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2023 Australian Open Tennis: Australian players’ performance review

by Sports Benches

We came off from an excellent 2nd half of tennis last year thanks to our two excellent players in Nick Kyrgios (Wimbledon Final & QF US Open) & Ajla Tomjlanovic (Back-to-Back QFs), as well as the Final of both Davis Cup & Billie Jean Cup Team campaigns where we were runners-up to Canada & Switzerland respectively. 

When it comes to our Aussies at the Australian Open this year, we hoped that Kyrgios & Tomljanovic would be there as our marquee stars amongst the top seeders after the retirement of last year’s women’s singles champion Ash Barty. Sadly, their respective injuries in the lead-up tournaments has prevented them the chance to show something special on home soil here at Melbourne Park.

The men’s draw was not bad with Alex De Minaur doing so well up until the 4th round where he was easily eliminated by eventual champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia). So does Alexei Popyrin with his upset win v 8th seed Taylor Fritz (USA) in RD 2 before he was gone next round in straight sets by another American in Benjamin Shelton. For the women though, it just wasn’t the same without Barty & even Tomljanovic where we only had Olivia Gadeki & Kim Birrell into the first two rounds, before their own exits mean that there’s no more Aussies left in this draw.

Let’s hope our Aussies go well at the other grand slams if we want a strong home campaign barring injuries next year, with the Roland Garros (Paris, France) next up in late May. And let’s not forget that we are still so good in the men’s doubles circuit also on home soil, with the Special Ks (Nick Kyrgios & Thanasi Kokkinakis) smashing it last year & now it’s the Jason & Rinky duo of Jason Kubler & Ricky Hijikata following their straight sets triumph late on Saturday night v Hugo Nys (Monaco) & Jan Zielinski (Poland). 

So lots to look forward when cheering our own Tennis stars, while Australia is looking to go one better in 2023 with the Davis Cup & Billie Jean Cup Finals campaigns.

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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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Elena Rybakina’s fightback & all-round game beats Ons Jabeur’s fast start for the 2022 Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles title

by Sports Benches

What a way to end this ladies’ singles final on Day 13 at Wimbledon. Ons Jabeur was off to a very easy start with the early lead, but the match wasn’t over just yet when Elena Rybakina held at 1-1 apiece to bring an exciting 3rd set decider. In the end, it’s Rybakina – who overcame Jabeur at the final restart – before she pulled a comfortable finish with a huge breakthrough moment right here on Centre Court. The final score was 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Yes, it’s been so emotional when Jabeur ended up being 2nd best on her first grand slam final appearance. She came here with a fast start to get the ball rolling which blew Rybakina away. However, it’s just not enough to pile the pressure even further when it comes to the 2nd and later 3rd sets. If she had the execution and 2nd half fight to match her opponent’s standard, then this would’ve been a different story via a tiebreak or even regaining the lead. Unfortunately, she couldn’t have them ready to stop Rybakina in its tracks & finish it off her way. But there’s still a whole lot of tennis to look forward to, as Jabeur should continue working hard & try to go one better in the next few grand slams.

And congratulations to 23-year-old Rybakina – who now the Wimbledon ladies singles’ trophy – in her hands for the first time. Now she may have to improve on her build-up base where Rybakina was exposed by Jabeur earlier on. But how about we applaud her fightback, all-round game, patience and execution that helped earn her first major at SW19 – especially with a impressive tall build at 6 foot that got the best of her mind games. She quickly made up lost time from the 2nd set restart when Rybakina tied Jabeur at 1-1, before the path was hers once she took over the lead & controlled the court ever since on the run home. What a moment, what a championship win for the Kazakh. Let’s see if she can continue to be a consistent elite Top 5-10 grand slam player from now on.

For now, Australia is ready to back Nick Kyrgios later night in a bid to take home the gentlemen’s singles trophy against none other than Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

#Tennis #Wimbledon #GrandSlam #OnsJabeur #ElenaRybakina #Tunisia #Kazakhstan #CentreCourt

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Nick Kyrgios is now one win away from taking home the Gentlemen’s Singles title at Wimbledon after Rafa Nadal’s exit due to injury yesterday

by Sports Benches

Earlier this morning here in Australia, we woke up to the news that 22 x grand slam champion from Spain Rafa Nadal made a difficult decision to exit in this year’s running at Wimbledon ahead of tonight’s semi-final due to injury. That paves the way for our own Nick Kyrgios – who is now one step away from winning his first grand slam championship on Sunday – thanks to Rafa’s withdrawal via walkover. For now, he will watch the other semi final in a few hours time & see who will be his next challenger – either Britain’s Cameron Norrie or Novak Djokovic from Serbia.

Yes, it’s been heartbreaking not to see him continue if you’re a Rafa fan, but recovery comes first before getting back up to speed with fitness on the tennis court. We would’ve liked to see him win his third straight grand slam title this year, as well as make it title No.23 & go one better to complete the clean sweep at the US Open.

Although he can take home the fourth & grand slam tournament of the year in mid-September, but he will be approaching age 37 now going into mid-2023. So there will be plenty of decisions made if Rafa is gonna bounce back or else retire next year. If he still chooses to play, then he will try and be the third player to win all four grand slams in a single year before retiring from the sport for good – after Rod Laver back in 1962 & 1969 & Don Budge in 1938.

Meanwhile, what a moment to savour from our Aussie own Nick Kyrgios in his first grand slam final appearance – with the Wimbledon Men’s Singles trophy now on his sights. This is the moment he has been waiting for a long time after he took the world by storm out of nowhere – especially when he shocked 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece in the 3rd Round a few days ago.

Yes, there’s going to be talk about his off-court life over the next few weeks but now it’s not the time to talk about it. Instead, Australia is right behind him on the cusp of making history at Wimbledon – which would mean another golden moment in Australian tennis and sport in general – alongside the now retired Ash Barty earlier this year at the Australian Open.

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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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Wimbledon 2022: Two Aussies Ajla Tomljanovic and Nick Kyrgios on the hunt towards their potential semi-final singles’ berth on Day 10 today

by Sports Benches

We still have two Aussies standing in the last eight at Wimbledon that will begin in a few hours’ time – Nick Kyrgios and Ajla Tomljanovic. Yes, we’ve heard the unexpected news from off-court yesterday that Nick Kyrgios has been hit with a domestic violence assault charge over his ex-girlfriend from December last year. Nevertheless, he will still be playing v Cristian Garin from Chile in a bid to advance through to Friday’s Semis against – either American Taylor Fritz or Spaniard Rafa Nadal, as his next trial will take place next month at a court in Canberra.

We would’ve love to see an all-Australian QF with Kyrgios & Alex De Minaur that would guarantee an Aussie going into the semis but De Minaur’s great start after the first two sets was eventually hijacked by his upcoming opponent. Neither does Jason Kubler when he also advanced through to the last 16 before he was easily beaten by Fritz but then it would’ve been another hard next match anyway v one of the world’s best in Rafa.

While we won’t make any further comments about his off-court situation – especially when Kyrgios has such a big reputation there of being famous- but right now he will want to focus on the game if he still wants to be the last man standing going into the last four for Australia.

Meanwhile, we have Ajla Tomljanovic as our other female Aussie in the ladies’ singles last eight v 17th seed from Kazakhstan – Elena Rybakina. She has demonstrated brilliant fightback from the opening set down in her last two rounds v Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) & Alize Cornet (France) respectively. Now she’s ready to unpack these strengths in order to eliminate Ryabakina, and hopefully advance into the semis tomorrow for a shot towards Saturday’s big final against – either Simona Halep from Romania or USA’s Amanda Anisimova.

Here we come as these two Aussies look set to make history on Day 10 at Wimbledon!

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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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Tennis News, Nick Kyrgios advances into R2 in a tough encounter ahead with Daniil Medvedev after he defeated Liam Broady in straight sets

by Sports Benches

Another Aussie who advanced into Round 2 of this year’s Australian Open tomorrow is Nick Kyrgios, he too defeated Briton Liam Broady in straight sets early in three stages at John Cain Arena (4-6, 4-6, 3-6) & will face 2nd seed & reigning US Open men’s champion Daniil Medvedev from Russia.

Kyrgios and Broady were always side by side for the whole time when they both tussled for every game and point, however, Kyrgios produced the better conversion first ahead of Broady before he sprinted a few blocks in the 3rd set & dominated this tie in the end.

And Broady is disappointed with the loss where he showed a good build-up base from the start & was so close to winning those two sets, but he just couldn’t provide the 2nd half consistency that gave Kyrgios the upper hand having felt like he’s fallen off a cliff & then couldn’t keep in contention.

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Laver Cup 2021, Team Europe completes Day 2 undefeated following a rebound in the doubles game v Team World

by Sports Benches

Brilliant start from Team World in the beginning when John Isner & Nick Kyrgios worked well for the first set win 6-7 even in the toughest of rallies that went on during the tiebreaker at 8-10, but they fell way behind ever since with no rebound.

What a comeback for Team Europe on the other hand having gone a close first set down before Andrey Rublev & Stefanos Tsitsipas regrouped together at the restart & become exceptional along the way over the next two sets (6-3, 10-4) which was so easy for them to execute.

It’s a pity from Team World who weren’t able to kick on after two days as they want to close out their best on a high tomorrow with an outside chance of winning all four upcoming games at three points each, while Team Europe are closer to retaining the Laver Cup as long as they reach the 13 point mark first with a win in any next two of four games.

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Team Europe extends their lead going into the afternoon session of Day 2 with two wins from Stefanos Tsitsipas & Alexander Zverev

by Sports Benches

Team World may have earned a late win at the end of Day 1 last night in the only doubles game but continued to struggle going into Day 2 when it comes to the singles battle, yes there may be really close thanks to John Isner who fought back from the first set down but even in the toughest of challenges he just unable to regroup in the 3rd set tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, Team Europe extend their lead at 7-1 as Alexander Zverev overcame Isner until the very end after extremely competitive rallies in between before Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t find it difficult to nail down Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.

Scores: 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker to Zverev), 6-7 (6-8 tiebreaker to Isner) & 10-5 to Zverev

6-3 Tsitsipas, 6-4 Tsitsipas

There’s two matches to come for the rest of Day 2 with Daniil Medvedev v Denis Shapovalov followed by a lone double meeting of Andrey Rublev/Stefanos Tsitsipas v John Isner/Nick Kyrgios.

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