AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Maxime Cressy is probably going to be the story of the 2022 Australian Open. His first appearance in a major in singles was on home soil in 2020. He made it to the first round. I honestly do not remember him. So, happy to get a chance to see him play. Last year he made it to the second round of the Australian Open, and this year is into the fourth round.
Cressy defeated the Australian wild card, Christopher O’Connell, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2. Cressy could have won this match in straight sets. At 6-4 up in the tiebreaker, he played cat and mouse with O’Connell, and it cost him dearly. He could not recover his composure and lost the breaker. However, he regrouped nicely in the last two sets. Fully committed to his plan, Maxime Cressy served and volleyed his way into the second week of a major for the first time in his career.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Other Americans In The Draw
[27]Danielle Collins had to fight back from a set down. Tauson took the first set playing power tennis with minimal errors. They traded breaks, but then Tauson broke again to steal the first set. Set two was a repetition of the first, but this time it was Collins who broke the second time to win the set. It came down to the third set; who would crack first. Collins did not give her opponent any break opportunities in the third set; however, Tauson gave the American plenty of opportunities to break her serve. Finally, Collins capitalized to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 and is back in the second week of the Australian Open.
[20] Taylor Fritz had to go the distance. After blowing out the first set at love, he lost his focus and dropped the next two sets. The fourth set was a break festival. Neither player was able to consolidate their lead until Fritz did, he won the fourth set and forced a fifth set. It was all Fritz in the last set; he did not give [15] Roberto Bautista Agut any opportunity to break his serve. The American won 6-0, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. What toll will this take on the American, who had cramps in his match against Frances Tiafoe? That will be forgotten as the American is into the second week of a major for the first time in his career.
Seeds That Lost Their Way Down Under
[5] Andrey Rublev lost 5-7, 6-7(3), 6-3, 3-6 to [27] Marin Cilic. [10] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was stunned in three sets by the veteran Sorana Cirstea. The Russian lost 3-6, 6-2, 2-6. [9] Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated [24] Daniel Evans in a blowout performance. After some resistance it the first it was domination by the Canadian. Auger-Aliassime won 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
Embed from Getty Images[25] Daria Kasatkina lost easily to [7] Iga Swiatek. The 6-2, 6-3 score is deceptive, because it was a battle. Alizé Cornet is the French player no one wants in their quarter of the draw. After dispatching [3] Garbine Muguruza in the previous round, she defeated [29]Tamara Zidansek. Cornet won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. [31] Marketa Vondrousova lost to [2] Aryna Sabalenka. Despite having problems with her serve, Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
