Veronika Kudermetova vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse: Australian Open 2022 | Tennis Highlights
Veronika Kudermetova vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse: Australian Open 2022 | Tennis Highlights
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Russian tennis player Kudermetova through to Round 2 of 2022 Australian Open
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MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Russian tennis player Veronika Kudermetova cleared on Monday the opening stage of the 2022 Australian Open, which kicked off in Melbourne this week.
On Day 1 of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament, 28th-seed Kudermetova stormed past Claire Liu of the United States with straight sets win of 6-4; 6-4. The match lasted for 1 hour and 22 minutes.
The Russian is now set to meet in the next round Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse, who defeated earlier in the day Jasmine Paolini of Italy also in straight sets 6-1; 6-3. Their duel lasted for less than 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Russia’s 24-year-old Kudermetova is the winner of one WTA (the Women Tennis Association) tournaments and she is currently rated as the World No 32 in the WTA Rankings. Kudermetova’s best result playing at the Grand Slam tournaments was reaching Round 3 of the competitions.
The 2022 Australian Open tournament is played at Melbourne Park between January 17 and 30 and it offers $54 million in prize money. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka of Japan are the defending champions at the 2022 Australian Open in men and women’s singles respectively.
However, World No. 1 Djokovic is not taking part in the opening tournament of the Grand Slam series this year after his visa was cancelled earlier in the month due to reported violations of anti-COVID-19 regulations upon his arrival on the territory of Australia.
Jessica Pegula, daughter of Buffalo Bills owners, into 4th round at Australian Open
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American Jessica Pegula advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Nuria Parrizas Diaz on Thursday.
The tournament’s No. 21 seed recorded seven aces and 20 winners in the 91-minute clash. She’ll next face fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari, who cruised past Veronika Kudermetova with 6-4, 6-1 victory.
After the victory, Pegula wrote on the on-court camera in celebration: “Bills you’re next.”
Pegula’s parents, Kim and Terry, own the Buffalo Bills and the team is slated to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday with a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line.
Pegula, 27, tweeted about wearing Bills’ colors during her time in Melbourne earlier in the week.
“Coincidence I’m in Bills colors?” she wrote.
Coincidence I’m in Bills colors? Round 3 here in Aus 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/uBH1AJI21X — Jessie Pegula (@JLPegula) January 19, 2022
Pegula recorded her best career major result at the 2021 Australian Open with a run to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual finalist and fellow American Jennifer Brady.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka joined Pegula in the fourth round for the first time since 2016 after overpowering 15th-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-0, 6-2.
The 24th-seeded Azarenka won the title at Melbourne Park in 2012 and 2013, and she also has been the runner-up at the US Open three times, most recently in 2020. Since a quarterfinal run in Australia in 2016, Azarenka lost first-round matches last year and in 2019 and missed the hard-court tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
“I always feel privileged that I’m able to have him here,’’ said Azarenka, who was accompanied by her 5-year-old son when talking to reporters after the match. “These kind of moments are really priceless for me. To be able for me to share that with my son is pretty incredible.''
Azarenka will next face French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who rallied from a set and a break down against No. 26-seeded Jelena Ostapenko to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In other results on Day 5, eighth-seeded Paula Badosa had a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Marta Kostyuk to move into a fourth-round match against American Madison Keys, who held off Wang Qiang 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Krejcikova rallies, Sakkari rolls into Australian Open fourth round
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Barbora Krejcikova came from a set and a break down to defeat Jelena Ostapenko, while Maria Sakkari rolled into the fourth round.
Trailing by a set and a break, Barbora Krejcikova showed the champion’s mettle in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win against Jelena Ostapenko in the third round of the Australian Open.
Unable to find her rhythm in the first set and a half, thanks in part to unrelenting aggression from Ostapenko, Krejcikova trailed 6-4, 3-1 before going on a tear to force a final set. Her momentum continued on into the decider. She broke Ostapenko in the first game and held onto the lead for the duration of the 2-hour, 10-minute encounter.
“I feel really proud with the way how I was able to handle the match even I was losing and I was really down,” Krejcikova said after the match. “The match was very difficult. I’m really happy that I was able to find a way how to use my chances and how to win it at the end.”
Turning point: Ostapenko barreled through the opening set after holding serve in a key six-deuce game at 1-1. The Latvian saved three break points to deny Krejcikova an early lead. She dominated in all facets with more winners (11 to 6), fewer unforced errors (11 to 15) and first-serve percentage (69% to 42%).
That continued for the first half of the second set until Krejcikova made her move. A forehand winner at 30-30 earned the Czech her first break point since 1-1 in the first, and deep hitting forced a forehand miscue to get back on serve. They stayed there until Krejcikova won eight of the last nine points to push the match the distance.
“I knew that at some point, I’m going to get a chance. Now it’s just to wait for a chance, try to convert it. During the match I was just pretty much saying to myself, ‘Just keep going, just try to stay close, try to hold your serve, try to play.’ Paying [on] Rod Laver in singles, it’s very special, a very special match. I was just telling myself, ‘Try to stay here as long as you can.’” - Barbora Krejcikova
Staying tough down the stretch: Krejcikova was tested in the third despite never trailing in the set. She saved all three break points she faced — two at 2-1 and another at 4-3 — and later needed three match points to seal the win.
Up next: Krejcikova will next face another former major-winner in No.24 seed Victoria Azarenka, who dropped just two games in her own third-round win over No.15 seed Elina Svitolina. The pair played once previously — a three-set win for Azarenka in Ostrava two years ago before Krejcikova’s rise into the world’s elite — and the Czech said she had the looming former World No.1 on her mind as she was building her comeback.
“It was also one of the things that I was thinking about during the match,” Krejcikova said. “‘OK, you got to work harder so you can play Vika.’ Yeah, I mean, I feel really, really honored that I am going to play with her on the same court against her. I think it’s going to be a great match.
“Playing Vika, it’s very special. It’s unique. It’s a unique situation. I’m really happy that I’m going to be able to face her again and see where my level is right now. I really admire her. I really like the way she plays. I remember when I was a junior here and she was playing, she was actually winning the titles. I spent a lot of time watching her on TV.
“Now having the chance to play against her … it feels really, really, really nice. I’m looking forward for this challenge, for this battle.”
Sakkari secures second berth in Australian Open fourth round
Two years ago, Maria Sakkari’s first major breakthrough came at the 2020 Australian Open when she reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time. She’s back in the last 16 in 2022 as a Top 10 player.
Photo by Getty Images
The No.28 seed won 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-1 third-round victory over No.28 seed Veronika Kudermetova, booking her spot in the second week without the loss of a set.
From 3-1 down in the opener, Sakkari wore the Russian down in an eventual 82-minute victory. Kudermetova, who racked up 32 unforced errors to just 12 winners, also took an on-court medical timeout while trailing 4-3 in the first set, and won just two more games from then on.
“It has been a great start, not dropping a set, not getting too tired in my first matches, just finishing the matches in time,” Sakkari said.
“It feels great because I feel fresh and I feel ready for the second week. I know that from now on matches are going to get tougher. Not that they were easy, I don’t want to sound like that. I think I managed well, my emotions. Haven’t been playing maybe my best tennis but I know it’s going to come. Mentally I have been in a very good place which I think is the most important thing.”
Up next: Sakkari will next face American Jessica Pegula, the No.21 seed and 2021 quarterfinalist, who defeated Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, 7-6(3), 6-2. It’ll be a rematch of one of the most dramatic matches of last season. In the round of 16 of the Miami Open, Sakkari saved six match points before prevailing 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(6).
This is Sparta: How Maria Sakkari saved 6 MPs to edge Pegula in Miami
“I’m expecting a very tough match,” Sakkari said. “I think her groundstrokes are very flat and fast. She has a great rhythm. Mentally she’s very good. She keeps calm. You’ll never see her breaking racquets or doing these things. I think mentally, she’s very good. She’s mature, which makes it a lot easier. She has a great game overall. But she’s a very nice girl so I’m very looking forward to the match.”
Anisimova upsets defending champion Osaka at Australian Open
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Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts during her third round match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Simon Baker)
MELBOURNE – Within an hour of her third-round loss at the Australian Open, defending champion Naomi Osaka had consigned it to the past.
It’s part of her new resolution for 2022. No dwelling on what’s already happened.
Osaka had two match points against 60th-ranked Amanda Anisimova in the third set Friday, and she missed two backhands.
Anisimova held serve to force a tiebreaker, which she dominated, and finished with an ace for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) comeback victory over the four-time major champion.
In doing so, the 20-year-old American ensured that the so-called final-before-the-final — a much-anticipated fourth-round showdown between Osaka and top-ranked Ash Barty — won’t happen.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to have regrets about those two match points,” Osaka said. “Like, I thought she played really well. But I can’t really look in the past anymore, you know?
“Like I just have to focus on what I can do in the future to hopefully evade those situations.”
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Anisimova, who had lost her previous nine matches against top 20 players and had to rebound from a set and a break down to survive her first-round match, hit 46 winners to Osaka’s 21.
Osaka, one of the most powerful hitters in the women’s draw, praised Anisimova’s service returns and described how the ball kept coming back at her so low and fast that she couldn’t adjust her footwork to counter it.
“I just want to soak in this moment,” said Anisimova, who took out Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in the second round. “It was an amazing match. It was very close. You know, there were a bit of nerves, and to play Naomi for the first time … it’s unreal, honestly.”
Anisimova won her first WTA hardcourt title at a tuneup tournament in Melbourne this month and is now on an eight-match winning streak — the longest of her career in main draw matches.
It’s the fourth time Osaka has been unable to defend a major title, and the 11th time in her 21 trips to Grand Slam events she has been knocked out in the third round, including last year’s U.S. Open.
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After winning the title last year — her second at Melbourne Park in three years — Osaka withdrew from the French Open in the second round and skipped Wimbledon to take a break for her mental health. After her tearful exit at the U.S. Open, she took an extended layoff to reset and arrived at the year’s first major with a seeding of No. 13. She also brought a new approach, vowing to enjoy the game more and never again cry in a news conference. She’s spent time meditating, keeping a journal of things she needs to be grateful for, and more time hanging out with family and friends.
“I can’t win every match. So I just have to, like, take that into account,” Osaka said. “I feel like I grew a lot in this match. The last match that I played in New York I think I had a completely different attitude, so I’m really happy with — you know, of course I lost, but I’m happy with how it went.”
Barty is hoping to become the first Australian woman to win the championship here since 1978.
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She advanced to the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-3 win over 30th-seeded Camila Giorgi and has only conceded eight games and spent less than three hours on court.
A career break a few years back, to play professional cricket, did Barty a world of good. Since her return, she won her first Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open — beating Anisimova in the semifinals — and won Wimbledon last year.
The hype surrounding the fourth round didn’t impact her planning.
“Each match is uncertain. You just have to navigate your way through as best you can that given moment,” Barty said. “I’ve done a good job of that this week. Now it’s exciting to get to play Amanda again.”
Osaka’s loss means Victoria Azarenka remains the last woman to successfully defend an Australian Open singles title. She overpowered 15th-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-0, 6-2 to reach the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2016.
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She had her son with her at a news conference and five-year-old Leo, wearing his sunglasses and sitting on his mother’s knee, described the two-time champion’s form as: “Awesome!”
The 2012 and 2013 titlist will next play French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who rallied from a set and a break down to beat 26th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Since a quarterfinal run in Australia in 2016, Azarenka lost first-round matches last year and in 2019, and missed the hard-court tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Other fourth-round pairings that were set up Friday include fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari against 21st-seeded Jessica Pegula and No. 8 Paula Badosa against Madison Keys, who held off Wang Qiang 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Friday.
Rafael Nadal wrapped up the Day 5 program on Rod Laver Arena by beating Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 and continuing his bid for a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title.
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Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev had a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win earlier over Radu Albot, a 124th-ranked qualifier from Moldova. The third-seeded Zverev will next play No. 14 Denis Shapovalov, who beat Reilly Opelka 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini fended off 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (5).
Miomir Kecmanovic continued to make the most of the absence of fellow Serbian Novak Djokovic, reaching the fourth round at a major for the first time with a 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5 win over 25th-seeded Lorenzo Sonego.
He will next play 17th-seeded Gael Monfils, who beat No. 16 Cristian Garin 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-3.
Kecmanovic had been drawn to play the top-ranked Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, in the first round. But Djokovic was deported on the eve of the tournament for failing to meet Australia’s strict COVID-19 regulations.
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports