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Sinner overcomes struggles to reach QF | 01:46
Iga Swiatek’s brilliant 6-1 6-2 quarter-final victory against Emma Navarro has been marred by a huge non-call on a double bounce, while Lorenzo Sonego hit one of the shots of the tournament in his clash with Ben Shelton.
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Sonego pulled off a miracle diving backhand volley that sailed over the net only to spin back to his side of the court for a winner in the opening game of the second set.
It came at a crucial moment in the match too with Shelton having a break point after the American won the first set 6-4.
The Italian’s athleticism was simply outstanding as he hit the ball in mid-air, and Shelton could only appreciate his opponent’s extraordinary effort as the pair shook hands at the net in a great moment of sportsmanship.
“Well, this is simply extraordinary. Especially given that he plays this shot. The back-spinning drop volley that bounces back over the net on break point. Are you kidding me?!! Lorenzo Sonego, the gladiator! Are you not entertained?!” Channel 9 commentator Brenton Speed exclaimed.
Fellow commentator, and former Australian tennis player John Millman could not believe what he had seen.
“Sportsmanship of the highest order too. Have you seen anything like it, Case? That spun three or four metres!” Millman said.
Another former Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua then added: “That was incredible. I think you both summed it up. I’m just in awe. Even the fact that he dived on hard court.”
Lorenzo Sonego and Ben Shelton shake hands at the net after the Italian pulled off one of the shots of the tournament.Source: FOX SPORTSShelton went on to take the second set 7-5 and put himself one set away from a meeting with the winner of Wednesday night’s quarter-final between Australia’s Alex de Minaur and world number one Jannik Sinner.
Sonego struck back to win the third set 6-4 but Shelton lifted his game in a fourth-set tiebreak to seal a spot in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile an all-Aussie mixed doubles final is locked in, with two wildcard teams to face off after Olivia Gadecki and John Peers beat the Kiwi No.2 seeds, before Kim Birrell and John-Patrick Smith defeated two Brits in straight sets.
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– Double bounce drama –
With Swiatek serving at 2-2 in the second set, Navarro made her fight and scrap to hold serve in a game that lasted roughly eight minutes before the controversial moment arose on the point that clinched the game for the second seed.
Navarro played an excellent drop shot that forced Swiatek into a desperate slide to dig it out, which she thought she did, and the chair umpire thought she did, until replays showed it was a clear double bounce.
The American protested but the chair umpire chose not to review, and awkwardness swept across Rod Laver Arena when everyone saw the replay displayed on the big screens during the change of ends.
Swiatek could have given the point to her opponent, which happens often in tennis such as when Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis gave a point to Jack Draper during their second round clash after a late call of let by the chair umpire, but opted not to, in order to keep the set on serve.
The second seed said in her post-match press conference that she did not see the replay.
“Honestly, I didn’t see the replay after this point because after the point I didn’t look up for the screens because I wanted to stay focused and didn’t want this point to stay in my head for longer period of time,” Swiatek said.
“I wasn’t sure if it was a double bounce or I hit it with my frame. It was hard to say because, like, I was full sprinting. I don’t remember, like, even seeing the contact point. I don’t know. Sometimes you don’t really look when you hit the ball.
“So I wasn’t sure. I thought this is like the umpire’s kind of job to call it, you know. I was also waiting for the VAR, but I didn’t see it, so I just kind of proceed. I already focused on the next one.”
With the momentum on her side and Navarro flustered, Swiatek then broke the eighth seed’s serve which sent her on her way to the semi-finals as she did not drop another game.
Swiatek has only lost 14 games across her five matches so far this tournament, and she said being “ruthless” is a point of pride.
“Well, on tennis court you kind of need to be ruthless. Because ‘ruthless’ usually means that something negative also as well. But I think for me just focusing on myself and having the same kind of attitude no matter what the score is is important,” she said.
“This is what I base my, like, strength on and my consistency and the way I just continue to do the good things, you know, I do on court.
“Maybe looks ruthless, but it’s not my goal to do that. I just want to win more and more games, and this is the effect I got for the past matches.”
The Polish star will next face Madison Keys after the American came from behind to defeat Elina Svitolina in three sets earlier in the day, and she will provide a formidable challenge for Keys who made her first grand slam semi final at Melbourne Park a decade ago.
The 29-year-old’s aggressive approach brought her unstuck early against Svitolina but once she kept her unforced errors in check, she simply over powered the 28th seed.
Keys cracked a whopping 49 winners compared to just 20 by the Ukrainian.
“I think I started a little flat today. I think that I was trying to be aggressive and set the point up, but I wasn’t necessarily taking advantage of the balls that I was getting in return from that, then allowing her to kind of defend well enough that then she got on offense,” Keys said.
“I think in the second set I really just started trying to get to the net a lot more and really kind of take advantage of some of the short balls that I was getting. Just being able to do that, I feel like I kind of ran with the momentum after that.”
– Sinner health rumours –
World No.1 Jannik Sinner’s powers of recovery will be tested with rumours swirling about his health ahead of Wednesday’s night’s blockbuster showdown with Australian star Alex de Minaur.
The duo face off in the final men’s quarter-final at this year’s Australian Open on Wednesday evening, with eighth seed De Minaur bidding to reach a grand slam semi-final for the first time and snap a remarkable streak of four straight quarter-final finishes in the majors.
De Minaur has never beaten Sinner in nine attempts but doubts surrounding the Italian superstar’s health is adding significant intrigue ahead of their latest showdown.
Sinner had dizzy spells in the scorching heat of the afternoon during his four-set win against Holger Rune on Monday and there have been “unconfirmed but widespread” rumours he may even be battling pneumonia.
“We are certainly on Sinner watch because there are reports kicking around as we speak that he has pneumonia. They are unconfirmed reports,” host Tony Jones said on Channel 9’s coverage on Wednesday.
“… We certainly hope that’s not the case but he’s clearly got something so whatever the case, hopefully he can recover in time for tonight’s classic showdown.”
Retired Aussie star John Millman added further fuel by suggesting Sinner may not have been able to practice since his victory over Rune.
“I’m not an expert here and maybe the cameras picked up something else but I didn’t see him at the courts yesterday at all. I saw Alex, he was hitting, but I didn’t see Jannik,” Millman said.
“… It was actually quite distressing (to watch against Rune).
“A guy who normally has great balance was stumbling at the chance of ends, he was shaking and yes, he’s had that day off to recover but when you push your body beyond the limits you need more than a day to recover.”
The twists in the tale kept coming on Wednesday morning however, as Australian great Lleyton Hewitt said on Channel 9’s coverage that he was “pretty sure” Sinner was on the indoor courts and in the gym escaping the heat on Tuesday.
Hewitt hit with de Minaur on the indoor courts on the day prior to their quarter-final clash, and attempted to clarify the mystery surrounding Sinner’s health.
“Pretty sure he was on one of the indoor courts, in the gym on the NTC [National Tennis Centre] side. It was hot conditions, he and Alex spent time indoors which I think is smart coming into a big quarterfinal and not wasting any energy,” Hewitt said.
The Wimbledon and US Open champion also shared that de Minaur, and his team, are not getting swept up by the rumours about Sinner’s health, and will be expecting the world number one to deliver the sort of tennis that guided him to the title last year.
“You’ve got to expect him to come out and go at 100% right from the start and he was just having an average day a couple of days ago where he wasn’t feeling his best coming into the match but the big thing for Alex is he’s done the work,” Hewitt said.
“He knows he can last five sets and that’s what he has been training so hard for for so long but he’s up against it tonight.
“The defending champion, the guy who made his mark on the grand slams 12 months ago here, he feels very comfortable, Jannik Sinner. He is chomping at the bit to get there and be part of this again.”
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De Minaur is looking to become the first Australian man to reach the semi-finals at his home Open since Hewitt 20 years ago.
Awaiting in the last four will be American 21st seed Ben Shelton.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN DAY 11 ORDER OF PLAY (All times AEDT)
Men’s and Women’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Rod Laver Arena
Day session from 11:30am
(19) Madison Keys (USA) vs. (28) Elina Svitolina (UKR)
Not before 1pm
(8) Emma Navarro (USA) vs (2) Iga Świątek (POL)
Not before 2.30pm
(21) Ben Shelton (USA) vs Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)
Night session 7.30pm
(1) Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs (8) Alex de Minaur (AUS)
