The Netflix curse reared its ugly head as soon as once more on Friday evening with sixth seed Maria Sakkari knocked out by little-known Chinese competitor Lin Zhu.
Sakkari was the one girl left of those that featured on the primary sequence of the brand new present Break Point, leaving Felix Auger-Aliassime because the final participant standing.
The Sakkari boilover got here on the identical day final yr’s finalist Danielle Collins was despatched packing and an evening after no.2 seed Ons Jabeur was additionally shocked.
It means solely two of the highest six seeds have superior to spherical 4, with Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia an opportunity to make that three when she faces Laura Siegemend on Sunday.
In a subject already lacking final yr’s winner Ash Barty, in addition to others resulting from harm, the race for the ladies’s crown has burst vast open.
No.1 seed Iga Swiatek continues to look a category above, however Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka and increase teen Coco Gauff now all have severe instances for a maiden grand slam triumph.
Following her 7-6 1-6 6-4 shock loss, Sakkari mentioned she felt prefer it was onerous to calm down in the course of the event and must analyse why she felt an inflated sense of strain.
“Obviously, this is a grand slam, but at the same time … you have to start feeling better, and that’s something that I didn’t feel personally,” she mentioned.
“It’s something rare because it’s different if I was, you know, at the US Open.
“I don’t know why I didn’t let myself play my game.
“I could picture myself going deep in this tournament, but for some reason things went the wrong way.”
Daniil Medvedev on Friday turned the most recent title contender to crash out of the boys’s draw on the Australian Open, however Iga Swiatek led a cost of the ladies’s seeds into the final 16.Russia’s Medvedev was runner-up on the final two Grand Slams in Melbourne however his event ended with a whimper in spherical three by the hands of Sebastian Korda.
Seventh seed Medvedev adopted defending champion Rafael Nadal and world quantity three Casper Ruud in exiting within the first week whereas world primary Carlos Alcaraz withdrew earlier than the event started.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is now the very best remaining seed at three and the Greek star stretched his unbeaten streak this yr to arrange a last-16 conflict with Italian Jannik Sinner.
The 24-year-old Tsitsipas, who’s but to drop a set, clinched his seventh straight win of 2023 by beating Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
Tsitsipas is refusing to get carried away as he chases a primary main title. “There are no presents,” he warned.
“You should be going after it, you should be creating those opportunities and aiming big within yourself, sometimes surpass your own abilities.” Also into the final 16 are sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and 18th seed Karen Khachanov.
8:45AM PLAYERS STILL TICKED OFF
Jamie Murray has all the time been vocal about his opinions and this yr’s Australian Open isn’t any totally different.
Much like his brother, Jamie has used his platform to again requires a curfew on the slam after Thursday evening’s 4am end.
“Aus Open has 4 courts that they use for night sessions with a 7pm start,” he wrote.
“Start one of those courts at 8pm (ideally a women’s match as it’s shorter) and then if someone gets injured within an hour on RLA you can move the 8pm match to RLA and you don’t have an issue with refunds.”
8AM: SECRET BOND DRIVING AUS OPEN’S US REVOLUTION
There isn’t any escaping the Americans at Melbourne Park – and a sequence of bonding visits to flee rooms throughout Australia is perhaps behind the United States’ tennis resurgence.
For the primary time since 1996, a dominant 14 stars from the US progressed into the third spherical on the Australian Open and — as evidenced by their padlock scribbles on TV digital camera lenses post-victories — they’re “locked in”.
The unity was born on the United Cup, the place Jessica Pegula, Taylor Fritz, Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe spearheaded Team USA’s unstoppable cost to the inaugural title.
When Fritz sealed the crown he was headbutted by an overzealous Tiafoe.
“It was awesome until Frances headbutted me,” Fritz mentioned.
“I have a bump on my head.”
While Fritz was the shock casualty at Melbourne Park – Alexei Popyrin turned the primary Aussie to beat a top-10 participant since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 – there are stars and stripes all over the place within the draw.
“Just have to stay locked,” Tiafoe mentioned.
“It’s the whole thing with the United Cup guys. I made a joke about it with the guys, the United Cup asking them before the march, ‘Are you locked?’
“It’s definitely become a thing. I’ve been kind of living by that for a little bit.”
Tiafoe’s psychedelic ensemble has stolen headlines this week and it’s one his rivals admit they couldn’t pull off.
“Do you think I would wear that?” Englishman Daniel Evans joked this week.
“I think Frances pulls it off pretty well. He definitely has the physique to pull it off, but you wouldn’t see me wearing a singlet or whatever they’re called.”
Tiafoe has revved up the rowdy crowd at John Cain Arena and began requesting the venue for matches – identical to Nick Kyrgios has beforehand.
But over on Rod Laver Arena two lesser-knowns took down main contenders. For the primary time in 29 years American males defeated each the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds on the identical main.
Back in 1994 it was Jim Courier eliminating No. 1 Pete Sampras and Aaron Krickstein eliminating No. 2 seed Michael Stich.
This time round it was Mackenzie McDonald sending No. 1 seed and defending champ Rafael Nadal packing earlier than Jenson Brooksby turfed No. 2 seed Casper Ruud.
McDonald took notes from his countrymen’s current wins towards Nadal.
“I thought about Taylor taking him out, and Foe (Tiafoe),” McDonald mentioned.
“I talked to Tommy (Paul) about it too last night. That definitely gave me some more confidence.”
Tiafoe tickled McDonald’s ego earlier than he pulled off the shock of the event … in straight units.
“I think it’s been a question mark how Rafa has been feeling for a little bit now,” Tiafoe mentioned.
“I told Mackey, listen, you could join the three amigos: me, Fritz, and Tommy (Paul). We all got him (Nadal).
“Also, I told him, you’re going to be in a position to win today. GOAT wins don’t come easy. Something to tell his grandkids one day.”
Then it was Brooksby’s flip. Craig O’Shannessy – a former strategist for Novak Djokovic – beloved the techniques from the 22-year-old.
“Brooksby just played 68 long rallies of nine-plus … and won FIFTY of them. Whaa?” O’Shannessy mentioned on social media.
“He absolutely chopped Casper in the lactic-acid long rally stakes.”
On the camerarderie, Brooksby mentioned: “I think we all push each other to really get better, regardless of each guy’s situation. I think that’s shown in a lot of the guys having strong results lately”.
In the boys’s facet they entered with simply two gamers ranked within the high 30 (No. 9 Fritz and No. 17 Tiafoe) whereas the ladies’s facet was far stronger, with 4 stars inside the highest 15 (No. 3 Jess Pegula, No. 7 Coco Gauff, No. 11 Danielle Collins and No. 13 Madison Keys).
In each the States are taking pictures the lights out. On Friday it was a Pegula pasting as she took simply 65 minutes to beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2.
It was an identical story for Gauff, who received 6-3 6-2 towards fellow American Bernarda Pera.
Even “lucky loser” Michael Mmoh remains to be alive – and can face one other American, JJ Wolf, on Saturday.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to say I’m an unlucky person for the rest of my life,” Mmoh mentioned of his run.
As for the escape rooms? Well, Pegula is the captain behind the bonding.
“We did another escape room,” she mentioned this week.
“We did boys versus girls and girls won, so go girls.
“It was kind of like an anti-team building experience because we kind of all wanted to kill each other at the end, but hopefully it brings us together today.”
Originally printed as Australian Open 2023 day 6 dwell scores, outcomes, schedule and order of play
