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Alex De Minaur

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2022 French Open: Alex De Minaur eliminated early in a shock defeat by Frenchman Hugo Gaston despite a competitive battle out of a five-set showdown

by Sports Benches

We’re all gutted to see our Australian No.1 & World No.19 Alex De Minaur being eliminated early by Frenchman Hugo Gaston in the opening round of the 2022 French Open at Court Suzanne Lenglen, even though it was a really competitive effort by the two players.

He fired off well but then fell behind for a while where De Minaur at one point was on a brink towards an early end going into the third set. However, he never gave up and began to rebound lost time midway through this match-up with two easy mini-wins in sets 3 & 4. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t hold off Gaston in a head-to-head sprint to the finish when De Minaur blew his lifeline away during the 5th & final set via the tiebreak.

And hats off to 21-year-old Gaston who opened his French Open campaign he really wanted at home in Paris. He responded to De Minaur’s fire off beautifully at the beginning with a late snatch following the opening set before he was too good in the second stanza. Now he may began to falter when De Minaur denied Gaston the chance to close the opening round in straight sets, even though he was beaten so easily after the fourth set. However, you gotta praise his finishing going into the final set tiebreak where Gaston managed to reset himself that helped him bow out comfortably with the win.

The final score if 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 via 10-6 tiebreaker, as Gaston will meet Argentine Pedro Cachin in the second round tomorrow.

There’s only one Aussie though in the men’s singles running when it comes to Jason Kulber after he too overcame a really tight battle v American Denis Kudla in straight sets that was all collected via tie-breakers. He will need to beat 10th seed Cameron Norrie from Great Britain if Kubler wishes to continue his run in the 2nd Round tonight.

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The next best Australian Tennis stars to watch following the retirement from Ash Barty

by Admin

Ashleigh Barty, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has announced her retirement from tennis. Barty, the No. 1 ranked women’s player got her country most of its major tournament, made it known publicly on Wednesday that she was leaving tennis for other pursuits. This will be the third time that Barty has stepped away from professional tennis but this is her first time of announcing her retirement. But her sudden retirement announcement coming after her triumph Melbourne, is a decision she has considered a lot. She has spent 113 weeks altogether at No. 1 putting her seventh on the career list. Barty happen to be the first women’s player to retire while on top of the single rankings since the Belgian star Justine Henin suddenly announced her retirement in May 2008.

Presently, and probably for eternity, Barty has ended her career $23.8 million prize money plus 15 career singles titles, including three at Grand Slam tournaments. In 2019, she won the French Open, in 2021 she won Wimbledon, and Australia Open this year, which means that she has won major singles titles on all three of tennis’ primary surfaces (clay, grass and hard court). Her triumph in the Australia Open gave her a great ending. She withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open making her Melbourne triumph her last match.

To conclude with, her unexpected retirement is obviously a blow to the sport. Barty is extremely popular in Australia with her humble personality. She is also a very important figure of Indigenous Austrailan descent.

After Barty’s retirement, there are few Aussie women’s players to watch: There are just two Australian women sitting in the world’s top 100 and they are Ajla Tomljanovic and Astra Sharma.

Ajla Tomljanovic has recorded eight singles wins in her career best Grand Slam season. She reached the Wimbledon quarter finals and US open third round. Ajla played a major role in the Fed Cup final in November 2019, making her first win for the country.

Astra Sharma won her first WTA singles title in April. She won her second WTA doubles title in Guadalajara. She was named twice in the Fed Cup team in 2019.

A 19 year old Olivier Gadecki. She is one of the fastest risers on the WTA the previous year. She moved from no ranking to mid-200s.

Charlotte Kempenaers and Tayla Preston are the two highest ranked juniors at the moment. They are both ranked in the top 40 – 50 in the world. Both of them will be competing at the upcoming junior grand slams.

THE NEXT BEST AUSTRAILIAN TENNIS STAR (MEN)

At 23, Alex de Minaur is one of Australia’s brilliant tennis prospect. He has continued to arise heads and he is still a player to keep close eye on moving forward.

De Minaur will be in action at the Miami Open on the 29th of March to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 32. Alex De Minaur has kept Australia’s hopes alive with a victory in the Davis Cup qualifier over Marton Fucsovics. In a relentless display, De Manaur defeated Fusovic, who is is ranked No. 35 in the world and 5 places below De Minaur.

James Duckworth is an Australia professional tennis player. He has a high rank in Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking of the world No. 47 who he achieved on November 8 2021 and No. 185 doubles achieved on February 10 2020. Duckworth has won three titles and reached the semifinals of the 2010 French Open.

Thanasi Kokkinakis has made another chapter in his stunning 2022 comeback story with a victory over Hungary in the Davis Cup qualifier. It was his first match win in the world team event since 2015. That was the last time he represented Australia against Great Britain in the World Group semifinals.

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Tennis News, Alex De Minaur levels 2-2 for Australia with one deciding tie to spare after he overcame a competitive singles duel v Marton Fucsovics

by Sports Benches

Wow! How good is Alex De Minaur! He just defeated Marton Fucsovics in such terrific fashion after a tight encounter with a straight-sets win at Ken Rosewall Arena, as Australia level 2-2 v Hungary with the 5th and deciding singles tie left to go.

Both players played so well when they were neck in neck for that opening set lead, but De Minaur got there first via the tiebreaker before he overcame another tough duel & held off Fucsovics that wowed the home crowd supporters by his side.

Final Score: 7-6 via 7-4 tiebreaker, 6-4

Fucsovics didn’t get the win he deserves through two hours of play on the court today v De Minaur. He got the build-up base going where the Hungarian was on the same page as the Aussie for the whole time, which helped him stay on top of his game. He just couldn’t group himself when Fucsovics was under immense pressure while trying to overtake & hold off De Minaur, and De Minaur spotted his one huge weakness that saw the Australian escape in both sets.

And going back to De Minaur, it’s incredible to see him save Australia’s hopes alive in their 2022 Davis Qualifier v Hungary on home soil after four ties out of five. He never gave up with so much fight under his belly, having been on the same page as Fucsovics. It gave him some time to get on top of his opponent before De Minaur re-setted the momentum via the tiebreak, got himself past the opening set & persisted in that fight, as Australian No.1 was able to maintain his path towards victory.

Australia is turning their attention to Thanasi Kokkinakis for the 5th and deciding tie v Zsombor Piros right now, with the Davis Cup Finals place up for grabs later this year if Kokkinakis can wrap up a 3-2 series win.

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Tennis News, Marton Fucsovics levels Australia 1-1 for Hungary after Day 1 of the 2022 Davis Cup Qualifiers at Ken Rosewall Arena

by Sports Benches

Hungary has just fought back v Australia 1-1 in the 2022 Davis Cup Qualifiers after Day 1 tonight at Ken Rosewall Arena. Good start from Marton Fucsovics and Thanasi Kokkinakis, where both players fought very hard during a very competitive first set that went down the wire via the tiebreak. Fucsovics won that tiebreak and led 1-0 going into the second set, but Kokkinakis fought back comfortably at 1-1 apiece, with this match-up not over yet towards the third and final set decider. In the end, Fucsovics managed to find his way past Kokkinakis and held him off with the win for his country, Hungary.

Final Score: 6-7 via 4-6 tiebreaker, 6-1, 3-6.

Unlucky for Kokkinakis, who did well to catch up Fucsovics & not give him a free run. He fired the pressure well back to his opponent, especially in the 2nd set that reflected his fightback, as it gave him another chance to redeem himself ahead of the final set spell. But it’s not just his night tonight when Kokkinakis struggled to overtake & hold off Fucsovics, where Fucsovics exposed him in the opening set tiebreak & 3rd set decider, and that sums up his loss in this match-up.

Meanwhile, brilliant play by Fucsovics with the win in this second singles tie v Kokkinakis for Hungary. He did well to move past his opponent earlier on and took his time while leading, where Fucsovics overcame Kokkinakis during the 1st set tiebreak. Now he may have missed the chance to close out in straight sets when he was tied 1-1 after the second set, but Fucsovics knew one thing Kokkinakis wasn’t good at where the Hungarian eventually beat him to the punch, which is taking over and holding off the lead.

Two matches gone, three to go tomorrow with one doubles tie plus two more singles games up for grabs in the best of five in the 2022 Davis Cup Qualifiers, between Australia v Hungary at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Tomorrow’s schedule from 1 pm

Doubles: John Peers & Luke Saville for Australia v Marton Fucsovics & Fabian Marozsan.

Two Singles matches: Alex De Minaur (Australia) v Marton Fucsovics (Hungary), Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) v Zsombor Piros (Hungary).

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Tennis News, Alex De Minaur off to a great start v Zsombor Piros as Australia lead Hungary 1-0 in the Day 1 of the 2022 Davis Cup Qualifiers

by Sports Benches

Great start by the Aussies v Hungary on Day 1 of the 2022 Davis Cup Qualifiers at Ken Rosewall Arena. It was a competitive opening set spell between Australian No.1 Alex De Minaur and Zsombor Piros. However, it’s De Minaur who just narrowly escaped Piros with the early lead before he wrapped up comfortably in straight sets (7-5, 6-2).

Piros would be disappointed with the loss there. He tested De Minaur well that held the Aussie back on occasions, and he almost put in a tiebreaker that would’ve given the Hungarian a great chance to build on from his opening set performance. He just couldn’t give himself a bit more time when Piros made up some lost time, then a close first set loss threw him an even tougher challenge after the break & was unable to find a way out ever since.

And hats off to De Minaur with the win that gifted Australia a 1-0 lead after this first singles match-up. We love how he stuck to his game & never gave up battling while facing a decent opponent like Piros in the first set. Thankfully, he overcame a close battle unscathed when it comes to the executions before De Minaur smashed this game with confidence.

Next up is Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) v Marion Fucsvovics (Hungary) in the second singles match of the 2022 Davis Cup Qualifiers series between Australia v Hungary.

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Australian Open News, All eyes on Alex De Minaur in the Men’s singles Round of 16 tie today v Jannik Sinner for Australia after Ash Barty advanced to the women’s Quarter-Final last night

by Sports Benches

Great to see Ash Barty in the Quarter-Finals after another straight sets (6-4, 6-3) win v Amanda Anisimova, she had fought back a series of close battles at the beginning which wasn’t easy before it led to a easier path later on that summed up Barty’s terrific Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena. Her next challenger will be 21st seed Jessica Pegula on Wednesday, where one of them will face either Barbora Krejcikova or Madison Keys for the first semi-final tie on Thursday.

Anisimova played some great games especially when she fired off early on both sets, but she just couldn’t bridge that 2nd half consistency that became her huge weakness throughout this round of 16 tie and it eventually let her down. She has a bright future though having upsetted the reigning champion Naomi Osaka prior to her meeting last night v Barty, and Anisimova is sure to return where she left off from the 2019 French Open semis with the help of her consultant Darren Cahill.

For now, it’s all eyes on the men’s singles side and hope that another Aussie will advance to the Final 8, when Alex De Minaur will meet 11th seed Italian Jannik Sinner later this afternoon also at Rod Laver Arena.

#Tennis #AshBarty #AmandaAnisimova #JessicaPegula #AustralianOpen #GrandSlam #RodLaverArena

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Tennis News, Alex De Minaur advances to Round 4 of the 2022 Australian Open v Jannik Sinner after he defeated Pablo Andujar in straight sets

by Sports Benches

What an easy win for Alex De Minaur here at Rod Laver Arena as the Aussie nailed down Spaniard Pablo Andujar in straight sets (4-6, 4-6, 2-6), he will now advance into the 4th round which is his career-best here so far and will face 11th seed Italian Jannik Sinner on Monday for a shot towards the Final 8.

Andujar was disappointed with the loss where he showed some fight that remained so competitive against De Minaur for the majority while fighting for these stage wins, he just missed that finishing part that fell just short twice before Andujar was wiped out this quick in the 3rd and final set.

And nice to see the Aussie crowd upped the noise for their hometown hero Alex De Minaur, who is the only guy still in contention, for the Round of 16. He’s got that build-up base going that allowed him to stretch a decent lead while Andujar fought back late, it gave him time to keep the momentum as this game goes on and it worked well where he went all-in with a super-easy run to the finish line.

We’ll see if this stella campaign from “The Demon” continues on Monday and have an extended shot towards the title.

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Tennis News, Alex De Minaur continues his winning start on R2 of the 2022 Australian Open campaign in straight sets v Kamil Majchrzak at Rod Laver Arena

by Sports Benches

Alex De Minaur continues his winning start to the 2022 Australian Open campaign with a comfortable win against Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets (4-6, 4-6, 2-6) at Rod Laver Arena, he wrapped this 2nd Round tie in 1 hour and 39 minutes.

De Minaur always got his build-up base up and running that helped stay ahead over Majchrzak, it gave the Aussie ample time to get the job done during the first two sets while the Pole began to catch up before he shut his opponent out towards the finish line with a nice & easy third set spell.

His best result here was Round 3 twice in 2019 & 2021 where De Minaur hopes to get past the Spaniard in Pablo Andujar before Round 4, and as long as he keeps that winning form then a Finals eight spot will come to him having made it once two years ago at the US Open.

And Majchrzak didn’t have a great day out, who did his best to hold back De Minaur, having won some games & closed in along the way towards the end of these first two sets. However, he just couldn’t hijack his opponent’s stella momentum & finish it off his way before Majchrzak became eliminated so quick in the 3rd & final set.

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Tennis News, Alex De Minaur went from the opening set down to a terrific performance v Lorenzo Musetti last night in R1 of the 2022 Australian Open

by Sports Benches

How good was Alex De Minaur last night when he went from the opening set down to a terrific all-round performance ever since at Margaret Court Arena, he had some tough moments against Lorenzo Musetti but De Minaur found it easy as the game went on where he found the finish line first.

Meanwhile, Musetti would be disappointed not to kick on having responded beautifully with the opening set win. However, these poor starts he struggled to keep up with De Minaur was his main weakness and that’s where he was exposed with plenty of valuable lost games followed by the eventual elimination.

Final Score: 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, 3-6

De Minaur’s next opponent for Round 2 tomorrow will be Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.

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Davis Cup 2021, Australia fight back in 2-1 tie v Hungary via Alex De Minaur’s three-hour encounter & both Alex Bolt & John Peers’s teamwork in the doubles

by Sports Benches

Such a competitive 2nd game between Australian Alex De Minaur & Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics where De Minaur had a great start even in the toughest of rallies that was enough to pull off in the 1st set at 7-5, But Fucsovics bounced back with a 1-1 lead at 2-6 having been too good after the break while De Minaur have struggled to keep the momentum on his end.

And these two players never stopped fighting for top spot until the every end via the tiebreaker as De Minaur wrapped this gruelling three-hour encounter with the win v Fucsovics for Australia, who secured their first win of this year’s Davis Cup finals in Group D.

Final Score: 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 in 7-2 tiebreaker.

Then we wrap up Australia’s day in the office (Alex Bolt & John Peers) v Hungary (Fabian Marozsan & Zsombor Piros) with the doubles as Australia have the upper hand at the beginning in a nice 1st set lead at 6-3, although they couldn’t hold off at the first attempt in straight sets via an extremely competitive tiebreaker 11-13 after the break (6-7) but found their way home first that secured a 2-1 series win for Australia.

Final Score: 6-3, 6-7 via 11-13 tiebreaker & 6-3.

All Australia can do now is pray for the other results to go their way & take the last two remaining Quarter-Final spots as the 1st & 2nd best runner up later today.

#Tennis #DavisCup #DavisCupFinals #Australia #Hungary #AlexBolt #JohnPeers #AlexDeMinaur #MartonFucsovics #PalaAlpitour #FabianMarozsan #ZsomborPiros

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