Key events
Back on Laver, Sinner is a game away. He leads Schoolkate 5-2 in the fourth and will be better for this workout.
Aiaiva serves out against Collins and they’re going into a decider, the crowd absolutely into this. They’re the voice, try and understand it; they’re making a noise and making it clear!
And while we wait for Medvedev, we learn that the fine being touted for him smashing racket and camera in his last match is in the region of £80,000. My sense is that he’ll cope, but if not, I can sub him a tenner.
Back on Kia, Aiava is serving for the second set against Collins at 5-4…
Next on Court: Learner Tien v Daniil Medvedev (5).
Of course, it’s unlikely Keys wins a major – it feels like she missed her chance in those years they were going to all sorts of weird and wonderful places. But if someone else can beast Sabalenka for her, because I’m not sure she could do that, you never know; I’d not be shocked if she wins her next match and then beat Rybakina in round four.
Keys says she feels good, saying the tennis wasn’t the prettiest but Ruse played to a high level … “Cool.”
“I’m glad you guys enjoyed it,” she continues. “Makes one of us.” She had to dig deep and keep adjusting what she was doing because she wasn’t dictating as she wanted to.
She’s always loved playing in Australia, and played her maiden Slam in Melbourne. She was sad to miss it last year and is happy she gets to play another match.
Madison Keys (19) beats Elena-Gabriele Ruse 7-6(1) 2-6 7-5
Maddy gets there in the end, Ruse slicing wide. She meets Aiava or Collins next and the quest for a grand slam title … continues.
Oh dear. I fear Ruse has gone, and a double hands over two match points…
But back on Court, Ruse goes long with a forehand and again, Keys is two points from victory; she’s by far the better player now.
Meantime Collins takes a medical timeout, so the audience enjoy some Melbourne-based karaoke.
Keys quickly holds for 6-5 and we’re at 15-all as Ruse sees a match tiebreak…
And from deuce, Ruse, two match-points saved, closes out for 5-5! That’s a great effort and though it feels like Keys will eventually do whatever it is she needs to do, she’s never too far away from an unforced error.
She does, but two shots in her eyes light up when she sees a lane to a winner, the forehand down the line falling long; we’re back at deuce while, on Laver, sinner is cruising, up 2-1 3-0. Schoolkate is not long for this match, but excuse me while i interrupt myself, a ridiculous net-exchange between Ruse and Keys ending when the latter spirits a winner across the face of it. Here comes another match point, which looks to be Keys’ when she strokes a backhand into the corner. But Ruse retrieves superbly, making her play one more shot, and the attempted winner is again long! Hold tight Elena-Gabriela!
Well, she goes long on the backhand, and surely even Keys, up match point, will just look to get the ball back in play and see …?
Back on Court, Keys might just be finding a way, up 5-4 in the third and spanking a forehand winner for 0-15. She’s been a little more patient since losing the second set, and when she makes 30-all, she’ll feel she’s a chance, two points from victory. Can Ruse hold it down?
Destanee Aiaiva, an Aussie qualifier, secures another hold to lead Danielle Collins 3-1 in the second, Collins having taken the first via breaker. She actually retired at the end of last season, eager to have kids and knowing her endometriosis might compromise her fertility. But she changed her mind, explaining as follows:
“In addition to managing some lingering health challenges the past few months, I’ve recently been seeing a handful of specialists to better understand what my best path forward is to achieve my ultimate dream, starting a family.
“Dealing with endometriosis and fertility is a massive challenge for many women and something that I am actively traversing, but I am fully confident in the team I am working with. It is just going to take longer than I thought.
“So, the DANIMAL story has not reached its conclusion. I will be back on tour in 2025. While there are no guarantees in life, I hope to build on my 2024 momentum and keep playing until there is more certainty around my personal fertility journey. The only guarantee for now will be some more epic matches.”
Sinner breaks Schoolkate again and now leads 4-6 6-4 6-1. This feels very over, the cleanliness of the champ’s hitting too much for him – and pretty much anyone else – to handle.
Schoolkate wins his first game in time but Sinner is all over him now, up 5-1 in the third. The Aussie can take heart from how hard he’s made the champ work – and think – to get on top of him.
Now that’s wa Maddy (no offence Elena-Gabriela)! She opens shoulders, raises break-back point, and creams a gorgeous inside-out backhand winner into the corner. We’re back on serve at 3-3 in fifth.
Oh Maddy. Oh mate. She saves one break point, then sends down a double, and at 2-3 in the fifth is directly under the pump.
But what’s this? I nip downstairs to get some water and delay my ageing process, returning to see Aiava has broken Collins to lead 1-0 in the second and Ruse has three break points to lead Keys 3-2 in the third.
Time’s up? It seems so. Sinner breaks Schoolkate again for 1-1 3-0, and he’s got the Aussie’s measure now. Otherwise, Keys leads Ruse 2-1 in the third, on serve, and in our only other singles match still in progress, Collins leads the local girl Aiava, 7-6(4).
I’ve saved Rune’s post-match interview, so getting that on now, he says it was a great match and thanks the crowd for creating the atmosphere. He’s trying to play his best tennis and stay focused and though some moments had a lot of tension, he enjoyed all of them, some more than others. But that’s life.
Indeed it is, Holger old china, indeed it is. I say this a lot to my daughter, niece and nephew: if it’s happening, ad it is, you may as well make the most of it.
Phew! That was a lot of behaviour, one of the many beauties of the first week of a Slam: so much going on it’s hard to know what do with oneself, except it’s obvious what to do with oneself: absorb oneself into as much of it as possible and to the fullest extent, to the point of deploying two colons in the same sentence.
In all the excitement, we’re a bit late to announce that Sinner levelled his match with Schoolkate at a set apiece, before breaking at the first time of asking in set three. It’s hard to see a way back for the young Aussie from here, but we shall see.
Veronika Kudermetova beats Katie Boulter (22) 7-6(3) 2-6 6-2
A brilliant win for Kudermetova, who’s been as high as no 9 in the world. She started well and finished brilliantly, a devastating backhand return flying cross-court for a winner. And that, I guess is the difference: Boulter doesn’t quite have power-shots like that in her armoury, so it’s the Russian who’ll meet Bea Haddad Maia (15) in round three. That will be worth a look-in.
Kudermetova has hit a streak and the perfect time. She’s up 15-40 on the Boilter serve, so has two match points….
I said Maddy Keys was a favourite band she is, but with all that’s been going on I’ve neglected her. Well, after winning the first set against Ruse 7-6 – she threatened to run away with it – she lost the second 6-2 and, by the looks of things, momentum is with the qualifier.
Brilliant from Kudermetova, who seals a love-consolidation – something for all of us to bear in mind, on which point I recommend The Love Prescription by John Gottman and Julie Gottman – with an ace. She leads Boulter 5-2 in the fifth.
On Court 3, Boulter is break-point down against Kudermetova … and she nets a forehand! The Russian leads 4-2 in the third, the GB no 1 needing something and fast.
Lorenzo Sonego beats João Fonseca (6)6-7 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-3
A massive win for Sonego, who earns himself a winnable third-round match with Maroszan. But Joao Fonseca is coming, and I cannot wait to see him again; we’re on notice, all of us.
Holger Rune (13) beats Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3) 2-6 6-3 7-6(6)
Again, Berrettini is asked to play a drive-backhand on a big point and cannot. He’ll have regrets, burning set points in the fourth, but Rune did the right things at the right times and it’s great to see him back enjoying his tennis and playing as we know he can. Next for him it’s Miomir Kecmanovic, who beat Hubie Hurkacz earlier.
Rune earns another mini-break and now has match point on his own seve…
Back on Cain, Rune has found something, clawing back the mini-break and holding for 6-5 in the breaker; his first match point coming up, Berrettini serving … and he saves it nicely, winning a net exchange. Meantime on Laver, Sinner raises his first break points of the match, three of them, and only needs one. He trails Schoolkate 4-6 4-3, and this is a big test for the Aussie, whose composure and precision until this point suggest he won’t simply wily.
Serving at 30-all, Fonseca steps forward and pounds a forehand towards the baseline … and from behind his ear, Sonego conjures a wondrous forehand winner cross-court! It’s always in the last place you look! Break point to the Italian, and when Fonseca thunders a forehand into the net, he’ll shortly serve for the match at 5-3 in the fifth.
Berrettini is attacking everything now and he makes 4-2 then clobbers a fantastic clean-up forehand after a fine, deep return. Rune is not enjoying this, and the Italian is two points away from forcing a decider.
I don’t want to say Sinner’s losing because he’s turned up for work in primrose, but I can’t imagine it’s helping.
Ach, Rune goes wide looking for a forehand winner, misses, and sarcastically congratulates himself, but again then he asks Berrettini to do what he cannot, hit a telling drive-backhand. On 1573, though Fonseca blazes a sensational forehand return cross-court for a clean winner that raises break point; I can’t get my head around how good he is, which is odd given we’re in the Alcaraz era. Sonego, though, isn’t giving owt for nowt, and from there he makes deuce then closes out for 4-3. Back with Berrettini now, Rune hangs on to force a fourth-set breaker, Kudermetova leads Bolter 2-1 on serve in the third, and and Schoolkate holds again, this time through deuce, to lead Sinner 6-4 3-2. His serve isn’t weapons-grade or anything similar, but his accuracy is very impressive, and bespeaks a repeatable action that ought not to break down under pressure. And make no mistake, if he keeps playing like this, that is coming.
Sinner just can’t get himself going, working hard for the hold that gives him 2-2 in the second; meantime, on Cain, Berrettini makes to go down the line then hooks a forehand cross and it’s too good for Rune, giving him set point at 6-5 30-40. But asked to find a drive backhand down the line, he cannot, so to deuce we go. Otherwise, Sonego and Fonseca are at 3-3 in the fifth, Kudermetova and Boulter 1-1 in the third.
Boulter holds for a 6-2 second set; her return was particularly effective and she seems to have Kudermetova’s number. Back on Laver, Schoolkate hangs tough, also holding to lead Sinner 6-4 2-1; Sonego leads Fonseca 3-2 in the fifth; and Berrettini leads Rune 6-5 in the fourth – trailing 2-1, but with momentum now in his favour. If there’s any justice in the world (there isn’t), we’ll get a decider there too, for we deserve it.
There’s so much going on that, not for the first time, I could use more eyes if anyone has any going spare. I should note that Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara, men’s doubles Wimbledon champs and coached by Calvin Betton, our blog’s resident expert, are into round two; Luke Johnson, his other charge, is on court at the moment and up a break in set three with his partner, Sander Arends.
Back with Boulter, she creams a gorgeous backhand down the line to make deuce and sees that out to break Kudermetova as second time. She leads 5-2 in the second and is a game away from forcing a decider. She lacked a bit of consistency in the first set which, when you lack a concussive weapon, is a big problem. But she’s much looser now, and that’s made all the difference.
With Berrettini in the ascendancy, Rune takes a medical timeout, having his wrist worked on. I don’t know if it’s tactical, but it’d make sense if it was given his opponent’s growing momentum. He leads 2-1 3-4.
Tristan Schoolkate is a tremendous, almost Dahlian name. I really like the way he’s addressing this match – his body language is so positive and he’s acting like he belongs. He thinks he can do something here, you can tell, and so far he is.
Schoolkate only needs one! Sinner nets a forehand and the Aussie wildcard leads the champ and world no 1 by a set! Incredible scenes on Laver, and doesn’t he enjoy them!
Fonsecsa makes 40-30, nails a backhand down the line, and that’s a 6-3 set! He and sonego will now play a fifth, while on laver, Schoolkate has 0-40 at 5-4 in the first! That pressure is telling and here come three set points!
Elsewhere, Boilter is up 3-1 in the second against Kudermtova and is holding easily enough, while Fonseca is serving for a decider against Sonego at 5-3 in the fourth; they’re at 30-all. And on Cain, it turns out that Berrettini has been reading the bog at change of ends because he’s absolutely nailing his forehand now, breaking Rune back to trail 1-2 3-3.
Schoolkate is another youngster enjoying the crowd’s support, but he’s being forced to fight for his latest hold at 4-4, in and out of deuce. His first serve is a pretty decent shot – as I type, he sends down his first ace of the match for advantage – but Sinner likes the look of his second. No matter, he serves out for 5-4 and the champ must now deal with a bit of scoreboard pressure.