Safioullin deserved better
Another day of competition resulted in the loss of Russians from the roster. Roman Safiullin could not overcome the first round of the Grand Slam tournament. In the first round of the Australian Open, Roman’s opponent was the Dutchman Tallon Grikspor. Everything went well, the Russian confidently won the first two sets – 6:2, 6:3. But then the opponents seemed replaced. Grikspor came out of the match and made an impressive comeback – 6:2, 6:3, 6:7 (3:7), 4:6, 5:7.
“Roman is a good and elegant player. But at the Grand Slam, the highest level of tennis is there – you have to show not only the struggle, but also the victory. This victory was not enough for Roman last year, like in the last match.
Safiullin is alongside our fighting trio: Medvedev, Rublev and Khachanov, who hold their positions and delight Russian tennis fans. Any defeat in a tournament always upsets me. This means that somewhere I failed, I did not complete something,” quotes the “Championship” – quotes the honored coach of Russia Vladimir Kamelzon.
Australian Open men’s draw
Kazakh Alexander Bublik suffered a shocking defeat in the 1st round. The 27th racket in the world unexpectedly lost to Indian Sumit Nagal, ranked 137th in the world rankings. Moreover, Bublik could not take a single set – 4:6, 2:6, 6:7 (5:7).
Otherwise, there were no major surprises. Casper Ruud defeated Albert Ramos in three sets. Grigor Dimitrov only allowed one set to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.
Difficult start for the favorites
Alexander Zverev, representing Germany, had to tinker. The Olympic champion is in a bit of trouble in the middle of his trial for domestic violence. In a match with the 62nd racket in the world, Dominik Köpfer, Sasha dropped the first set, but then managed to pull himself together. It turned out to be a painstaking and nervous victory.
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz’s debut in the tournament followed a similar scenario. The 2nd racket in the world almost gave the first set to the 131st world number, Richard Gasquet, but still snatched victory in the tie-break. And then Gasquet himself was blown away, unable to rally for the final sets – 7:6 (7:5), 6:1, 6:2.
Among the remaining matches, it is worth highlighting the battle between the Austrian Sebastian Ofner and the Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. It lasted 4 hours 21 minutes and ended in favor of the favorite of the local audience – 7:6 (7:1), 2:6, 6:7 (4:7), 6:1, 7:6 ( 10:8). It turned out to be a real thriller!
The Russians succeeded without losses
It was a successful day for the Russian representatives. Daria Kasatkina and Anna Blinkova completed the first round. Kasatkina beat American Python Stearns (6:2, 3:6, 6:2).
Blinkova beat Spain’s Cristina Bucha in straight sets (6:2, 6:4).
The world’s number one racket from Poland, Iga Swiatek, was a little nervous at the start of the Grand Slam tournament. In the match with Sofia Kenin, she brought the first set to the tiebreaker, but then accelerated, returning to her usual form – 7:6 (7:2), 6:2.
Australian Open women’s draw
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka gave Italian Camila Giorgi a set, but she ultimately won – 6:1, 4:6, 6:3.
The representative of Kazakhstan Elena Rybakina also started the tournament successfully. Czech Karolina Pliskova put up decent resistance, but it was not enough – 7:6 (8:6), 6:4.
Among other events, we highlight the successful debut of the British Emma Raducanu. So far, everything is going perfectly for the British star. In the first match of the tournament, she defeated American Shelby Rogers – 6:3, 6:2.
Anton Mozgovoy, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
