thelymphatic disease Alexander Zverev Eliminated after a mysterious appearance in the round of 16 of the Australian Open, he suddenly had to bury all his title hopes. In a strange tennis match with many inexplicable errors, the German top seed lost 3:6, 6:7 (5:7), 3:6 to Canada’s Denis Shapovalov in Melbourne on Sunday. Out of anger, Zverev cut a racket, but did not change the tide. Shapovalov, 14th in the world rankings, showed ups and downs as well, but Zverev didn’t use that to his advantage.
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Zverev has not lived up to his claims of winning a Grand Slam this year in Australia. Because the Serbian is ranked first in the world and the record champion Novak Djokovic He was not allowed to compete because his visa was revoked, and Zverev’s chances increased – even if he waited for Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.
But third place in the world rankings lacks the usual safety with key kicks against Shapovalov. There was no sign of the self-confidence that characterized him in the final months of last season after his gold medal in Tokyo.
In his first match, which started in Melbourne’s hot afternoon, Zverviv played incorrectly and looked sluggish. He admitted the break to make it 1:3 and backtracked 1:4. While changing sides, he put an ice towel over his shoulders. 3:6 means losing the first set in the tournament. Hamburger has won all of the previous three matches in three sets.
Zverev cuts his racket
Zverev started the second set with a needless forehand foul and a double fault. Immediately he had two balls against him again. When he repelled them, he allowed himself to breathe in a loud “Come.” Almost as if he had to make it clear that it was about entering the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament. BUT: the next double error and then the next loss of service.
Zverev pierced his racket three times on the ground and made him unfit to play and received a warning. The outburst of anger seemed only a matter of time. But it did not get better: Zverev made wrong decisions on the rally, did not hit some balls correctly and behaved very negatively.
Ramsey: When he had the chance to break the 2:2, he hit back with the racket frame. The ball landed in the upper rows of spectators. Then Zverev used his next break opportunity. But the fact that he stayed in the game was due to Shapovalov’s lack of consistency. Zverev lost a 5:3 lead in the second set. The number three player in the world kept looking suspiciously at his team.
The second set loss is also a feature of the uncertain performance: left-handed Shapovalov double-faulted on the first set ball. But instead of equaling his own serve to make it 6:6, Zverev came up with a totally failed tire ball.
“He gave the opponent a lot of time and space,” said the Eurosport expert. Boris Becker On the tie-breaker: “He has to apply more pressure.” But the third group also started with a rapid loss of service. The ATP Finals winner has never defeated a Top Ten in a Grand Slam tournament. This Sunday in Melbourne wasn’t enough for 14th in the world either.
On the other hand, Nadal reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the 14th time. The fifth place in the rankings lived up to his role as a favorite against Frenchman Adrien Mannarino 7:6 (16:14), 6:2, 6:2. It took the first set alone 81 minutes, because the tiebreak only went to Nadal at 16:14. Nadal will now meet Shapovalov in the fight for a place in the semi-finals. Nadal won his only Australian Open title so far in 2009. If the 35-year-old wins the title, he will expand his collection of Grand Slam titles to 21 and thus become the only record holder ahead of Djokovic and Federer.
For the women, Barbora Krejkova and Madison Keys will play each other for a place in the semi-finals. French Open winner and Keys former US Open finalist Krejsikova qualified for the quarter-finals with clear successes. Fourth place in the world rankings Krizhikova maintained her title chances with 6:2, 6:2 against two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Asarinka of Belarus. Keys, also 26, previously only needed 69 minutes for her 6:3, 6:1 against Spanish top ten player Paula Padusa.
National Jessica Pegola qualified for the quarter-finals. World number 21 defeated fifth seed Greek Maria Sakkari 7:6 (7:0), 6:3 and reached the top eight at the Australian Open for the second time after 2021. The three German women – Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic and Tatiana Maria – were eliminated from the round the first. Petkovic didn’t stand a chance against Krizhikova at first.
The return of the Grand Slam tournament to Kevin Krawetz and Andreas Mies ended with the men’s doubles. In the round of 16, the two-time French Open doubles winner was clearly defeated by fifth seed John Pearce of Australia and Philip Polasek of Slovakia 1:6, 2:6. Polasek and Peers showed their good form ahead of the Australian Open by winning the tournament in Sydney. There the Germans were in the semi-finals. The two were unable to compete together last season due to Mays’ knee surgery.
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