Medvedev overcomes Kyrgios at Australian Open

Melbourne: Daniil Medvedev has overcome Nick Kyrgios and all his tricks and the constant noise of a boisterous crowd to advance to the third round of the Australian Open. Second-seeded Medvedev, who won the U.S. Open last year and was runner-up in Australia, is the highest-ranked player in the tournament after nine-time champion Novak Djokovic […]

Melbourne: Daniil Medvedev has overcome Nick Kyrgios and all his tricks and the constant noise of a boisterous crowd to advance to the third round of the Australian Open.

Second-seeded Medvedev, who won the U.S. Open last year and was runner-up in Australia, is the highest-ranked player in the tournament after nine-time champion Novak Djokovic was deported for failing to meet Australia’s strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

He had to work hard for his 7-6 (1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over No. 115-ranked Kyrgios, who worked up the fans in Rod Laver Arena like a crowd at a soccer match.

In another match, Andy Murray Murray lost to 120th-ranked Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. The former No. 1-ranked is out of the Australian Open two days after posting his first win at the season-opening tennis Grand Slam tournament in five years. Murray only lost five games in a best-of-five-set Davis Cup encounter against Daniel in their only previous encounter, and he had never lost to anyone ranked above No. 91 at a major tournament.

But Daniel, a 28-year-old qualifier from Japan, broke in the ninth game of the third set to take a 5-4 lead and then served it out to advance to the third round of a major for the first time.

While U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to Danka Kovinic in the second round. Raducanu won the U.S. Open as a qualifier last September in just her second main draw appearance at a major. The 19-year-old Raducanu entered the Australian Open as the 17th seed and beat 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round.

But after going up a double break early, Raducanu had treatment for what appeared to be blisters on her right hand and then dropped four of the next five games to lose the set. She rallied to level the match in the second but again needed treatment on her hand before the third set.

No. 98-ranked Kovinic had two match points on serve and, after Raducanu saved one with a big forehand winner, closed it out with a backhand winner down the line to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

In mixed doubles Sania Mirza and her American partner Rajeev Ram moved into the second round of the Australian Open with a confident straight-set win over the Serbian team of Aleksandra Krunic and Nikola Cacic, here on Thursday. Ram came out serving big and also stayed like a rock at the net as he anchored the 6-3 7-6(3) win in the opening round that lasted 69 minutes. Ram is a defending champion in the event. He had won the mixed title here with Czech partner Barbora Krejcikova in 2021.

Mirza, who will retire after the 2022 season, also served well in the contest. They had a chance to go up as early as in the second game but Mirza buried a forehand into the net on the deciding point.

The team got another chance on the serve of Krunic but that chance also went abegging when Mirza could not finish the point with a volley. However, they got the break on the deciding point. A stunning cross court winner by Mirza earned the team two break points on Krunic’s serve in the sixth game.

But the Serbians held the game as Krunic served wide and Mirza’s return was dispatched for a volley winner by Cacic. At 5-5, Krunic came out serving big for a crucial hold and now Mirza had to serve under pressure to stretch it to a tie-breaker. But the Indian made no mistake and served out the game at love.

Both Krunic and Cacic lost a point each on their serves to hand the Indo-American duo three match points. An error in return of serve by Cacic sealed it for Mirza and Ram.