Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open when his opponent, Shang Juncheng, retired early in the third set of their third-round encounter on Jaunuary 20.
The No. 2 was leading the 18-year-old 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when Shang, who had his right thigh heavily strapped from the start, called it a day after just 66 minutes.
“It’s not the way you want to move on,” said the Spaniard, who missed last year’s event through injury himself. “Last year I was watching the matches from my couch, wishing to be in the second week. This is my first time in the second week at the Australian Open and it feels special,” he said.
Alcaraz will play Miomir Kecmanovic, the Serbian who saved a match point as he beat last year’s semifinalist Tommy Paul 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-0.
American Paul led by two sets to one on Margaret Court Arena and had a match point in the fourth-set tiebreak but Kecmanovic levelled and then ripped through the deciding set for victory.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Kecmanovic said of his victory. “I guess it was just supposed to be my day today. I had a bit more luck and I played some fantastic tennis at the end. I’m really happy to be in the fourth round again.
No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz saw off No. 21 Ugo Humbert 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to reach the fourth round for the second year in a row. He will play the wild-card entry from France, Arthur Cazaux, who beat 28th-ranked Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Dayana Yastremska advanced to the last 16
Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska equalled her best Grand Slam performance by advancing to the last 16 while Zheng Qinwen, Oceane Dodin and Jasmine Paolini also reached round four.
Yastremska saw off 27th-ranked Emma Navarro 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, equalling her fourth-round run at Wimbledon in 2019, having lost in the first round in her previous seven Grand Slam appearances.
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 20, 2024
Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska shakes hands with Emma Navarro of the U.S. after winning her third round match REUTERS/Issei Kato
| Photo Credit:
Issei Kato
Ranked No. 93, Yastremska will next play either 11th-ranked Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner, or two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.
In the opener on Rod Laver Arena, Zheng Qinwen edged fellow Chinese player Wang Yafan 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (8) in a match tiebreaker to reach the fourth round in Australia for the first time. The 12th-seeded Zheng made it to the…
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