Iga Swiatek was predicted to easily defeat Linda Noskova, and she is currently ahead 5-2 in the first set. Noskova is only winning 31% of points on her second serve, which, combined with her 45% success rate on first serves, could spell trouble.
On Saturday, the second-seeded player reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time. The match ended quickly when his opponent, Shang Junchen, retired due to injury.
Alcaraz had a comfortable victory over Shang in two sets, winning 6-1, 6-1. However, Shang, who was struggling with an illness, retired from the match while trailing 1-0 in the third set. Alcaraz expressed his disappointment with the situation, saying that it’s not the way anyone wants to advance in a tournament. He will now face Miomir Kecmanovic in the next round after the Serbian defeated Tommy Paul, a semi-finalist in 2023, in a tough five-set match (6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-0). Alcaraz also wished Shang a quick recovery, recognizing him as a talented player and expressing his excitement for their scheduled match. However, due to Shang’s health condition, he couldn’t perform at his best.
Although Shang was unsuccessful in his attempt to be the first Chinese man to make it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam in the Open era, China will still have a representative in the second week with 12th seed Zheng Qinwen defeating Wang Yafan in the women’s singles. Zheng, who was recognized as the WTA Tour’s most improved player in the 2023 season after winning gold at the Asian Games and the Zhengzhou title, managed to hold off her determined fellow countrywoman with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (8).
The 21-year-old is sure to be motivated by recollections of Li Na’s victorious run in 2014. Zheng stated, “I watched that final 10 times. She was an incredible player, the first Asian woman to win a Grand Slam. How could you not remember that?” Zheng, who made it to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open in 2020, will face Oceane Dodin in her next match after Dodin emerged victorious in a match against fellow French player Clara Burel with a score of 6-2, 6-4.
Unfortunately, Sloane Stephens, a previous winner at Flushing Meadows, reached the end of her journey after being defeated by Anna Kalinskaya with a score of 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-4. Kalinskaya has now secured her largest monetary prize of nearly $250,000 by advancing to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. However, she does not have any immediate plans for the money and intends to take it easy for now. Her next opponent will be Italian player Jasmine Paolini. Kalinskaya joked about possibly using the money to purchase a nice purse.
French wildcard Arthur Cazaux sealed a breezy 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Dutch 28th seed Tallon Griekspoor to reach the last 16 at a major for the first time, where he will meet ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland. Hurkacz downed Frenchman Ugo Humbert 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Dayana Yastremska will make a comeback to the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time since Wimbledon 2019. She achieved this after defeating American 27th seed Emma Navarro with scores of 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. Yastremska’s next opponent will be two-time former champion Victoria Azarenka, who fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to defeat 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko with scores of 6-1, 7-5.
Iga Swiatek is currently practicing with Linda Noskova on the Rod Laver court.
Already today…
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Victoria Azarenka remains undefeated against Jelena Ostapenko, increasing her career record to 4 wins and 0 losses with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph.
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Carlos Alcaraz had a smooth progression into the fourth round as his opponent, Shang Juncheng, was forced to retire due to injury at the beginning of the third set. Alcaraz, who was seeded second, had a commanding lead of 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 at the time.
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Zheng Qinwen, the 21-year-old 12th seed, needed two hours and 40 minutes to make it past Wang Yafan 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 in an all-Chinese affair on Rod Laver Arena.
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Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska advanced to the fourth round after defeating Emma Navarro of the United States 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
Full round-up incoming. Cameron Norrie is currently on court, and trailing Casper Ruud 4-6, 7-6, 3-2, and is a break down in the third.
As the evening approaches, four highly anticipated matches are set to take place on the two main courts. These include the top-ranked women’s player and the third-ranked men’s player, among others. It would be redundant to simply list their rankings here, wouldn’t it?
At the beginning of the match on the Rod Laver Arena, we will see the number one seed, Iga Swiatek, facing off against 19-year-old Czech player Linda Noskova. This is Noskova’s first time advancing to the third round of a grand slam, but it is doubtful she will make it any further in this one. Following that match, we have Alexander Sverev taking on 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen, who is also in uncharted territory at a grand slam.
In the upcoming match, Canadian tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime, who eliminated Dominic Thiem in the first round, will face third seed Daniil Medvedev. This is a rematch of their 2022 quarter-final, which lasted until the early hours as Medvedev made a dramatic comeback from being two sets down to win. They have played twice before, with Medvedev winning both times in straight sets, giving him a 6-0 lead in their head-to-head record. “I am eager to have another opportunity to be in that situation and I am confident that I can come out on top,” said Auger-Aliassime after his defeat in 2022. Now, he has a chance to do so. In another match, Elina Svitolina will face Viktorija Golubic, who is currently ranked 85th in the world and is 31 years old. They have only played each other once before, five years ago in Melbourne, where Golubic won with a score of three games to none.
In addition to any other matters, there will also be some response and coverage of previous events, as well as some complaints about the recent cold weather in England. Overall, it promises to be an entertaining few hours. Get ready!
Source: theguardian.com
