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Novak Djokovic v Casper Ruud in the 2023 Roland Garros Final all set now after Djokovic got away in four sets v Carlos Alazaraz while Ruud was too good v Alexander Zverev

by Sports Benches

Day 13 of the 2023 Roland Garros marked the end of the semis ahead of the weekend’s big final starting later today with the women’s singles between Iga Swiatek & Karolina Muchkova. Novak Djokovic still standing tall v Carlos Alcaraz after a fiery first half at 1-1 before Djokovic easily wrapped up the match (3-6, 7-5, 1-6, 1-6). So does Casper Ruud v Alexander Zverev when the dominated the court with a great start followed by overcoming close 2nd set battle & then an easy finish in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-0).

So gutted to see Alcaraz being dropped out from the last 4, having fought back really well with a mix of impressive shots that saw him won the 2nd set. Sadly, not only he had a rough opening stage but couldn’t find top spot to build on that fightback where he was wiped out easily by Djokovic. Speaking of Djokovic, he had a great game particularly during the 2nd half after Alcaraz won the 2nd set. He knows his opponent is a great challenger who has high hopes for grand slam glory in the years to come as seen during the 2nd set. But he still has the experience & energy to rebound all the way quicksmart towards another grand slam final on clay.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t the exit Zverev was hoping for when he finally got the ball rolling with some excellent fightback, having fell short in the 2nd stage. While he did the best he can including a good restart to level Ruud at 1–1, but a poor start saw him fell behind as the match goes on & it was simply too much for him to climb back in the end. And on Ruud, he was brilliant thanks to a great start while taking his time to get past Zverev with a 2-0 lead. That way, he easily found the finish line where Ruud is now one match way from hopefully going third time lucky this time v Djokovic in the final tomorrow.

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2023 Roland Garros, Men’s Singles Final 4 has been set after Alexander Zverev def. Tomas Martin Etcheverry while Casper Ruud gets the job done v Holger Rune

by Sports Benches

After Day 11, the men’s singles Final Four draw has also been finalised for Day 13 throughout tomorrow at least in the daytime ahead of Sunday’s final day – with Novak Djokovic v Carlos Alcaraz for semis No.1 as well as Alexander Zverev & Casper Ruud in the 2nd semis tie. Zverev & Tomas Martin Etcheverry both players shared the lead at 1-1 before Zverev went on to win the final two sets, even though it wasn’t easy (6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4). Then we saw another thrilling contest to close the Final 8 bracket where Holger Rune won the 3rd set after being easily blown away during the first half. But then couldn’t stop Ruud all along despite trying to stay in contention as of late (1-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3).

Etcheverry never gave Zverev an easy run, having kept a close eye on him who is about as tall as his opponent. He did well to share the lead at 1-1 apiece but just didn’t have the 2nd half momentum & execution to hold him back further in his tracks. Meanwhile, Zverev was so aware of Etcheverry’s game who got away with the opening set lead before he was held back after the 2nd set loss. But he replied really well to maintain his top spot position before things starting to be easier going into the fourth set & he has nailed it towards the end without any rush thanks to that winning advantage he’s got there.

Then Holger Rune came from behind to stop Ruud from wrapping up in straight sets while continuing to stay in this fight in the hope of a 5th set decider & finish it off his way But it doesn’t mean he can stop Ruud for the whole match itself where his 1st half display wasn’t good from the start before Rune did the best he can to hang & it was simply too much to grasp with loads of pressure for him. And Ruud really had the best start and 1st half momentum where he was way ahead of Rune. Yes, he had to be wary of Rune’s 2nd half resurgence, but took his time well to find his way out unscathed for the win.

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2023 French Open: Carlos Alcaraz too good for Stefanos Tsitsipas while Novak Djokovic overcomes Karen Khachanov in a four-set showdown during the Quarter Finals

by Sports Benches

We saw two excellent match-ups to begin this year’s Quarter Finals in the men’s singles draw of the Roland Garros – one is where Carlos Alcaraz being too good following an easy win v Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-2, 6-1, 6-6 (7-5 tie)), while the other was a bit more intense between Novak Djokovic & Karen Khachanov (4-6, 6-6 (7-0 tiebreaker), 6-2, 6-4). That now puts both Alcaraz & Djokovic head-to-head for Friday’s 1st semi-final match-up (Day 13).

Not the day Tsitsipas wanted to see out on clay this year where he fired off not bad as well as being able to try and save himself in contention particularly during the third set & go from there, even though it might be a long hill to climb back. Sadly, his performance today wasn’t on par with the Spaniard where he fell way behind while beaten easily as this tie goes on. For Alcaraz, he was simply too good all around from start to finish. Yes, he had some challenges along the way during the 3rd set. But he was tested really well to hang in there before that tiebreak period gave him another chance to get the job done & he has done it en route to the last 4 here – legend v emerging grand slam champ for a spot in the Final, can’t wait!!

Commiserations to Khachanov who challenged Djokovic really well at times for the majority & knows how to get the ball rolling, having won the opening set + some near wins during 2nd & 4th set spells. But when it comes to being tested under all sorts of pressure, that is when his momentum began to nosedive during the 2nd set tiebreak & couldn’t rebound much through the rest of this tie. And Djokovic might had fell short in the opening set, but he never gave up by fighting back really well where he credits the 2nd set tiebreak as his turning point; So he can go on by overtaking Khachanov for the lead and finish this tie off calm & composed.

There’s two more QF ties left for Day 11 on the road for the 2nd semis match now with Alexander Zverev v Tomas Martin Etcheverry followed by Casper Ruud v Holger Rune.

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2023 Australian Open Final: Novak Djokovic became the last man standing as The King of Melbourne Park following his triumph last night v Stefanos Tsitsipas

by Sports Benches

After two weeks of high-standard grand slam tennis, the 2023 Australian Open has came to an close last night with the men’s singles Final match between Novak Djokovic from Serbia & Melbourne’s “own” Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece here at Rod Laver Arena.

Novak got away with an easy opening set lead. Although it was a bit more difficult this time when facing a finalist out there v Tsitsipas, but Novak never gave up & kept himself strong where he won another stage in the 2nd via tiebreak with only more set needed to win this title. Then he faced the same difficulty yet again against Tsitsipas who doesn’t give him a free run all along, but Novak took his time well on the run home & that confirms his 10th Australian Open title here, 22nd grand slam trophy in-line with Rafa Nadal & will now re-claim the No.1 ATP Tour ranking starting today. The final score was 3-6, 6-7 (4-7 tiebreak) & 6-7 (5-7 tiebreak).

Sorry to see Tsitsipas fall second best again on his 2nd grand slam singles final occasion after Roland Garros two years ago. He fired off not bad with Novak where it took him a while to show plenty of fight following the first set loss. Tsitsipas did everything he can to stop Novak from slipping past in his tracks, having won a couple of games that went all the way via the tiebreak. Sadly, he didn’t have the execution needed to win a set & pile more pressure back onto Novak with the straight sets loss. Sure he’s learned a lot last night though as he will get used to playing grand slam finals more often by going one better for the title next time. 

And yes, we feel for Novak when he capped off an emotion end to his Australian Open Final victory last night for the 10th time here. Huge scenes when he was crying alongside family who were there for Novak by his side. Moving onto his performance, him facing a rising elite grand slam star isn’t always easy. The first set was not hard for a start, but then he was tested plenty of times by Tsitsipas all along that will tell if he’s up to the challenge or not. The answer is that he responded really well where his patience & execution has helped Novak move past Tsitsipas unscathed before he got home safely. Now he still has unfinished business at 35 by planning to win more grand slams as possible; Let’s see if he can win three more throughout the same calendar year in 2023.

For now, we can’t wait for the next grand slam where we will turn our attention to the French Open/Roland Garros in Paris starting on Sunday 28th May-11th June.

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2023 Australian Open Tennis: Sunday’s Main Event now confirmed with Novak Djokovic v Stefanos Tsitsipas following a straight sets win in the 2nd semis against American Tommy Paul

by Sports Benches

The second & last player to punch their ticket ahead of Sunday’s main event & final match of the 2023 Australian Open goes to Novak Djokovic from Serbia, who is now set for his 10th men singles final appearance here, having won all nine of them & no runner-ups yet so far at Rod Laver Arena. He & Tommy had a couple of duels earlier on, but Novak too was just too good going forward against Tommy Paul (USA) in straight sets – 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

Well played from Tommy Paul on his first grand slam singles semi final where he fired off really well that went nearly all the way throughout this opening set. But then he couldn’t stay on top of Novak as this match-up goes on when it comes to the momentum before he was easily dismantled in the end. We would’ve loved to see him go one better at Melbourne Park & test himself v Stefanos Tsitsipas this Sunday, but sure he will look back from his 2023 Aus Open campaign with such incredible moments right from the 1st RD.

And well done to Novak with another brilliant display that got him one step closer towards collecting grand slam title No.22 if he can defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday night, which could see him tie that record with Spaniard Rafa Nadal. He overcame a series of close battles against Tommy Paul for the first set lead, and that early advantage helped him respond to not only one but two quick set finishes where Novak ticked off all of these boxes comfortably with the win. Now if he also takes home the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after this weekend, then he will be back on top of the ATP rankings once again since June 12th last year.

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2023 Australian Open Tennis from Day 10 yesterday: Ben Shelton’s incredible run up to the Quarter-Finals ended yesterday as Tommy Paul goes head-to-head v Novak Djokovic in the semis tomorrow

by Sports Benches

We also saw another amazing all-American contest from yesterday afternoon at Rod Laver Arena with both Tommy Paul & Benjamin Shelton battling it out for tomorrow’s last four against the eventual winner from last night’s other QF – Novak Djokovic.

Paul had a great opening two sets that spanned from a such a close opening stage that went all the way via the tiebreak to an easy 2nd set run. Although Shelton never gave up to deny Paul a straight sets win at the first attempt following a tight 3rd stage, but Paul had the last laugh in the end where he confirmed Shelton’s elimination with the 5th & final set to spare – 6-7 (6-8 tiebreak), 3-6, 7-5, 4-6.

Incredible run to the final eight from Ben Shelton on his first go in this year’s Australian Open. We would’ve loved to see him have a crack v Novak but sadly it just wasn’t his day to savour yesterday. He was always on top of his high standards for the majority that puts him on the same page as Tommy Paul. Yes, he did show some execution in the third set but then he was always under pressure to tie another one going into the 5th set decider (if required) & Shelton just couldn’t drag Paul away from the finish line following the fourth stage with the QF exit. Sure his breakthrough here means that he will always last two weeks of grand slam singles’ campaigns going forward with an eye of trophies hopefully at some point.

The same goes to Paul but he’s a bit older now at 25 which is the right place to test himself v one of the top players, particularly Novak when he will be tested next in his first ever grand slam singles’ semi-final tomorrow. He was off on a flyer with such a close escape to get past Shelton in the first set followed by an easy 2nd stage run. Plus, Tommy also showed some response following a narrow third stage loss where his ability to fight back alongside his executions have reflected his match-winning QF performance in the end. These ingredients he has on offer will hopefully go all the way & block Djokovic in race towards Sunday’s main event against either Karen Khachanov or Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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2023 Australian Open Tennis: Novak Djokovic is nearly back onto the main event stage after another easy contest in the last 8 last night v Andrey Rublev

by Sports Benches

Well, Novak Djokovic is through into the last four v American Tommy Paul tomorrow after another easy three-set contest during the QF last night v Andrey Rublev (Russia) – 1-6, 2-6, 4-6.

Rublev’s semi-final breakthrough will have to wait at another time now, having made plenty of QF seven times bar Wimbledon in which he only the fourth round once there two years ago. He fired off not bad through each set; Although he tried to come from behind in a bid to keep his alive, but then it’s too late when Rublev was way behind with a lack of other half momentum. Not the exit he wanted but if he had bridged that other half run for the whole time, the result would be a lot different going Rublev’s way.

Meanwhile, Novak has been outstanding throughout last night as always. The opening two sets was too easy for him to pull off, having started this tie very well before he extended his lead further in front. And he took his time well on the run home, especially when Rublev began to pull some trees in this last set, as Novak is still looking to add grand slam trophy No.22 to his silverware cabinet at age 35. 

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2023 Australian Open Tennis: Alex De Minaur’s run ended here in the fourth round last night after a straight sets loss v Novak Djokovic

by Sports Benches

Australia would love to see our own Alex De Minaur go all the way into the Final 8 & have an extended crack there on home soil. But it’s always not been an easy run in 4R last night where he was easily beaten by one of the world’s greatest out there in Novak Djokovic – 2-6, 1-6, 2-6.

De Minaur didn’t fire off any bad earlier on where he won some battles, especially late in the 3rd set. However, he lacked any momentum to stay on top or at least be on par of Djokovic for the majority. He made back-to-back 4Rs here over the last two years, as a couple of tips and lessons from the Djoker would hopefully help him improve at other grand slams before looking to bounce back even better here next time in 2024. He’s 23 right now so De Minaur can absolutely do turn this around in his grand slam singles career.

And Novak has been excellent as always from start to finish, even though he didn’t complain much about his hamstring. The way he built such a huge lead to stay ahead, as well as an easy execution shows that Novak has unfinished business here at Melbourne Park when it comes to chasing more grand slams. The pressure goes on though when he goes up against 5th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 8 tomorrow after Rublev overcame a huge five-set contest also during 4R late yesterday arvo v Denmark’s Holger Rune.

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2023 Australian Open Tennis: Alex De Minaur is through into the last 16 after an easy win this afternoon v Benjamin Bonzi from France

by Sports Benches

We’ve just got one Aussie through into the Round of 16 now and it’s none other than Alex De Minaur after he got away easily against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in straight sets here at Rod Laver Arena – 6-7 (0-7 tiebreak), 2-6 & 1-6. He will either face Novak Djokovic (Serbia) or Gregor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) for a spot in the Final eight come Monday.

He didn’t do bad earlier on when Bonzi was on par with De Minaur, having gave one all the way through the opening set tiebreak. But then he began to be inconsistent & couldn’t get back up to De Minaur’s level before being eliminated from the 3rd round of this men’s singles draw. Bonzi may at least got his career best grand slam here, especially when he upsetted 14th seed Pablo Carreno Busta (Spain) the other day in Round 2 but there’s still room for improvement if he wants to advance into Week 2 of any grand slam competition next time.

And well done to De Minaur in another brilliant performance today on centre court. He fired off really well while facing a couple of duels v Bonzi earlier on, but De Minaur showed some fight all along that helped him take home the 1st set tiebreak & he too managed to pull away such a big lead where Bonzi found it too difficult to catch him right throughout this afternoon.

He’s got Australia’s backing to go all the way & make a huge impact on home soil, as he looks to stay positive & be happy regardless of wherever he plays next in a bid to stay in the running during the Week 2 Finals here at Melbourne Park. 

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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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