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Matteo Arnaldi off to a great start after he defeated wildcard Adam Walton on Day 1 of the 2024 Australian Open Tennis at Kia Arena

by Sports Benches

Great start to the 2024 Australian Open campaign by Matteo Arnaldi from Italy with the straight sets win in Round 1 v Adam Walton at Kia arena. It was a tight opening stage battle for a start between the two players that went all the way through the tiebreak before one player went on to get the job done at his own pace that bundled up with the big lead for the win 7-6 (7-5 tiebreak), 6-2 & 6-4. 

Arnaldi is doing so well as he’s currently ranked just 40 in the ATP rankings at the age of 22, having reached his best finish in the 4th Round late last year where he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open. Keep an eye out though as his next round opponent will either be another Aussie Alex De Minaur or Canada’s Milos Raonic, which will take place 7pm tomorrow night at Rod Laver Arena.

Meanwhile, Walton’s time was short-lived at Melbourne Park today when he entered this tournament as the wildcard player. He did give the Italian a hard time at times, especially from the beginning where he tried to stop him from taking the opening set lead. But an unfortunate 2nd set saw Walton try to hang in there under pressure at 0-2 before it was too late in the end. He will keep on churning every week in the hope of getting better & better on the ATP circuit once this tournament is over.

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Nick Kyrgios’ unreal Wimbledon journey this year fell short as 2nd best to Novak Djokovic in the Gentlemen’s Singles Final

by Sports Benches

Well, it’s been a fairytale run from our Aussie Nick Kyrgios but it all has to come to an end when you can’t underestimate the champion of grass right now from Novak Djokovic with the win. Nick fired off well when he narrowly shut down Novak for the opening set lead. However, he just couldn’t find a way kick on ever since, even though he was so close to take out the 3rd or 4th set in order to stay in this fight. In the end, it’s Novak who now won his fourth straight title here apart from the 2020 cancellation due to COVID – 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 via 7-3 tiebreaker.

He may not have taken home that precious gentlemen’s singles trophy but what an unreal journey nonetheless for Nick Kyrgios. It was a great start with the opening set lead to hold off Novak Djokovic all along before he was tied at 1-1 apiece. He never gave up as this final goes on where he was so close from converting a set that would’ve seen him re-gain the lead while edging closer towards C’ship Point himself, but he just couldn’t find the finishing touches needed to get ahead of Novak. As said earlier, he will have to settle 2nd best after his first ever grand slam singles final appearance at 27. However, let’s hope he continues to build on his fairytale Wimbledon campaign & be a regular Top 8 performer in future grand slams.

And congrats to Novak on his 21st grand slam title as he continues to conquer on the grass with title No.7 at SW19. He was on the same page as Kyrgios at the beginning where Novak fell short in the opening set run. He did turn around however, when Novak responded easily at 1-1 before he overcame his opponent through the very end, in which was enough to deny Kyrgios a 5th set decider & wrap it up in three sets as the champ once again. It’s been a while when Novak was runner-up last year to Daniil Medvedev at the US Open, before he was unable to play earlier this year in Melbourne & also being taken out in the Quarter-Finals last month at the French Open by Rafa Nadal. While he can go & celebrate Wimbledon right now, it remains to be seen if his exemption will allow him to play at the next Australian Open in January since he won’t be able to play at the US Open next month.

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Nick Kyrgios continues his fairytale 2022 Wimbledon campaign with another victory in the Quarter-Final v Cristian Garin

by Sports Benches

Once again, Nick Kyrgios has made Australia proud as our last man standing in the last eight on Day 10 yesterday at Wimbledon, despite the off-court drama surrounding him over the last 24 hours.

Speaking of being the last man standing, he never gave up battling so hard patiently against a difficult opponent – like Chilean wildcard Cristian Garin. Not only he overcame his opponent in straight sets, but he also became the first Australian to play in a Wimbledon Final 4 since Lleyton Hewitt back in 2005. He will no doubt be ready for another uphill battle for tomorrow’s semi-final against Spaniard Rafa Nadal – in the hope of going one better towards Sunday’s big final v either Novak Djokovic from Serbia or Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The final score; 4-6, 3-6, 6-7 via 5-7 tiebreaker.

It’s been a unreal run from the 26-year-old in Garin but his time at SW19 has now came to an end from the last 8. He never gave Kyrgios a free run when Garin fired off well ahead of him with an excellent 1st-half momentum. However, he just didn’t have the other half consistency to pile more pressure back to his opponent. It would’ve mean a lifeline or two in order to stay alive in this tie but that became a missed opportunity when Kyrgios swooped in all three sets instead. Well played though, as he hopes to build on his fairytale Wimbledon campaign at the US Open late next month.

Meanwhile, hats off to Kyrgios on another breakthrough win en route to his first-ever grand slam singles semi-final at 27. He responded really well to Garin’s opening half momentum that gave himself some time to close in on his opponent with patience. Then they were both tested at the very end through every set where Kyrgios provided the better execution to shut down Garin. He just never rushes to look through the body language of Garin on-court before he went on to unpack & action it in his best ability. These are the traits Kyrgios will be tested once again in another make or break moment as the

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Cameron Norrie is one tie away from being the next Briton in-line for a home grand slam final after he defeated David Goffin in the Quarter-Final

by Sports Benches

What a thrilling Quarter-Final match to close out Day 9 of Wimbledon when we saw two brilliant players battle for that 1st of two semi-final spots for Friday v Novak Djokovic. We love seeing Belgian David Goffin & Britain’s Cameron Norrie fought back and forth through each and every set until the very end. There’s only one winner to settle at Court No.1 as Norrie came out victorious for Great Britain – 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6 & 5-7.

So unlucky from Belgian No.1 David Goffin who was just being eliminated from the last 8 of this gentlemen’s singles draw. He fired off well for a start before Goffin bounced back after the third set in a bid to wrap things up from his end. Sadly, he just couldn’t overcome the persistence, fightback and execution when Norrie brought to a fifth and final set showdown before it was too late. He’s always a top player with so much effort though, as this was his fourth grand slam Quarter-Final appearance since the 2019 edition here.

Meanwhile, Great Britain is right behind Norrie now in a bid to upsurge Djokovic in the semis on Friday, and be the next Briton to play on a home grand slam final since Andy Murray back in 2016. He finally got the ball rolling when Goffin already took the 1st set lead earlier on. However, that doesn’t mean it’s over when it comes to the overall result – as Norrie just never gave up under pressure all match long. It helped him respond every time Goffin fought back – especially after the 4th set that gave him a lifeline to close it out his way. And that is top level tennis from Norrie when he proved to be a better fighter than Goffin, before he kicked his opponent out of the Final 8 with a brilliant finish to seal the win in front of his home supporters.

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Wimbledon 2022: Nick Kyrgios shocks 4th Seed Stefanos Tsitsipas with the upset win going into the 4th Round v Brandon Nakashima on Monday

by Sports Benches

What an upset it has been from our Aussie own Nick Kyrgios who just knocked 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas out of the third round at Wimbledon. Both players played really well where Tsitsipas just narrowly beat Kyrgios for the first set lead via the tiebreak. However, Kyrgios had the better fightback than Tsitsipas that saw him win over the next three consecutive sets that sealed his upset. The final score at Court No.1 is 6-2 via 2-7 tiebreaker, 6-4, 6-3 & 7-6 via 9-7 tiebreaker.

Gutted for Tsitsipas with the shock elimination there, even though he fought hard all the way until the very end. The fire off was there when he just shut down Kyrgios with the opening set lead after a series of competitive duels going into the tiebreak. Although he had the opportunity to bring it towards the 5th & final set decider via another tiebreak; unfortunately, he just didn’t have the consistency needed to stay ahead & execute it his way. It’s the one big weakness where he was exposed as this tie goes on by Kyrgios.

And congratulations to Krygios with the win as he advances into the fourth round on Monday v American Brandon Nakashima. If he wins that next round tie, then this will be the third Quarter-Final appearance; first since the 2015 Australian Open and second here at Wimbledon back in 2014. He may have fell short in the opening set spell but he proved to be the better player than Tsitsipas when it comes to the 2nd half pull ever since. We love his fightback when he went from the opening set down to winning the next three straight sets. It tested his persistence to respond back to Tsitsipas under pressure before he upsurged his opponent in the process; first with the lead after the 3rd set, then the victory he deserved in front of these delightful and excited spectators.

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2022 French Open Day 15: Rafa Nadal pulled off way comfortably against Casper Ruud en route to his 22nd grand slam title here at Court Philippe Chatrier

by Sports Benches

What a way to close out after 15 days of top-standard grand slam tennis with the men’s singles’ final in this year’s French Open. World No.8 from Norway Casper Ruud did his best to hold out Rafa earlier on between the 1st and 2nd sets. But it’s Rafa who was outstanding for the whole time that blew Ruud away so easily with the championship win at Court Philippe Chatrier; 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

It’s not the ending Casper Ruud hoped for after he finished runner-up in his first ever grand slam singles’ final at age 23. He showed some fight when trying to catch up to Nadal earlier on, as well as the 2nd set restart where Ruud got the better momentum there. However, a poor opening set start and a lack of 2nd half pull robbed him the chance to shut down Rafa, before he was comfortably beaten without any game registered by the 3rd & final set. What he can learn from his first-ever grand slam final is for Ruud to take out these positives that helped him work his way through this men’s singles draw, and try go go one better later this year at Wimbledon and/or US Open. There’s still plenty of time left to make history of world tennis throughout this 2020s decade.

And once again this is grand slam title No.22, as well as his 14th French Open Championship for Rafa Nadal aka The King of Clay. He fired off comfortably with a decent early lead against Ruud where the Norwegian may have held Rafa back a bit when he was being tested. But he was simply too good where he had the better experience, patience, fightback & execution to pull off from start to finish in three straight sets. It will be interesting to see if Rafa can complete the clean sweep with all four grand slam titles in the one year going into Wimbledon in a few weeks, as well as the US Open in late August-early September. He also just turned 36 a few days ago where this will be his next and last golden target before Rafa retires.

Two grand slams done, two to go. We now turn our attention to The Championships at Wimbledon in London, England, from Monday June 27 to Sunday July 10.

#Tennis #RafaNadal #CasperRuud #FrenchOpen #GrandSlam #RolandGarros #Spain #Norway #CourtPhilippeChatrier #ATPTour

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2022 French Open Day 13: Marin Cilic’s brilliant opening set spell was cancelled by Casper Ruud’s comeback that decided the 2nd and final spot for Sunday’s Final

by Sports Benches

It was a fast and easy start from the 20th seed in Croatian Marin Cilic with the opening set lead. However, his momentum quickly went downhill when Casper Ruud from Norway fought back at 1-1 apiece after the break before Ruud pulled off further away from Cilic comfortably that secured his French Open final spot towards the finish line. The final score is 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Marin Cilic’s fairytale run has just came to an end. He got the ball rolling for a start with the early lead but then fell off a cliff ever since when he just couldn’t find the consistency to stay in this fight. Not only he was gutted to be held short while making some lost time during the next set, but he was blown away so easily through the 3rd & 4th sets that marked his exit out of the Final 4. It’s good to see him being back to his best though at age 33, having last made the grand slam finals back in the 2018 Australian Open where he was runner-up to Roger Federer.

And on Casper Ruud, take a bow as he will gear up for his first ever grand slam final appearance tomorrow v Rafa Nadal. He never looked out of place even though Ruud couldn’t bridge that gap to Cilic earlier in the first set. But it’s all about the finish where Ruud stood out as the better player from last night. The patience & response he saw right into Cilic’s game helped the Norwegian deny him a 2-0 lead, as well as tie at 1-1 before Ruud proved too good to wrap this up just under the three-hour mark.

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2022 French Open Day 13: Rafa Nadal v Alexander Zverev semi-final tie came to an heartbreaking end over Zverev’s ankle injury

by Sports Benches

It wasn’t the ending we wanted to see when Alexander Zverev injured his ankle & retired hurt while trying to stop Rafa Nadal from winning the 2nd set. But this semi-final tie had to be wrapped up immediately as Nadal will advance to Sunday’s main event v Norwegian Casper Ruud at Court Philippe Chatrier. The final score was done just over three overs of play via walkover; 7-6 via 10-8 tiebreaker, 6-6.

Zverev fired off with the early headstart that helped him took advantage earlier in both sets ahead of Rafa. He also showed plenty of fight every time he tries go past set point but just couldn’t find the response & finishing needed to hold off his opponent, especially when after he chased the ball so hard but then lightning struck that sent him a huge blow to his ankle. We’re all gutted not to see Zverev continue playing where we send him best wishes with his recovery, before he hopes to come back sooner rather than later by going one better towards another grand slam final since the 2020 US Open.

And Nadal proved to be the better fighter with a brilliant response and execution that helped him pass Zverev through each set. He’s got so much patience with a close lens in Zverev’s natural game where not only Rafa cancelled his Zverev’s fast start, but he also held him back through the very end through another lifeline to close it out and he came out unscathed on top. Although it wasn’t a happy ending when his opponent injured his ankle, all Rafa did was to shake hands with respect before he moves onto the next challenge towards another possible grand slam title of 2022 tomorrow.

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2022 French Open Day 11: Holger Rune’s sensational run has come to an end as Casper Ruud books semi-final place tomorrow v Marin Cilic

by Sports Benches

The Final Four is all set for Day 13 tomorrow at the French Open; Rafa Nadal v Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud v Marin Cilic. Casper Ruud proved too good to pull off at the start while youngster Holger Rune isn’t an easy opponent to face when he made up some lost time from the opening set down. But it’s Ruud who responded well to Rune’s competitiveness when he denied him a 3rd set closer at the tiebreak followed by a win that sent the Dane out of the Quarter-Finals here at Court Philippe Chatrier. The final score is 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 via 7-2 tiebreaker. 6-3.

Well, it’s been a great run but it all has to come to an end from 19-year-old Dane Holger Rune. He responded really well from the opening set down where Rune showed lots of fight to try and keep his French Open campaign alive. However, the poor starts really let him down after he was easily blown away while he just couldn’t kick on when Rune fell short in the 3rd set before he was over and done by Ruud. It’s his first grand slam knockout appearance which is quite a remarkable achievement just under 20 years old. He’s sure to create many more moments including the moment when Rune gets to win his first grand slam title.

And job well done to World No.8 Casper Ruud from Norway with the win. He never looked out of place having fired off to a fast start; he also didn’t hesitate on the young Dane when Ruud lost the 2nd set before he held back Rune at the tiebreak & pulled off his way further towards the finish line. This tie was his first grand slam Quarter-Finals appearance as his brilliant run at the French Open continues into the Final Four tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if he can knock off Marin Cilic for a spot in the final this Sunday with either Rafa Nadal or Alexander Zverev.

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2022 French Open Day 10: Rafa Nadal books his semi-final berth v Alexander Zverez after he defeated Novak Djokovic during a four-hour Quarter-Final showdown

by Sports Benches

What a match it has been after a gruelling four hours of play between Novak Djokovic & Rafa Nadal to close out Day 10 of the 2022 French Open. Nadal was too good to open this quarter-final account while Djokovic fought back in the 2nd set, even though it was a very competitive battle to tie 1-1 apiece. However, it’s Nadal who responded well to Djokovic’s fight with another easy 3rd set spell, before he denied the Serbian a 5th set lifeline that turned into his semi-final’s ticket for tomorrow v Alexander Zverev from Germany. The final score is 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 via 4-7 tiebreaker.

Djokovic was gutted not to make the Final 4 on his first grand slam campaign of 2022 at the French Open. He shown plenty of fight in a bid to stay in contention against a tough elite grand slam opponent, having responded well from the opening set down before Djokovic almost tied Nadal at 2-2 towards a possible 5th set decider. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t find a way to overtake Nadal for the lead, as well as the need to stay ahead, which ultimately cost Djokovic a semi-final berth.

And congratulations to Nadal after a hard-fought win v the reigning French Open champion. He fired off well very easily for a start with the opening set lead. Now Nadal may have fallen just short by a game or two in the 2nd set, but he’s so good at responding to this fight where he was too good in the 3rd set, cancelled Djokovic’s lifeline towards a possible 5th set decider & turned into a win of his own here under the lights at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

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