Novak Djokovic suffered his initial loss of the season and first in Australia in six years, as he was defeated by Alex de Minaur in a surprising 6-4, 6-4 match. This gave Australia a 1-0 advantage over Serbia in the United Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
Djokovic experienced a hindrance with his right wrist during Serbia’s win against Czech Republic on Tuesday. The top-ranked player had the wrist tended to by a trainer before De Minaur secured a late break and ultimately won the first set. Despite saving three match points, the Australian Open winner lost serve once more, giving De Minaur a 4-3 lead in the second set and ultimately leading to his unexpected defeat before the first grand slam of the year.
Djokovic was on a 43-match winning run in Australia and preparing for a tilt at an 11th Melbourne Park title having last lost in the country to Hyeon Chung in the fourth round of the 2018 edition when he was plagued by an elbow issue.
De Minaur, currently ranked 12th in the world, described his recent victory as extremely significant. He acknowledged Novak’s incredible determination and contributions to the sport, making the win even more special. The experience feels almost unreal and I am overjoyed to have achieved it in Perth, my home country of Australia.
In the end, facing Novak requires you to approach the game with a positive mindset, believe in yourself, and never give up. Today, I was successful and I am pleased to have earned the victory. This win holds significant value to me.
The top-ranked team, Poland, defeated China in order to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament with the help of strong performances from Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek. Hurkacz dominated with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Zhang Zhizhen while Swiatek rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the first set to defeat Zheng Qinwen 6-2, 6-3. This marks Swiatek’s third consecutive singles win in the tournament, which the world’s number one player is using as preparation for the Australian Open.
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Caroline Garcia and Adrian Mannarino led France to the quarter-finals with a win against Italy. Garcia defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 while Mannarino beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-4 in their Group D matchup. Greece took an early lead over Canada in Group B as Stefanos Tsitsipas won his first singles match of the season, defeating Steven Diez 6-2, 6-3.
Source: theguardian.com
