Twenty-four-year-old Rybakinová, who knocked out Karolína Plíšková in the first round, had six chances to end the match in the super tiebreak. In the end, however, Blinková rejoiced at her overall tenth match point, after the Wimbledon champion from 2022 sent a backhand stroke into the car after the run-up to the net.
The Moscow natives and former doubles partners played the longest tiebreak in a singles match in the history of Grand Slams with 42 points. The previous record set on two occasions was 38 points.
Twenty-five-year-old Blinková equaled her best Grand Slam result in her career by advancing to the 3rd round. In the next match, she will face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
Last year’s Roland Garros and Tournament of Champions winner Šwiateková won her 18th competitive match in a row. He continues to cherish the chance for the fifth Grand Slam title in his career and the first at the Australian Open. Last year she played on concrete in Melbourne in the round of 16, the furthest she got to the semi-finals two years ago, where she was beaten by Collins.
Twenty-two-year-old Šwiateková lost her serve six times in the match. In the decisive third set, she lost 1:4 and at 2:4 she faced three more break points. But she managed to withstand the difficult moments, won the next five games and converted the third match point after almost three hours of play.
“God, I don’t even know how I turned it around. To be honest, I was already on my way to the airport. However, I wanted to fight until the end, because she played great, but it is not easy for anyone to maintain such a high level of play, so I wanted to be ready if she starts making mistakes,” said Šwiateková. “I’m proud of myself because it really wasn’t easy today.”
The 30-year-old Collins said after the match that it was her last appearance at Melbourne Park as she plans to retire this year.
Unlike Šwiateková, seeded fifth seed Jessica Pegula from the USA did not avoid elimination. The quarter-finalist of the last three years of the Australian Open was eliminated in 70 minutes after winning 6:4, 6:2 by Frenchwoman Clara Burelová.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who missed Australia last year due to injury, defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6:4, 6:7, 6:3, 7:6. The 20-year-old Spaniard equaled his best result in Melbourne by advancing to the 3rd round. “I am very satisfied with the performance. I think we both played at a high level with a lot of intensity. It was pretty tricky today because of the wind and the sun,” Alcaraz said.
Close to defeat was sixth seed Alexander Zverev, who was tormented by Slovakian qualifier Lukáš Klein for four and a half hours. The German favorite won 7:5, 3:6, 4:6, 7:6, 7:6 and had only words of praise for his opponent.
“To be honest, he probably deserved the promotion more than I did. He played incredibly, hitting hard from both sides and I often didn’t know what to do. But that’s how it is in tennis sometimes. I’m happy to be in the next round, but his ranking definitely doesn’t match the quality of his game,” Zverev said of the 25-year-old Klein, who has only played a main event at a Grand Slam until 2022 at Wimbledon. The next opponent of the Olympic winner from Tokyo will be the American Alex Michelsen, the defeater of Jiří Lehečka.
Australian Open (hard surface, subsidy 86.5 million Australian dollars): Men: Singles – 2nd round: Zverev (6-Germany) – Klein (SR) 7:5, 3:6, 4:6, 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (10:7) Ruud (11-Nor.) – Purcell (Aust.) 6:3, 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 3:6, 7: 6 (10:7) Norrie (19-Brit.) – Zeppieri (It.) 3:6, 6:7 (4:7), 6:2, 6:4, 6:4. Paul (14-USA) – Draper (Brit.) 6:2, 3:6, 6:3, 7:5Cazaux (Fr.) – Rune (8-Dan.) 7:6 (7:4), 6:4, 4:6, 6:3Dimitrov (13-Bulgaria) – Kokkinakis (Austria) 6:3, 6:2, 4:6, 6:4Humbert (21-Fr.) – Zhang Chenchen (China) 6:2, 5 :7, 6:1, 7:6 (7:3) Borges (Portugal) – Davidovich (23-Sp.) 7:6 (9:7), 6:3, 6:3Kecmanovič (Serb.) – Struff (24-German) 6:4, 1:6, 7:6 (7:5), 1:6, 7:6 (11:9) Griekspoor (28-Netherlands) – Fils (Fr.) 3: 6, 6:1, 7:5, 6:4 Shang Yuncheng (China) – Nagal (India) 2:6, 6:3, 7:5, 6:4 Auger-Aliassime (27-Can.) – Grenier (Fr.) 6:1, 3:6, 6:1, 6:2Women: Singles – 2nd round: Šwiateková (1-Pol.) – Collinsová (USA) 6:4, 3:6, 6:4 Blinková ( Rus.) – Rybakinová (3-Kaz.) 6:4, 4:6, 7:6 (22:20) Burelová (Fr.) – Pegulaová (5-USA) 6:4, 6:2 Cheng Chin-wen ( 12-China) – Boulterová (Britain) 6:3, 6:3 Stephensová (USA) – Kasatkinová (14-Russia) 4:6, 6:3, 6:3 Svitolina (19-Ukraine) – Tomovová (Bulg. ) 6:1, 6:3 Paolini (26-It.) – Maria (Germany) 6:2, 6:3 Navarre (27-USA) – Cocciaretta (It.) 4:6, 6:3, 6:3 Wang Ja -fan (China) – Raducanu (Brit.) 6:4, 4:6, 6:4 Jastremska (Ukr.) – Gračová (Fr.) 6:3, 6:2 Kalinska (Rus.) – Rusová (Netherlands) 6 :1, 7:5Dodinová (Fr.) – Trevisanová (It.) 6:4, 6:4Ostapenková (11-Lot.) – Tomljanovicová (Aust.) 6:0, 3:6, 6:4Results of Czech tennis players here
2024-01-18 12:22:30
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