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Moutet has broken Popyrin to lead 2-1 2-1, and there are no signs of an Aussie comeback. His power-game isn’t as effective against so cunning a hitter, and with his back limiting his ability to impose, defeat feels imminent.
Brilliant! Fonseca makes 40-0, curls an ace on to the T, and I don’t k ow what else to tell you: this boy is a superstar. He leads Rublev 7-6 6-3 and there seems to be nothing the ninth-best player in the world can do about it.
Rublev holds, forcing Fonseca to serve for the second set at 6-4 5-3. The no 9 seed is struggling to find any weaknesses in the youngster’s game so, as we mentioned earlier, if feels like the only thing that can stop him is fatigue.
Sakkari, another seeded woman i’d be amazed to see win a Slam, has levelled her match with Osorio at a set apiece; they’re 1-1 in the third.
Marino is playing really well now and she forces a decider with Boulter after taking the second set 6-3. If she maintains this level, the British no 1 has a problem.
“My pals and I were discussing whether any of the top 10 seeds across the men’s and women’s draw yet to win a slam would ever break their duck,” writes Darrien Bold.
Men: Zverev, Fritz, Ruud, De Minaur, Rublev, Dimitrov.
Women: Paolini, Zheng, Pegula, Navarro, Kasatkina.
I would say slim pickings. Can’t see any of the men winning a slam (would not enjoy Zverev lifting one), and across the women’s seeds perhaps only Paolini and Zheng have all that it takes (although I would love to see Collins lift one). Thoughts everyone?”
I’m pretty sure Zverev will get there are some point, maybe here – he can scarcely have come closer – but agree that none of the others are likely, though in women’s tennis anything can happen. If i had to pick one, I’d probably go Navarro.
Oh Andrey! Oh mate! He opens the angle for an inside-out forehand, but having had so few opportunities he snatches at this one and overhits. From there, Fonseca closes out, but perhaps this is the start of Rublev’s return.
Boulter is indeed playing, up 6-4 but down 5-2; Moutet served out at the second time of asking, leading Popyrin 2-1; and Fonseca leads Rublev 7-6 3-1, but is now break-point down…
Asked how he could’ve been so calm at the start, De Minaur says he gets it from working behind the scenes and knowing he’s done all he can. Once on court, he knows every single member of the crowd has his back, and he just needs to do his best.
Otherwise, he says his body feels great, better than it has in a long time, and he’s happy to slide about the court and burn his shoes, which is a good sign.
Finally, he’s asked about his engagement, saying 2024 was a special year and ended in the best possible way, but she’s playing now so he’d better get over there to watch.
Alex de Minaur (8) beats Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1 7-5 6-4
Van de Zandschulp did all he could, but both men knew it could never be enough. De Minaur is now good enough to beat pretty much everyone he should, and next for him it’s Tristan Boyer, a qualifier.
Popyrin appears to be enjoying a second wind, a corner-to-corner backhand return earning him one break back. Not too long ago, he looked like he might retire, but if he can hold, he;ll force Moutet to serve for the third set a second tim .
Back on Cain, Moutet is serving for set three against Popyrin, up 5-2 but down 15-40; De Minaur has broken Van de Zandschulp and is now serving for the match at 5-4 in the third; and Marino remains a break up on Boulter at 4-6 4-1.
Joao Fonseca is for real! He breaks Rublev, consolidates, and now leads 7-6 3-0. By the looks of things, all that can stop him is fatigue, because nothing suggests he’s going to get nervous and he’s got his opponent’s measure.
As in the first set, Marino breaks Boulter immediately, but this time she consolidates and leads 3-0 in the second having lost the first. Boulter, I guess, has similar issues to her fiance: both are underpowered, lacking a weapon to trouble the elite of the elite. So she’ll keep getting through the first rounds of Slams because she’s good, but worse players than her have better chances of performing above their rankings because they have the power to discomfort anyone.
You know how sometimes, the superstars announce themselves in superstar fashion? Think Federer beating Sampras, or Kyrgios sorting Nadal. Well, Fonseca has taken the first-set breaker against Rublev 7-1, and he is good to go.
A booming forehand hauls Fonseca back into a rally, then an inside-out backhand means he leads 4-0, furnished with two mini-breaks. Rublev responds with an ace, but seconds later it’s 5-1 to the young Brazilian, and he’s properly loving it out there.
Fonseca takes an immediate mini-break for 2-0, while Boulter eventually closes out for a 6-4 first set. De Minaur, meanwhile, leads Van de Zandschulp 6-1 7-5 2-3.
Fonseca slaps an ace down the middle, meaning he and Rublev will now play a first-set breaker. He is the absolute biz.
Etcheverry now leads Cobolli 2-1 as Shapovalov does against Bautista Agut; Marino forces Boulter through deuce as she attempts to secure set one, and Moutet has broken Popyrin a second time in set three to lead 3-0. I fear, though, the Aussie may soon retire because he’s had treatment on his back already and still looks exceedingly unchuffed.
Trailing De Minaur 1-6 5-7 1-1, and sent to the forehand corner, Van de Zandschulp plays a tweener cross-court … for a clean winner! That is insane behaviour! Otherwise, Boulter is serving for the set against Marino at 5-4in the first, Moutet has broken Popyrin for 1-0 in the third, while Rublev and Fonseca are locked at 5-5 in the first.
Email! “The issue with Andry Rublev (actually spelt Andrei Rooblyov, namesake of the Russian 16th century Michaelangelo, Andrey Rooblyov, a big deal when painting the insides of Russian churches)”, begins Victor K, “is indeed lack of slice and volleys. Like pretty much every successful Russian male player over the past 40 years, even the better ones – say Safin or Kafel’nikov – had the same basic game of the Russian school: good serve, forehand, two-handed backhand and little else. They are put out on a conveyor belt of identikit models: very attacking baseliners who might luck upon the odd hardcourt slam (Kafel’nikov even snagged one French open, where, before Nadal, it was a bit of a free-for-all).
Sharapova, raised in Florida, had the same problem. She had to swing-volley coz she couldn’t do actual volleys. She never sliced at all, and had Plan A – hit hard and flat, and Plan B – hit harder and flatter. It’s why somebody as creative and imaginative with her slicing and dicing as Justice Henin mostly had her for breakfast in their contests.
And this is what makes Medvedev so unusual for a Russian player: he is a quirky personality with a very quirky game. He can serve bombs but mostly is a defensive player who loves slicing and dicing with the best of em. And really should have beaten Rafa in at least two Slam finals.
Rublev is a pro’s pro but will never get beyond the quarters of a slam, even with his newfound serenity and inner peace. It’s not that he doesn’t have the weapons, it’s that he is a bit of an automaton of a player and you need creativity and imagination, through net-play and slicing and dicing, to reset the point and neutralise your opponent painting lines, to get any further. Andrey Rooblyov himself means ‘Andrew Rouble-ton/son. Rubit’: the verb his surname is derived from means to slice/chop (like chop wood) – nominative determinism is having a field day, given how big his forehand is (perhaps he chopped wood in his grandpa’s dacha growing up?).”
I think that’s a little harsh on Safin who, were he fully dedicated, would’ve won way more than he did. I’m also not sure the current champ and world no 1, Jannik Sinner, is renowned for his creativity. You can go a long way with ludicrous power and calm demeanour.
Back on Cain, Moutet has played a terrific set, breaking Popyrin and serving out to level the match at 1-1. His first and second serve percentages for it are 92 and 89 respectively, relative to his opponent’s 64 and 36, with the unforced error column – six versus 19 – also telling.
Ons Jabeur beats Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 6-3
She meets Osorio or Sakkari next, the former up 6-4 2-1.
It’s been bothering me for a while, but I knew I’d seen Joao Fonseca before.
I just didn’t think it was playing the lead role in Licorice Pizza.
Fonseca trails Rublev 3-4 in the first, on serve.
It’s turned around on 1573 and in a match be watching had I a fifth screen – pray for me – Jabeur has broken back then broken to lead Kalinina 6-4 4-3. I really hope she finds a Slam at some point, and it must be painful for her to essay those who’ve managed it with far, far less talent than her. At 30, time is not on her side and nor, more importantly, is Aryna Sabalenka. But if she can put it all together she’s still good enough to beat anyone.
De Minaur breaks Van de Zandschulp to 6-1 6-5 and raises two set-points; the first is saved, but an ace down the T seizes the second, and he leads 2-0. Ultimately, both players probably know that whatever it takes to win, he’ll do, and there’s not much his opponent can do about it.
Meantime Boulter, his fiance, has been broken and broken back to level her first set with marino as 2-2, Rublev and Fonseca are at 2-2 in the first, and Popryin, up 6-4 3-4 on Moutet, again has a physio prod him. So early in what could be a very long match, that is not a good sign.
The problem Rublev has is that he’s a fantastic player, but his volley and slice make it almost impossible for him to beat the players who are better than him – and there aren’t many – over five sets at a Slam. He is, though, the only active player with wins over Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz. I guess that ultimately, like many of us, he needs to assimilate that work is something he does, not who he is.
Talking of Rublev, here’s another Big Don interview that’s well worth your time. Having been blogging on various occasions he’s melted down and attacked himself, I’m delighted he’s got the help he needs, all the more so as I’m assured he’s an excellent lad.
At 6-2 2-3, Popyrin has the trainer out and takes a medical timeout to have his back worked on; that is not a good sign and he’s wincing, lying flat on his front. Demon, meanwhile, battles through his hold for 5-5, two set-points saved, and Rublev is about to serve in game one against Fonseca.
On Kia, Marino and Boulter are playing their first game, while Jabeur leads Kalinina 6-3 0-2; Osorio and Sakkari are 3-3 in the first; Etcheberry and Cobolli are 1-1 3-4; Bautista Agut and Shapovalov are 1-1 1-1; and De Minaur has just saved set point at 6-1 4-5 against Van de Zandschulp.
I’m going to level with you, so please don’t cancel me, but I don’t get scotch eggs: they’re dry and bland.
Joao Fonseca, then. He’s considered an absolutely elite-level prospect and last year became the first 2006-born player to win a match on the ATP tour. He’s got a colossal game and actually did some work at the National Training Centre in Roehampton having come to train with Jack Draper who then got injured.
Says Coach Calv: “He’s one of those who’s definitely going top 10, maybe top five, maybe top one” before relaying an anecdote that, when Fonseca was in England, he was staying in Putney, so our man asked if he’d been to the Brazilian restaurant there. “No,” came back the reply, “but do you know where i can get any scotch eggs? I had one at Wimbledon and I love them1”