Tag:

Australian Open

Other Sports

Tennis, Alex De Minaur def. Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets as his Italian affair continues with Fabio Cobolli for the 3rd Round

by Sports Benches

Great to see our Aussie own Alex De Minaur advance into the third round after following straight sets win (6-3, 6-0, 6-3) earlier in the afternoon v Italian Matteo Analdi. He might have been not far behind from the beginning but the Demon has worked his way up with some excellent challenged that reflected his natural game. The first set was there before he too good unchallenged in the 2nd set where De Minaur took his time well towards the end with the win after just two hours of play at Rod Laver Arena. His next opponent will be another Italian in 21-year-old Fabio Cobolli who just defeated Pavel Kotov out of a four-set contest at Court 6 (5-7, 3-6, 7-5 & 2-6). Meanwhile, Arnaldi may have put up a great fight on occasions but his time is now up after a few days at Melbourne Park with the straight sets loss. He started the opening game well before doing the best he can to stay in the fight during the 3rd set. However, he couldn’t bridge the upper half form where Arnaldi just couldn’t keep up with De Minaur that saw him being left out through every set of this match. He had a great career moment off the back end of last year such as the fourth round at the US Open as well as the Davis Cup trophy for his country, but there’s still some work to do if wants to be good as Jannik Sinner next time when it comes to the next few grand slams throughout 2024.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

British Women’s No.1 Katie Boulter def. Yue Yuan to kickstart her 2024 Australian Open Tennis campaign in straight sets at Court 7

by Sports Benches

Here’s another close straights sets match we just saw not long ago over in Day 3 of the 2024 Australian Open women’s singles draw when Briton Katie Boulter has just defeated China’s Yue Yuan at Court 7 as her next opportunity next for Round 2 this Thursday will either be China’s Qinwen Zhang (12th seed) or Ashlyn Krueger from the USA. The final score was 7-5, 7-6 with 7-1 tiebreaker & the match was done in just under two hours at 1 hour & 55 mins. Great effort by Yue Yuan to keep her game up with Boulter where she was so close to getting the set done herself after giving her opponent a hard time on occasions on the court. Unfortunately, she just couldn’t hold on and get that breakthrough where Boulter had the upper hand with the win as this is her 2nd grand slam singles appearance here at Melbourne Park. We wish her all the best, having played her first WTA Tour final a few months ago (October) where she lost to American Jessica Pegula in the Korea Open.

Meanwhile, the current women’s British No.1 has played her A-game to begin her Australian Open tour with the win. She never lets herself down without a fight against her opponent right through the very end of each set before things went her way where Boulter has the better pull to get things done under pressure & she did exactly just like that today. Now this will be her 2nd round appearance since the 2019 Australian Open, but she had a great 2nd half of 2023 thanks to back-to-back 3rd Round glam performances at Wimbledon & the US Open. Let’s take one match at a time but hopefully she’ll make another big breakthrough herself just like her boyfriend of our Aussie own Alex De Minaur aka The Demon.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

2024 Australian Open Tennis, Sumit Nagal shocks Alexander Bublik by flying the Indian flag in straight sets at Court 6

by Sports Benches

Someone else has made a name for himself just a while ago on Day 3 of the Australian Open today at Court 6 in none other than Sumit Nagal from India, who defeated 31st seed Kazakh Alexander Bublik. It was such a close game by both players, even though it ended up in three straight sets where Nagal holds all the cards (4-6, 6-2, 7-6 with 7-5 tiebreaker).

Not the exit Bublik wanted to see out as the three-day first round’s leg is coming to a close ahead of the 2nd round over Tomorrow & Thursday. He did well at times from the start and during the 3rd set to try & stay in the fight, but unfortunately, he was so inconsistent as the match goes on with the lack of executions being counted against him. Yes, he had a career highlight moment last year at Wimbledon where he went as high as the 4th round. However, he has yet to have gone past the 2nd round here twice despite his highly seeded Top 30 ranking back in 2021 & 2022. And the man of the moment after his breakthrough moment goes to 137th ranked Nagal who will now take on either USA’s Mackenzie McDonald or Shang Juncheng from China this Thursday. He put in a brilliant show all along that surprised the Kazakh where Nagal got away with a close first stage lead before he was too good in the 2nd set & although he had some challenges in the 3rd set, but managed to get the job done under pressure at the tiebreak. This is the second time he has advanced into the 2nd Round of his grand slam career since the 2020 US Open. Let’s hope he can fulfil his potential onto something big & special at Melbourne Park.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

Barbora Krejcikova escapes Mai Hontama’s excellent start following a comeback win in the AO 1st Round at Margaret Court Arena

by Sports Benches

And here’s another brilliant game to start the Day 1 of the 2024 Australian Open between 9th seed Barbora Krejcikova from Czech Republic & Japan’s Mai Hontama at Margaret Court Arena. Hontama fired off really well with an easy opening set lead by surprise before Krejcikova turned herself around when not only she won the 2nd set but made good use of medical time out break in the decider en route towards a two-set victory in the end there after two & 1/2 hours – 6-2, 6-4 & 6-3.

Oh so close from Hontama where it’s not been easy facing a Top 10 seeded player like Krejcikova & she has done great under pressure to stay ahead, having got away with the early lead after the opening set’s play. She just couldn’t find the finish line unfortunately off the back from the Czech’s fight back that went on & on until Hontama was eliminated early from the tournament. Let’s hope she can kick on throughout the year as this is her first grand slam here other than Wimbledon whose best finish there was 2R in 2022. Looking at Krejcikova now & what a comeback from 1-0 down as well as on the brink of being unexpected kicked out to an opening set win under pressure v Hontama. She would be disappointed regarding the opening set performance to begin with but the Czech has shown lots of fightback that shows her credibility on the court as an established grand slam player in both singles and doubles formats, having won the French Open a few years ago back in 2021. Krejcikova has plenty of catch up to do in a bid to get back in the Finals picture since the 2022 Quarter-Finals here ahead of her next round opponent v Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch after she too got away with a brilliant comeback herself, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

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.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

Joaquin Niemann’s outstanding show on the final day today has secured him the 2023 Australian Open victory via a two-hole Playoff shootout v Rikuya Hoshino

by Sports Benches

The 2023 Australian Golf Tournament is finally done and dusted just in time with rainy weather at the Royal Australian Golf Club in Sydney. First of all, we entered Championship day with our Aussie own Min Woo Lee and Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino as the joint leaders as they both battle it out upfront once again this time for the Stonehaven Cup. Now Hoshino has bounced back through the end to score a playoff shootout but not with Min Woo though as the 25-year-old from Perth did not have a great weekend out, even though he finished two strokes shy of third with a final score today at two over 72.

The same can be said with fellow Aussies Adam Scott & Lucas Herbert who sniffed around top spot earlier in the day for a while & they weren’t also bad too in the Top 10 alongside Min Woo, but both of them couldn’t keep up the consistency particularly at the back nine in Tied 4th & outright 7th respectively. Instead, Hoshino was met by a new challenger in none other than Joaquin Niemann Chile after he was simply outstanding today at five under 66.

So both Niemann & Hoshino were tied at -14 ahead of the two-hole Playoff shootout with Niemann keeping it straight, while Hoshino couldn’t get the ball land through the middle of the fairway as it ended up going wide either near the trees or the bunker. Yes, Hoshino is excellent at getting out of trouble, especially when he was lucky the first time around after Niemann missed that eagle put. However, Hoshino’s luck eventually ran out at the 2nd attempt when Niemann’s perfect eagle performance on Par 5 18 has all but confirmed the Chilean with the Stonehaven Cup trophy by just one stroke.

Great day by Niemann who had to wait for like two hours with some driving & putting practice before he had to play again at the 18th hole twice with Hoshino for the Playoff shootout. But his final day performance has been extraordinary with some sensational drives & shots along the way that saw him move his way up front as he deserves to win the 2023 Australian Open Golf tournament – well done!!

And on Hoshino, it’s hard to see him fall short once again like he was last weekend to Min Woo Lee at the Australian PGA Championship as no one likes to miss out the top prize in 2nd place. He has been an top player to watch though where Hoshino knows how to get into the game late during the final weekend rounds over the last two weeks & if he can keep the consistency all along from start to finish, then he’ll sure win sooner rather than later.

It was a fantastic two week show of major Australian Golf Tournaments this year as they’ve been brilliant hosts to all players both here & overseas across Brisbane for the Australian PGA Championship & Sydney over the last four days with the Australian Open. They will be back back bigger & better for the next one in 2024.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

It’s Min Woo Lee v Riyuka Hoshino Round 2 this time for the Stonehaven Cup trophy in 2023 Australian Open Golf ahead of Championship Day tomorrow in Sydney

by Sports Benches

While Min Woo Lee’s performances on Moving Day earlier today might not be as the same as Day 2 yesterday, but he’s still leading the 2023 Australian Open alongside Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino where they are both at -13 ahead of Championship day tomorrow to finish off the two weeks of major tournament golf here in Australia. But that’s not all as there’s couple of players going after them for the Stonehaven Cup such as Alex Fitzpatrick from England (-12) while American Patrick Rodgers (-12) never looked out of place so far right from the very start. Plus, don’t forget fellow Aussie Lucas Herbert who also done well today as he is just three strokes (-11) behind the Top 4 front runners over in outright 5th. Yes, it’s possible that we will see a strong Top 5-10 finish when it comes to our representation of Aussies in action. But it’s all about Min Woo v Hoshino again where his amazing final day performance last Sunday has saw him won the Australian PGA Championship at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane. Will Min Woo get to pull off the same thing tomorrow and complete the double as the next Aussie to win this tournament since Matt Jones in 2019? Otherwise, will we see Hoshino get his revenge or a else different foreigner keeping the Stonehaven Cup away from the locals like Poland’s Adrian Meronk did last year come tomorrow arvo.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

2023 Australian Open Golf Day 1 & 2 Review: Cameron Davis off to a flying start but Min Woo Lee’s strong Back 9 yesterday has overtaken Connor Syme with a two-shot lead

by Sports Benches

The 2023 Australian Open Golf is back for another year this time in Sydney where the  first two days were held at two different golf venues (The Lakes Golf Club & Royal Australian Golf Club) since it’s a combined mixed event for the men’s, women’s and all abilities categories. It’s also good to see our Aussies lead the charge as well with Cameron Davis off to a great start as the opening day leader. Now he might have slipped away over the course of Day 2 yesterday, but there’s another Aussie who absolutely shines from difficult and extraordinary situations in none other than last weekend’s Australian PGA Championship winner Min Woo Lee. He too wowed majority leader of Day 2 Connor Syme from Scotland as he’s currently leading by two strokes at -12, especially when Min Woo got away with strong back nine performance from 14th to 1st that includes sharing the lead with Syme for a while before he became the outright leader after a birdie the Par 4 16th. And we also couldn’t forget a brilliant end to his shift off the back of a eagle on the Par 5 18th – what a player he is so far by our own Min Woo Lee.

It’s also great to see some Aussies moving up the leaderboard ahead of moving day today with Jason Scrivener & Jeffrey Guan. Plus, Lucas Herbert is in Tied 16th & Cameron Smith gets to play this weekend down in Tied 28th after he missed the cut last week during the Australian PGA Championship. Gotta say it’s Min Woo v the world for this one as he hopes to keep on staying up front by flying the flag for Australia with more of his individual brilliances coming his way later today in Sydney. 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

A sensational finish in the 2022 Australian Open saw the towering Adrian Meronk crown as the first-time winner after rough Day 4 outings from Adam Scott & Min-Woo Lee

by Sports Benches

What a day, what a moment from the unbelievable & very tall Adrian Meronk of Poland – who just won this year’s Australian Open Men’s Tournament here in Cheltenham, Victoria. He got away with a fantastic front nine of back-to-back birdies at the start plus a two more on the 9th & 15th before Meronk wrapped up his final shift with a sensational eagle putt on the Par 5 18th at 4 under 66. How good!!

Adam Scott came home in 2nd by just five strokes behind Meronk at -9. He was on par with the Pole for the majority since his remarkable turnaround over the last two days. However, a mix of bogeys on the front nine & an poor 17th hole on double bogey – including an out of bounds mistake in his first shot – have effectively ended his hopes on top – as he finished Day 4 on two over 72. After Scott, Min-Woo Lee rounds out the Top 3 on -8. He came here hoping to take home home this tournament his own after an unreal first hole eagle on the Par 5 – but couldn’t find much special to kick on ever since that saw him settle for 3rd best on 1 under 69. 

Plus, hats off to Alejandro Canizares from Spain when he moved a whopping 26 spots up to Tied 4th at -7 alongside Haydn Bannon, as well as topping the charts of the final day alone with eight birdies despite two bogeys in between Holes 2 & 4 on six under 64. And it’s good to see a bunch of Aussies finish inside the Top 10-15 mark – including the resurgent Lucas Herbert down in Tied 10th by ten shots behind Meronk (-4) – when he fired off slow in the early stages – but found a way up over the weekend that reflected his late progress right until the very end. 

That is that as congrats to Adrian Meronk with his stunning day today as the new Australian Open Men’s champion.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Other Sports

Adam Scott’s fantastic Day 3 performance puts him in the box seat towards the Australian Open Men’s title going into the final day

by Sports Benches

Adam Scott is such an amazing player to watch since his resurgence from Day 2 on Friday, as he will enter the fourth & final Day as the Australian Open Men’s leader on 11 under par. He was consistent through for most of the time bar the bogey on the Par 5 9th, but his back nine was superb especially when he sinked two birdies plus an unreal end to his shift with an eagle on the Par 5 18th of 3 under 67. 

Look out behind Scott by one stroke in 2nd at -10 when it comes to the towering 6 ft 6 in Adrian Meronk from Poland. He too also continued his resurgence like Adam with an extraordinary front nine of six birdies alone before he capped off a brilliant spell including an additional three birdies of the last 4 holes on 7 under 63.

It’s also good to see another pair of Aussies such as Haydn Barron & Min-Woo Lee in Tied 3rd – who are both ready to challenge Scott & also Meronk for the trophy – as they’re just four strokes behind Scott at -7. Bannon never looked out of place after he got away comfortably on two under 66, while Min-Woo Lee continued his progress further through the field but he would need a perfect Sunday finish & pray for the best if a breakthrough win ends up on his way. The same goes with Jason Scrivener when he moved way up from T32 to T12 at -4 after a brilliant run today of two under 66, but he doesn’t want another repeat of what happened last Sunday when a mix of errors on the Par 3 17th at the Australian PGA Championship ultimately cost him the title. 

Although David Micheluzzi‘ strong first-half start went downhill from top spot to Tied 12th following a rough score of -7 73, but again he would need a mix of consistency & luck if he wants the Australian Open title so bad by the end of tomorrow afternoon. But there’s one player for sure who can’t be present on Day 4 after he missed the 2nd cut-off bubble; Sadly, it’s current Australian PGA Championship winner Cameron Smith – even though he slightly improved a bit on Day 3 but a poor first half ruined his chances of collecting the double here in Victoria.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail