Andy Murray yesterday rolled back the years to defeat 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in a five-set epic at the Australian Open, on a day when sweltering heat and then heavy rain played havoc.
Novak Djokovic also made his eagerly anticipated return to the Grand Slam.
Serbian flags waved and Rod Laver Arena rose to give him a rapturous welcome, a year after he was kicked out of the country.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The nine-time Australian Open champion was deported on the eve of last year’s Grand Slam event because of his stance on COVID-19 vaccines, but spectators, among them members of Melbourne’s Serbian community, gave him a rousing reception as he entered the court he has made his own down the years to face 75th-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena.
Djokovic sailed through, beating the Spaniard 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.
However, the day belonged to 35-year-old Murray — and Melbourne’s famously fickle weather.
Photo: AFP
The Briton saved match point to defeat Italy’s Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (10/6) in 4 hours, 49 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, where the roof was closed because of the extreme heat.
“I will be feeling this this evening and tomorrow, but right now unbelievably happy and proud of myself,” said the former world No. 1, who plays with a metal hip after a career-saving surgery.
Also in the men’s draw, Russia’s fifth seed Andrey Rublev ended the tournament of 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 36°C temperatures.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Former US Open champion Thiem was outplayed as he continued his return from a wrist injury that kept him off the court for nine months.
As the mercury rose, the heat forced play to be halted on outside courts. The roofs were closed on the three main stadiums: Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. Play resumed on the outside courts about three hours later, only to be disrupted again in the evening when a storm hit, dumping torrential rain that forced players back into the locker room. About 90 more minutes of play were lost.
Taiwan’s Tseng Chun-hsin was battling out a lengthy five-set match against Australia’s Alexei Popyrin as of press time.
His compatriot, Hsu Yu-hsiou, lost 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
Eighth-seeded Taylor Fritz of the US defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia, while 12th seed Alexander Zverev needed a fifth set before finally seeing off Juan Pablo Varillas.
The women’s draw threw up no real surprises.
Tunisia’s second seed Ons Jabeur, runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, was far from her fluent best, but eventually defeated Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek.
The shaky Jabeur won the first set on a tiebreak, lost the second 6-4, then finally found her rhythm to clinch the decider 6-1.
“I just tried to follow what my coach told me to do,” she said of her turnaround in the third set.
“I wasn’t really doing that and he’s going to kill me after the match,” she said, jokingly.
Caroline Garcia and Aryna Sabalenka — fourth and fifth seeds respectively — had it easier as they swept into the second round.
Elise Mertens was another winner. The Belgian outlasted Spain’s former Melbourne finalist Garbine Muguruza, who was cramping before losing 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1.
Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when the defending champions on board LawConnect won the race in the early hours of yesterday morning, as it came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent at just after 2:30am.
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Chess great Magnus Carlsen on Friday quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after governing body FIDE barred the Norwegian from participating in a round at the tournament for wearing jeans. FIDE said in a statement that its dress code regulations were designed to “ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.” It issued Carlsen a US$200 fine and gave him an opportunity to change into the correct attire, which the world No. 1 rejected, it said. Carlsen said he had a lunch meeting before the round and had to change quickly. “I put on a shirt, jacket and honestly like
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