And there we go. Day seven is in the books, but day eight is almost upon us. Join us then – Halep v Cornet looks tasty, likewise Fritz v Tsitsipas and Kanepi v Sabalenka; Medvedev and Swiatek are also in action.
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Berrettini had to withdraw injured from his quarter last term, so he’s hoping to make up for it here. He’s also got his cap off, so we get a better view of his luscious handsomeness. He doesn’t think Carreno Busta was reading his serve, and so many easy holds meant he had plenty left when it came to trying to get breaks. Because of injury, he had to do a short but intense pre-season, so hopes he’s fit enough to keep going, remembering that he beat Monfoi 7-6 in the fifth last time they met in Melbourne. Finally, we’re told that he’s yet another honorary Australian – there’s no one who isn’t, it seems – and off he pops to prepare for his debut Aussie Open quarter. It’ll take something serious to beat him.
Mario Berrettini beats Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5 7-6(4) 6-4!
Carreno Busta goes long on the forehand, and that’s a terrific performance for Berrettini, who dominated a fine and game opponent. The serve and forehand were just too much - I don’t think he faced a single break point, serving 28 aces, and he meets Monfils next. That’s going to be good.
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Serving to say in the match, Carreno Busta helps Berrettini come back from 40-0 to 40-30, netting a backhand, then can’t return a return! Berrettini is two points away, but Carreno Busta has played the pressure points well; he’s losing because he’s not as good. But he then nets to give Berrettini match point!
The love holds are back, Berrettini sealing this one with ace number 28. Not bad.
A net cord gets Berrettini 30-all, but Carreno Busta puts a forehand onto the back of the baseline and it shoots below his racket; he quickly closes out, and this is the tightest of our three sets in terms of levels. Carreno Busta 5-7 (4)6-7 4-4 Berrettini
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More from Calvin on Berrettini: “He’s good at breaking the sideline with the slice which means the opponent can’t really go line on it, so he can edge over to the BH side and hit a big FH next shot.”
I’d not be surprised if he broke in this next game, given the disappointment Carreno Busta will have felt at how the last panned out.
Hello! For what seems and might be the first time in the match, Carreno Busta gets 0-15 and 15-30; can he capitalise? Er, not in the first instance, a thunderous forehand forcing a moon-ball stretch; it actually drops onto the line, but Berrettini just whacks it to the corner, and when Carreno Busta gets a go at a second serve that’s right in the slot, he’s so eager and frazzled that he puts too much pop on it and goes long, after which he nets a backhand. 4-3 Berrettini, who leads by two sets to love.
On Berrettini, Calvin Betton, our resident coach, messages to say that “If he had any sort of serviceable drive backhand he’d be winning slams regularly. His slice BH is also good but the best players can pressure it too much.”
Now another net cord, taking it away from Carreno Busta who tries an impromptu tweener-volley that doesn’t work; 15-all. Berrettini then lands a forehand right on the paint and Carreno Busta goes long, putting him under yet more pressure at 15-30, but he plays a terrific point for 30-all. He can’t sustain it, soon forced to save yet another break point with a well-directed service winner at 30-40, but from deuce he quickly closes out for 3-3.
Another simple hold from Berrettini, and the relative energy, physical and emotional, that he’s expending for it versus that he’s demanding Carreno Busta expend, must be exerting a physical and emotional toll. Carreno Busta 5-7 (4)6-7 2-3 Berrettini
Reading a tame cross-court backhand, Berrettini flicks wrists to send back one of his own across the face of the net, then springs downwards - is such a thing possible? – to direct a drop-volley that Carreno Busta can’t return. Again, he’s under pressure for his hold at 0-30, and though he makes 40-30, he then goes long and faces deuce ... riding out three big Berrettini forehands to climb over a short one and cane one of his own a for a clean winner. On advantage, though, that aforementioned Berrettini forehand is too much, and he saves two more game-points before Carreno Busta eventually nudges over the line for 2-2.
Berrettini – who, I should say, is clad in all black, with a black baseball hat on backwards to keep the sun out of his eyes – rushes through a love hold. Carreno Busta 5-7 (4)6-7 1-2 Berrettini
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Eeesh! At 0-15, Carreno Busta again gets a net-cord, and this time, Berrettini tries to be too precise with his forehand slice, hitting the top of it. But at 30-15, Carreno Busta panels a forehand well long ... then lamps a brilliant inside-out winner to redeem himself. He quickly closes out, and he’s into the set.
Carreno Busta will be wondering. Doubtless, he thinks he can play better, but he’s not really been close – I don’t think he’s had a break point in the match while surviving a fair few, and Berrettini holds to 15 in the first game of set three.
Berrettini will, I think be one of those players who beats almost everyone at the majors almost all of the time. Whether he’s quite deft enough to beat the best in the biggest matches, though, remains to be seen – Medvedev and Tsitsipas are well-placed to combat the power and have better hands.
Well! Berrettini serves well, races to the net, and Carreno Busta returns well into the body, forcing the resultant volley to drop long. Yeah, alright then mate. A service winner follows, of course it does, and that’s enough for the set! Carreno Busta 5-7 (4)6-7 Berrettini
Berrettini clumps an ace onto the outside of the line, and his ability not just to do that but to do that when he really needs to, is sensational. At 5-2, he’s two points away from set two, then Carreno Busta sends a forehand long! 6-2 Berrettini, and no chance of a comeback from here – though it’s soon 6-3.
Serving at 0-1, Berrettini opens his account with an ace ... er, and another. Good luck with all this, Pablo old mate. At least the net-cord has turned, allowing him a forehand winner, but unable to quite decide what to do, he’s late on a forehand and it sails long to hand Berrettini a mini-break he didn’t really have to work for. He leads 3-2 and quickly consolidates for 4-2.
Now then. Carreno Busta draws Berrettini to the net and reads where his backhand’s going, sending one of his own up the line for 0-15; then a decent backhand return, onto the line, cramps Berrettini who can’t respond. Naturally, an ace follows, then another; in between times, a mere big serve sets up a simple put-away. That’s excellent play, and a breaker will now decide set two.
A rare comfy hold for Carreno Busta guarantees him a breaker, and Berrettini will serve to stay in the set at 5-6.
Ahahahaha! Serving to stay in the set, Berrettini opens with a 14th ace ... and follows it with a 15th. What a weapon, in the nicest possible way! And there’s another, such that though Carreno Busta wins the next two points, the first of them via double, we’re due another service winner, which duly arrives to seals the deal. 5-5 it is.
The net-cord thinks Carreno Busta is a mug, flipping up a forehand that allows Berrettini an easy put-away – not dissimilar to the one he missed on break point. This time it gives him 30-all, and when a forehand goes long he has another; you’ve got to hand it to him, his pressure has been relentless in this set, but so has Carreno Busta’s resistance, and a decent forehand forces Berrettini to net. We end up at deuce and finally the net cord helps the Spaniard, in a brilliant rally that has both men charging about the court; eventually, Berrettini can’t quite get behind a ball he’s pursuing, his forehand sailing long, and Carreno Busta quickly closes out. It’s hard to see him breaking or winning a breaker, but you never know. Carreno Busta 5-7 5-4 Berrettini
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Berrettini is playing nicely, not just serving well but slicing well too, and his forehand is doing its usual. Carreno Busta does find a very nice return, backhand down the line, but it’s 40-0 at the time, and obviously an ace follows.
Again, Berrettini gets ahead on the Carreno Busta serve, but at 0-15 yerman finds a fine volley, stretching onto the forehand side to angle it across the face of the net. Berrettini, though, sorts him at the net for a 30-all, chasing down an ill-executed drop, and you wonder for how long Carreno Busta can handle this pressure - every hold is a battle. He finds a nails forehand for 40-30, though, then a serve out elicits a return into the net. Berrettini is the better player at the moment, but the set remains in the balance. Carreno Busta 5-7 4-3 Berrettini
I’ve recently come to love the Italian flag – the precise shade of the green in particular. Another easy hold for Berrettini, and that’s 3-3.
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Ultimately, Carreno Busta’s groundstrokes aren’t reliable enough or penetrating enough to compensate for the difference in serve, and a long forehand followed by a netted backhand give Berrettini – who’s hitting monstrously – 15-30. And have a look! At 30-all, he turns up the power on his forehand, dematerialising one down the line that opens the court for a clean-up ... except he nets, and a brutal forehand of his own sees Carreno Busta through another hold, just. He leads 3-2 in set two.
A love hold for Berrettini; his serve is one of the great weapons, men’s or women’s game, and there’s not much Carreno Busta can do about it. But if he can keep holding his own, you never know. Carreno Busta 5-7 2-2 Berrettini
Again Berrettini gets ahead of the Carreno Busta serve at 15-30, but after dominating the next rally he goes fractionally long on the forehand and Carreno Busta cleans up for 2-1.
Berrettini looks much the better player now, and he holds to 15. Carreno Busta is good, but I don’t think he’s good enough to override the power he faces; in a sense, it’s an inverse of Barty v Anisimova, a match in which hands and nous trumped athleticism and velocity. Carreno Busta 5-7 1-1 Berrettini
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When it goes it goes quick, as Alex Ferguson once said, and a careless game from Carreno Busta sees him facing 0-40. If he can’t sort this, it’ll be hard to see a way for him, but at 15-40 he plays a a fine backhand cross-court followed by a delicate backhand volley; lovely stuff. Berrettini then nets a backhand slice, an unnecessary oversight, Carreno Busta comes in again to despatch an overhead, and another superb point gives him five in a row and 1-0 in set two. That’s excellent behaviour.
Yeah. A fine forehand winner gives Carreno Busta 0-15, so Berretini finds two aces, then another then another facing a break point at 30-40. A further brute sends Carreno Busta out wide, he just about gets a return back, and there’s Berrettini at the net to put way the set. Carreno Busta 5-7 Berrettini
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Now then. A net-cord leaves Carreno Busta with few options, and a nothing pick-up is quickly speeding back past him; Berrettini has his second 0-30 of the set, then another net cord, this time on that dies, gives him three break points and Carreno Busta thrashes a desperate forehand long and wide! Berrettini will soon serve for set one at 6-5!
Serving to stay in the set, Berrettini comes to the net and slices a backhand long when he absolutely didn’t need to. Yeah, whatvez – his serve and forehand do the rest, and at 5-5 we’ve yet to experience a break point.
Back on your Lavers, Carreno Busta has just served his first ace for 40-0 at 4-4 ... then Berrettini climbs all over a fractionally short ball, unleashing a forehand down the line with terrifying speed and power. It makes no odds – Carreno Busta quickly closes out – but it hints at how a breaker might go: in favour of the man with the bigger weapons. Carreno Busta 5-4 Berrettini
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Kecmanovic was a really good junior, which doesn’t always mean he’ll be really good on tour, but he will be. Monfils says he tried to be really aggressive and not let Kecmanovic dictate; seving well hoped. He’s not lost a set so far and hasn’t made the last eight in Australia since 2016 – he’s not finished, he reckons, and hopes it goes better. He knows both his potential opponents are very good, but he’ll be ready, and we should be too – he’s so watchable and so likeable, and looks to have found the balance in his life and game.
Gael Monfils beats Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3!
Brilliant from Monfils, a forehand winner capping a tremendous display and a really enjoyable match – to which Kecmanovic contributed muchly. At 22, he’s got serious prospects, but today belongs to Monfils, who meets Berrettini or Carreno Busta next. If he plays like this, whichever it is is in for a helluva tussle.
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Monfils has spent a lot of time showing how tired he is, and he’s bent double again ... after earning a match point. Kecmanovic, though, spanks a forehand into the corner then a backhand onto the sideline to save it, only to tamely go wide shortly afterwards; can he do it again?
Berrettini floats a tremendous backhand winner down the line – when I said he didn’t have hands as good as Carreno Busta, I wasn’t insulting him – but it’s the only point he wins in the game, and neither man is making much impression on the other’s serve.
Monfils is nearly there, consolidating for 5-3; he’s a game away.
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Berrettini has just rushed through a hold, landing an ace on the outside of the centre-line. He doesn’t have the hands of Carreno Busta, but you’d fancy him in a breaker and I daresay we’ll be seeing one or two of those. It’s 2-2 in set one.
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Oh yes! Monfils raises break point and absolutely spanks a forehand winner from the middle of the baseline into the forehand corner! The handspeed there, oof madone! Kecmanovic 5-7 (4)6-7 3-4 Monfils
Monfils and Kecmanovic are 3-3 in set three, but as I type that, Monfils makes 0-30 on the Kecmanovic serve. Kecmanovic, though, wins four points in a row ... only to be diddled by an incredible lob; deuce it is, then again when Monfils nails a blazing forehand. Meantime, Carreno Busta has started well against Berrettini, a love hold giving him 2-1.
Berrettini had to survive a four-hour-plus thriller in the last round, beating Carlos Alcaraz 10-5 in a tiebreak decider. That’s no mean feat – Alcaraz is going to be very serious – so much so that there was a school of thought saying if Berrettini was going to win a major, it’d have to be soon, because Alcaraz and others have even more talent than him, so he needs to get it done before they’re at the necessary level.
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Kecmanovic gets himself to deuce on the Monfils serve, so Monfils clouts down an ace and quickly closes out. He leads 7-5 7-6(4) 2-2.
Next on Laver: Carreno Busta [19] v Berrettini [7]. That should be decent...
“I’m enjoying the AO coverage you and your colleagues give us,” emails Craig McEwan. “I see Madison Keys beat Paula Badosa earlier. That’s a big result I think. Keys getting back to her best maybe?”
I hope so. I really enjoy her, and Badosa too, but her problem has always been the mental game – I can’t get her US Open final against Sloane Stephens out of my mind, where she just couldn’t settle playing so big a match against a good mate and totally collapsed. But she’s gorra lorra talent, and women’s tennis being women’s tennis – the least predictable sport in the world – I’d not be totally shocked if she did something spectacular. At 26, she’s still got time.
Oh go on then, more Barty, speaking to Europsort. “No pressure, just fun,” she says, and she loved seeing a dog in the crowd helping a member of it. She’s trying to serve towards her opponent’s weakness or to set up the next shot, and is especially pleased she broke back immediately after being broken herself “and put Amanda under the pump.”
Asked who she learns from, she says she doesn’t watch that much tennis apart from the match before her to see when she’s on – there’s another sport in Australia that she’s into, she reminds us, having previously been a cricketer. How much talent is too much talent? Er none, especially when its purveyor wears it so beautifully. She’s just trying to do her thing, she concludes, and yes, that definitely appears to be the case.
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Barty says it’s much better playing in front of fans – does every player get asked that after every match? – and that Anisimova is an incredible athlete and competitor, able to play every point seriously. She could be describing herself there, then notes that all she can do is be her and she’s pretty good at it.
She reckons Pegula played really well today, toughing out big points from the back. She doesn’t think they’ve played before but they’ve definitely practised together so “No secrets, come in here, compete, enjoy it.”
She is a spectacularly pleasant, charismatic person, with the tennis to match.
Monfils has taken a brilliant breaker and now leads Kecmanovic 7-5 7-6(4).
If I’m honest, Anisimova looked a long way off. She’ll get better quickly, but the nous and hands gap is significant.
Ash Barty beats Amanda Anisimova 6-4 6-3!
Anisimova swipes a forehand long, and that is that! Barty is just brilliant, so clever, so calm and so consistent. She meets Pegula next; good luck, Jessica old mate.
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Excellent dee-fence from Monfils earns him 4-4, while a forehand return onto the line gives Barty two match points.
Kecmanovic gets the first mini-break, and just as it looks like Monfils has retrieves it via backhand slice zoning over the net, he finds a terrific volley for 4-3. Back on Laver, Barty consolidates to 15 and is a game away at 6-4 5-3.
A banging forehand arranges Barty a deuce, and break point down, Anisimova folds under pressure – not necessarily the stage of the match, but the pressure of playing someone you know rarely misses. She goes long, and this is nearly over. Barty 6-4 4-3 Anisimova
Two set points saved and a big forehand earns Kecmanovic a second-set breaker. This development pleases him.
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Kecmanovic is serving to stay in the second set at 5-6, having lost the first 7-5. At 0-15, he’ll have been having flashbacks, at 15-all he nets a backhand for no reason whatsoever, and at 30-all he goes long on the forehand for no reason. I say no reason, I mean P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E, but Monfils then nets on the run, and we’re at deuce. Not for long, first Kecmanovic misses a game point then Monfils earns a set point, setting it up with an excellent backhand only to net that same forehand on the run. Back to deuce we go while, on Laver, a hold each means it’s 3-3 in set two.
Is Barty about to be broken again? Er no. At 30-40, she finds a big serve, and on advantage, Anisimova slips when poised to unleash a big forehand. Barty 6-4 2-2 Anisimova
Oh dear. Barty is so consistent, a consequence of mental equanimity and a rounded game. She quickly makes 15-40, and though Anisimova saves one break-back point, she then swipes a backhand wide and plenty. That is going to sting, and I’d not be surprised to see Barty accelerate away from here.
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Monfils has broken Kecmanovic back in set two and now leads 7-5 4-4.
Now then: Anisimova gets to 15-40 and lands a really good forehand on the line, but Barty gets it back and when she tries the same again, she drops fractionally long. However! Anisimova gets a second serve to go out, she wallops a forehand return, and Barty can’t respond! That’s the first time she’s been broken in the competition, and do we got ourselves a ball-game?!
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Ooh yeah! Barty coaxes a luscious forehand down the line and into the corner for deuce, then clouts a forehand winner for break point; Anisimova is hanging on here, but a forehand error from Barty gives her deuce and she closes out well enough. Courtside, Barbara Schett notes that a big difference between the players is the spin Barty’s able to impart on the ball – but she’s also won 63 consecutive service games, which is ridiculous. Barty 6-4 0-1 Anisimova
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Ach, Barty is just so good. An ace out wide gives her 40-0, then a serve down the middle allows a clean-up forehand at the net. She takes the first set 6-4, but the difference between the players is chasmic. Barty 6-4 Anisimova
Anisimova finds her groove with consecutive aces but still finds herself at 40-30, whereupon another biggie forces Barty to serve for it.
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Hello! Barty seems to lose concentration and a netted forehand hands Anisimova an immediate break-back point at 30-40, followed by a second serve to go at. Understandably, she unloads the suitcase when it arrives, but the length was decent and the backhand return goes long – way long. A rueful smile follows, and seconds later the game is done. Barty 5-3 Anisimova
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Meantime, Kecmanovic has broken Monfils and leads 2-1 in set two, Monfils having taken set one 7-5.
A fantastic forehand return from Barty, cross-court and breaking the sideline, sets up a gorgeous backhand-slice winner from the opposite corner and that’s 0-15. 0-30 follows, and Anisimova is being gradually broken down here, the broadsword to Barty’s rapier. Another point follows that’s typical of the match, Barty directing her opponent around the court before unfurling that backhand-slice winner again; 0-40. Anisimova gets the power going to claw back two break points, but is then incited to go long on the forehand, and that was coming. Barty leads 4-3 and looks great out there.
Barty holds to love for 3-3 while, on Cain, Kecmanovic is struggling to hold, trailing 5-7 0-1.
Yup, Barty is working this out. She’s mixing up spins and speeds, and at 15-30 comes to the net again, sending an underarmer to the corner then putting a way a volley. But she wastes her first break point, sending a forehand return long, then nets on the backhand; neither was necessary, but Anisimovic did well to get her first serves in and eventually secures another hold with the help of an ace. I guess if she can keep doing that, she can reduce the contest to a few points here and there, in which case she’s a good chance of winning it, but already it’s clear that the style match-up suits Barty. Anisimova leads 3-2.
First break point of the match and it goes to Anisimova, but she makes a hash of a backhand from the corner when she didn’t need to, and Barty quickly cleans up. She’s much the better mover of the two, and based on what we’ve seen so far, I’d be surprised if she didn’t find a way to win this. Barty 2-2 Anisimova
There we go! More set points for Monfils, and this time he doesn’t let them (all) slip away, thunking down a shoulder-high winner to the delight of Elina Svitolina, his wife, in his box. Kecmanovic 5-7 Monfils
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A lovely exchange at the net, Barty hanging in there via lob, before clattering down a smash, is the best point of the match so far – it looks like she’s got the touch and tennis-brain advantage – but Anisimova holds easily enough for 2-1.
Barty nets a forehand, then redeems it with that kick-serve of hers – her ability to do so is doubly impressive given her height, which is to say Stefan Edberg she is not. An ace follows, and it’s quickly 1-1.
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Tennis is the winner.
Own this legendary 1981 AO video moment as a limited edition NFT capturing Martina Navratilova closing out the match against Chris Evert to claim the Australian Open title.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2022
More ➡️ https://t.co/1XfFWmFhtU#AO2022 • #nft pic.twitter.com/HHavnD1Sd7
On Laver, Anisimova has again started slowly, facing a break point first up; she saves it with a booming serve and an inside-out forehand from mid-court. She quickly cleans up for 1-0, and we’ll now get a look at Barty’s serve.
Back on Cain, Kecmanovic has just saved three set points at 4-5 in set one; Monfils was as chuffed by this development as you’d expect.
And play...
I’m looking forward to the Barty match, partly because how can you not look forward to watching such ray of sunshine, but also because Anisimova can play – just ask Naomi Osaka, who she beat the day before last. Though Barty beat her in Paris the year before last, it was from a set down and a break down and she was playing well enough to win the thing then; she might be now too, but those who know more than me are certain Anisimova is going to win majors.
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On Cain, Monfils leads Kecmanovic 4-3 on serve.
“Not much I can say that’s positive about today,” Zverev has just said with his head in his hands. He says Shapovalov has worked hard and improved, but that was the worst he’s played since Wimbledon – “awful from myself”.
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Preamble
Greetings! It’s already been a decent day in Melbourne: just when he looked to be over the hump, Alex Zverev [3] was whacked by Danie Shapovalov [14], the rejuvenated Madison Keys whacked Paulo Badosa [8] and Barbora Krejcikova [4] whacked Victoria Azarenka [24]; Jessica Pegula [21] despatched Maria Sakkari [6]; and Rafael Nadal [6] survived a epic first-set tiebreaker to get by Adrian Mannarino.
But, as Jimmy Cricket would say, there’s more: Gaël Monfils [17] and Mimir Kecmanovic are just underway, in a few minutes Ash Barty [1] and Amanda Anisimova will be too, then when they’re done, we’ve got Pablo Carreño Busta [19] and Matteo Berrettini [7].
On we go!
