He saved a match point in a thrilling five-set win against 13th seed and returning semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini in the opening round, then followed it up with a comeback from two-sets-to-love down against Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round. One round later, Korda dismissed returning finalist Daniil Medvedev in three sublime sets.Īt the tournament where he announced his potential retirement in 2019, Murray delivered three vintage performances to flash his credentials as a Grand Slam contender. The Melbourne second round saw three Top 10 men exit: Mackenzie McDonald took out top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets, Jenson Brooksby eliminated second seed Casper Ruud in four, and home favourite Alexei Popyrin edged Taylor Fritz in five. The Moment That Changed Everything For Jiri Lehecka The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up did not have any Grand Slam wins across his debuts at all four majors last season. In reaching the quarters, the Czech Lehecka knocked off 11th seed Cameron Norrie and sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in consecutive matches. In addition to the three unseeded AO quarter-finalists (Paul, Shelton, Jiri Lehecka), a slew of early upsets was the latest example of the unrelenting depth of talent on the ATP Tour. The 17-year-old Shang, a qualifier, advanced to the second round as the youngest player in the field. Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen became the first male trio from the nation to compete in a Grand Slam singles draw in the Open Era, and the first in Australian Open history. The 2023 Australian Open also marked a milestone for Chinese men's tennis. players in the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Paul, who broke into the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, went on to reach the semis in his best major showing.Įight Americans were among the last 32 in Melbourne, including J.J. With Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton all reaching the AO quarter-finals, it marked the first time since 2000 that three American men featured in the last eight Down Under - and the first time the United States had three quarter-finalists at any Slam since the 2005 US Open. His most impressive performance at the Australian Open came in the fourth round, when he held off a furious comeback from Jannik Sinner to advance in five sets. It's a fitting milestone for the 24-year-old, who showcased some of the best tennis of his career in Melbourne, particularly off his powerful forehand wing.įollowing a strong close to the 2022 season that included runs to two finals (Astana, Stockholm) and a semi-final (Paris), the Greek built on that success in Australia, where he won his first 10 singles matches dating back to the United Cup. While he missed out on the chance to debut atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings with defeat to Djokovic on Sunday, Tsitsipas is back up to his career high of World No. But he broke new ground at what he affectionately calls his "home Slam", advancing to the title match with the loss of just three sets. The Greek had been to three Australian Open semi-finals, including each of the past two, before this season. Tested by Tsitsipas in the final, the Serbian took a page from a familiar playbook by being the more solid player in the clutch moments, winning two tie-breaks to secure a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam men's singles crown.
Despite a hamstring injury he suffered in Adelaide limiting his movement in the opening rounds, Djokovic dropped just one set in Melbourne - to Enzo Couacaud in the second round - before hitting top form in devastatingly one-sided wins against Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev.
The 35-year-old carried his red-hot 2022 form into the new year, peaking in the later rounds of the Australian Open. The honour is reward for a scintillating stretch of results dating back to Wimbledon: Djokovic is 38-2 since the start of the grass-court Slam, winning six of his seven tour-level events in that span. 1, reclaiming the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time since last June. From the dominant performances of champion Novak Djokovic and finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to the first-week odyssey of Andy Murray, there was no shortage of storylines at the year's first Grand Slam. As we turn the page from the first month of the 2023 ATP Tour season, we look back at some of the key takeaways from the Australian Open.
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