm: No.2 Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
Night session
No.3 Elena Rybakina (KAZ) vs Anna Blinkova (RUS)
Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) vs No.3 Daniil Medvedev (RUS)
MARGARET COURT ARENA
Day session
No.11 Casper Ruud (NOR) def. Max Purcell (AUS) 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-3 3-6 7-6 (10-7)
Clara Burel (FRA) vs No.5 Jessica Pegula (USA)
Night session
No.8 Holger Rune (DEN) vs Arthur Cazaux (FRA)
Clara Tauson (DEN) vs No.18 Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
JOHN CAIN ARENA (from 11am)
No.6 Alexander Zverev (GER) def. Lukas Klein (SLO) 7-5 3-6 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6 (10-7)
No.14 Daria Kasatkina (RUS) vs Sloane Stephens (USA)
Not before 4pm: No.13 Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
Not before 7pm: No.11 Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) vs Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
Brilliant act after wild ballkid blunder | 00:43
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