Week 4: Australian Open [Hall]

[vic_orthdox]

Bit disappointing to be out, but good to see that I can mix it with the world no. 2.

 

[ripper868]

Maxum/Bowenburg for the Title? Let's hope so.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
3rd Round (Saturday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)

• Eleventh seed Jefferson Drake has produced perhaps his most complete performance at a Grand Slam as he ran through 20th seed and CW Open finalist Oneil Stewart in straight sets. The Jamaican looked an inferior player to the man who beat the likes of Daneu and Blanco in Nixonstown as he played overly defensive tennis and straight into the hands of a fine-tuned East CWLander. Coming off back-to-back five setters, it was Drake who was expected to come out of the blocks slowly. That wasn't the case. The world No. 11 sealed his return to the world's top ten by blitzing Stewart in the first set 6-1 in just thirty-nine minutes, and went on to control the next two sets with some fierce ball striking and confident movement around the court. Stewart looked to engage in rallies to tire Drake out, but struggled to hit winners and relied almost exclusively on mistakes as Drake advanced 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. He'll now face eighth seed Rasmus Olesen in a rematch of their Wimbledon third round clash where Drake came from two sets down to win in five. Olesen was good as he ousted 26th seeded Colombian Diego Hurtado 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
• World No. 5 Sven Oxenstierna made it three CWLanders through to the fourth round, and the last of the West CWLanders as he produced his most confident display yet against Chinese World No. 96 Fok Zhenyu. Oxenstierna had been scratchy in his first two rounds, but against a third straight unseeded player he was clearly a class above in a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win. The Chinese No. 4 started strongly as he tested Oxenstierna with some clean hitting from the back of the court. But after being broken in the final game of the first set to hand it to Oxenstierna, he started to become more erratic and then more reserved in his aggression. That change played straight to Oxenstierna's strengths as he managed to dominate rallies and grind down the Chinese player to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second year in a row in two hours and forty-six minutes. He now faces Juan Moreno who continued his good run through the draw with a 6-0, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1 thrashing of Italian 19th seed Carlo Amato. Moreno was defending first round points this year, and as of now sits in the World No. 10 position (albeit with three other players still standing capable of knocking him out).
• In the other fourth round clashes from this side of the draw, undoubtedly the match of the tournament so far will take place after third seed Radek Špidlá and twelfth seed Rick Henson booked a round of 16 match. Henson's ranking fell to twelve after missing most of the clay and grass court seasons last year, and after being seeded No. 2 in Melbourne Park last year looks to go a round further in season II. He hasn't dropped a set this week, and looked good in a tense 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4 win over Tiago Matías. Špidlá, meanwhile, also hasn't dropped a set as he looks for a second final in as many years; beating impressive young Spaniard Marc Carretero 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.
• The only underdog to win in Saturday's action was 23rd seed Danijel Micic who overcame sixteenth seed Davis Kennedy in the match of the day. Over five sets, Micic secured a gem of a victory 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 over Kennedy whose failure to advance to the quarter final again will could see him fall as far as No. 21 in the world. Micic now faces world No. 2 Daniel Páez Blanco who came back from an early scare to tame Russian teenager Boris Denisov 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Carlo Amato;
  
  Diego Hurtado;
  
  Davis Kennedy;
  
  Tiago Matías;
  
  Oneil Stewart.

No real shocks in the round of 16 outside of Delev, but certainly some interesting fourth round matches ahead.
​

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
2nd Round (Saturday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)

• Spas Delev & Bogdan Maurer fought hard, but were ultimately unable to pick up a victory in their second round doubles match against Toby Brookes & David Champion. In the feature match on Show Court One, Delev and Maurer managed to go a break up early before being reeled in by the local pairing. Brookes, who claimed a maiden doubles title alongside Henry Charles in Brisbane, looked in impressive touch at the net while it was the left-handed serve of David Champion that seemed to cause the Delev/Maurer combination all the trouble. In a tense affair, Delev and Maurer fell just short of victory despite their good start as Brookes and Champion advanced 7-5, 6-4. Delev will now have more time to focus on tomorrow's fourth round singles matchup with Illya Altman.

• It was better news for Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard as they were yet again taken to three sets; beating Benjamin Hartmann & Mischa Pasveer 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3. It has been a tough start for the world's third best pair, but they were in fine form as they came back from a disappointing second set to beat the Dutch-Swiss team in three. Just a day following his singles disappointment, Mustard looked much more determined to make it to the second week in at least one competition and did a lot to help the West CWLanders through to the third round. They'll face eleventh seeds Carlos Machado & Dênis Rodrígues.

• Top seeds Hugh James & Ralph Robinson remain the only seeded pair in the first quarter of the draw after the tenth and fourteenth seeds fell. China's Gai Kai & Lu Xun were beaten by Germans Matthias Müller & Tim Zander 6-0, 1-6, 6-4, whilst David Kestenholz & Daniel Zwygart made it two from two for Germany as they knocked off János & Zoltán Varga 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Gai Kai &
  
  Lu Xun;
  
  János Varga &
  
  Zoltán Varga.

​

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Doing it the hard way so far. With myself and Jojo out of the singles, we should stand a good chance, but it looks like we need to get our **** together. Just how good were our opponents in that round?

 

[Mister Wright]

Doing it the hard way so far. With myself and Jojo out of the singles, we should stand a good chance, but it looks like we need to get our **** together. Just how good were our opponents in that round?

A win is a win as far as I'm concerned. Might not have been the most confident of victories, but we've seen what can happen in Slams - anything!

Given we're now the highest seeded pairing in our half of the draw big things are expected. Hopefully we can go straight sets against the 11th seeds.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
4th Round (Sunday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)

• It was a disappointing end to a stellar tournament for World No. 73 Spas Delev as his run into the second week of the Australian Open came to a crashing halt against Ukrainian ninth seed Illya Altman. Delev showed great resiliance to come from a set down to defeat 29th seed Jojo Mustard in four sets on Friday, but little of that resolve made against the in-form Ukrainian No. 1. One of the cleanest strikers in the draw, Altman broke service immediately and looked a class above a stunned Delev early. Wrapping up the first set 6-1, Altman continued on his way in the second as he bossed rallies and forced Delev well behind the baseline in a number of rallies. After dropping the second set, Delev finally came to the party as a winner from outside of the court brought him an early break in the third. But finding his feet on the big stage came all too late, and Altman survived a third set point to advance to the quarters for the second year running 6-1, 6-2, 7-6(6).

• Altman will face fourteenth seed Miroslav Brdar after the 22-year old Croat survived a late fightback to outlast sixth seed, Wimbledon champion and season I Australian Open semi finalist Darcy Cowan. Brdar was irresistable early in the battle of the young guns, and looked on the verge of a big win as he served out the second set. But Cowan fought back, and he too looked like completing and unbelievable fightback as he claimed the next two sets. But with two breaks in the decider, it was the young Croat who advanced to a maiden Grand Slam quarter final.

• At the top of the draw, world No. 1 Jason Hall seems to be finding his best form at just the right time as he roared into the quarters with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Antonio Bachunelli. The world No. 30 had taken some big wins this week, but could not continue that streak into the fourth round as he fell to the top seed in straight sets. The match was closer than the scoreline suggested, and Bachunelli found himself a break ahead in the first two sets, but Hall's polish showed as he made a fifth straight Grand Slam quarter final with a comfortable win. He now faces Henry Charles who, in his fourth attempt, won a fourth round match by coming from a set down to beat seventh seed József Boros. The fifteenth seed dropped his first set of the week against the strong Hungarian, but played some of his best tennis of the week from there as he continues to move very well; winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 7-6(5).

• Seeded players out:
  
  József Boros;
  
  Darcy Cowan.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
3rd Round (Sunday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)

• World No. 4 doubles pairing Jefferson Drake & Martti Korpinen are through to the quarter finals of the Australian Open for the first time after surviving their toughest test yet against fifteenth seeds Morton Blundell & Wayne Boyd. Having dropped just a handful of games in their first two matches, Drake and Korpinen met stiffer opposition against a newly formed team who have had some good results to start the year. Serving second, the favourites got off to a good start to lead by a break at 3-2, but dropped serve immediately after as Boyd's quick work at the net got by both East CWLanders. Nevertheless, Drake and Korpinen continued to look solid and got a well-deserved break in the eleventh game and served out the opening set. The second set continued in much the same way as they were reeled in from a 4-1 lead, but still managed to scrape out a 7-5, 6-4 victory. They'll now face local hopes Toby Brookes & David Champion who escaped with a three-set win against Vladimir Gryzlov & Dmitry Orlov. The Russians were in fine touch in the second to combat a horror set from the Aussies, but could not sustain the pressure as the unseeded pair won a spot in the quarters 6-2, 0-6, 7-5.

• The first quarter final will be a distinctly interesting affair as top seeds Hugh James & Ralph Robinson take on American brothers Eric & Rick Henson. The French Open champions were too good for David Kestenholz & Daniel Zwygart 6-1, 6-3; dropping just eighteen games this tournament. The Hensons, whose rankings fell so low due to injury to both brothers, made the final of the doubles tournament in Sydney last week, and continued to a quarter final of a Grand Slam with a tight 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win over Matthias Müller & Tim Zander.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Wayne Boyd &
  
  Morton Blundell.

​

 

[David]

Looking good.

 

[Mister Wright]

If you're going to beat me, at least win the championship...sheesh!

Well done btw...

 

[Johnners]

Bit of a wake-up call. Still, 4th round should be inside the top 60 now?

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Bit of a wake-up call. Still, 4th round should be inside the top 60 now?

I'm not entirely sure because I've not entered the points yet, but barring someone losing a whole lot of points No. 58 at least. Probably higher.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Has Hall met anyone above top 40? (and two of them South American clay courters...)

Bit bizarre how that half played out, everyone decent knocked themselves out in five-set thrillers and will be exhausted come quarters/semis.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Has Hall met anyone above top 40? (and two of them South American clay courters...)

Bit bizarre how that half played out, everyone decent knocked themselves out in five-set thrillers and will be exhausted come quarters/semis.

Bachunelli was ranked No. 30 leading into last week, but will jump to No. 28 after his performance here. But other than that, no.

Some very, very, very interesting results in the bottom half of the draw.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Maybe one very too many.

Interestingly enough, Oxenstierna needs to beat Moreno and then Blanco/Micic to return to World No. 4.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Interestingly enough, Oxenstierna needs to beat Moreno and then Blanco/Micic to return to World No. 4.

Would say I've earnt it then. Even though Páez is perhaps no better than No. 4 outside clay.

Fear the interesting result though.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Hopefully I can push on.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
4th Round (Monday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's singles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4 - Section 5 - Section 6 - Section 7 - Section 8)

• World No. 11 Jefferson Drake will have the week to focus on his doubles campaign alongside Martti Korpinen after he was beaten in four sets by season I semi finalist Rasmus Olesen. The eighth seed continued his tremendous form from last week into Monday as he picked up his biggest win yet in a hard test against the East CWLand No. 1. Olesen had Drake's measure in the early stages of the match as he managed to save break points and make real inroads on the Drake service at opportune times. But after dropping the first two sets and being on the verge of a catastrophic exit, Drake finally got the breaks of service he needed; three of them, in fact, as he surged to take the third 6-1 and put the pressure back on Olesen. But the tall Dane held up under the heat, and it was the free points on his serve that helped him out of trouble as he managed to edge out a four-set win 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Despite the loss, Drake will likely end up the week inside the top ten barring two of Henry Charles, Illya Altman and Miroslav Brdar winning their quarter final matches.

• Fifth seed Sven Oxenstierna, the lone West CWLander in the fourth round, is now the lone player from either CWLand nation to win through to the quarter finals after a comprehensive win over Argentina's Juan Moreno. Moreno looked in good enough form last week to suggest he might have arrested his late season decline, but showed why he is much more comfortable on clay as he struggled against the world No. 5. Oxenstierna has shown himself to be a player who can adapt to whatever surface he's on, and advanced to his maiden hard court quarter final at Grand Slam level with a dominant 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory. After fourth round exits in Melbourne and Nixonstown last year, the fifth seed now looms as a real threat in the bottom half of the draw following straight sets wins over Fok Zhenyu and now Moreno where he worked to make himself opportunities from the baseline.

• The interesting rivalry between Oxenstierna and French Open champion Daniel Páez Blanco will extend into the quarter finals here in Melbourne as the world No. 2 pulled off an amazing escape act against Danijel Micic. The world No. 23 looked a certainty to make his first Grand Slam quarter final as he took the first two sets against the Spaniard, but was sensationally chased down by the 29-year old who pulled off an amazing 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win. Blanco at one point held a 2-0 record over Oxenstierna (including the French Open final), but the world No. 5 has recently taken wins at the World Tour Finals and in Doha.

• It was not just a near escape for Blanco, as world No. 3 and one of the tournament favourites Radek Špidlá pulled through in a five set classic against world No. 12 Rick Henson. Henson is undoubtedly a better player than his ranking suggests after injury kept a number of 0 scores in his Best 18 to stop his rise into the top ten. But after going ahead two-sets to love, Henson was outlasted in a four-hour epic that went late into the night; Špidlá advancing 7-6(5), 3-6, 5-7, 6-2, 9-7 after surviving five match points at various stages. Unfortunately for Henson, his ranking will dip to No. 14.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Jefferson Drake;
  
  Rick Henson;
  
  Danijel Micic;
  
  Juan Moreno.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

Australian Open
3rd Round (Monday) - Melbourne (Australia)

Men's doubles (Seeds - Finals - Section 1 - Section 2 - Section 3 - Section 4)

• Third seeds and CW Open champions Heath Davis & Jojo Mustard are again through to the quarter finals of a Grand Slam with a straight sets win over eleventh seeded Brazilians Carlos Machado & Dênis Rodrígues. Much like their previous matches, though, it was another difficult encounter for the West CWLanders as they only broke service twice in the near two-hour affair. After claiming the first in a tiebreaker after not managing a service break, the third seeds started the second set well to lead 3-1 with a maiden break. But the Brazilians weren't done with yet, and at 4-5 got the break back in the nick of time to draw level at 5-5. But they were unable to capitalise on their second chance as Davis and Mustard broke back immediately and, with their second attempt, served it out to advance 7-6(2), 7-5. Surprisingly, they'll face unseeded Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Genghini & Pierre L'Estrange who upset Artem Krohmal & Merab Shvelidze. Amazingly, L'Estrange and Genghini were bagelled in their first set of the week and have since gone on to beat the sixth seeds Tal Coehn & Raz Teper and now the thirteenth seeds.

• The lowest ranked seeds, Rob Bowenburg & Jarkko Maxum, are also through to their first Grand Slam quarter finals after a three-set win over Ashim & Seby Kumar. The Kumars had already managed a shock win over the second seeded Onwye brothers, but started poorly against the Trans-CWLand team who took the first set 6-2. But it was a dramatic turnaround in the second as they broke free from 2-2 to claim four games in a row with two service breaks to head into the decider with the momentum behind them. But in a tight set with four service breaks, Bowenburg and Maxum proved to be the slightly less nervous side as they squeaked out a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3) victory. They'll play in-form Italian-Moroccan duo Sandro Bachunelli & Hicham Hadir who proved too good for ninth seeds Mark Harmel & Yves Parmentier 7-5, 6-0. They've dropped just thirteen games this week.

• Seeded players out:
  
  Mark Harmel &
  
  Yves Parmentier;
  
  Artem Krohmal &
  
  Merab Shvelidze;
  
  Carlos Machado &
  
  Dênis Rodrígues.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Lame.