Source : ABC NEWS
Jakub Mensik hits arguably the best shot of the tournaments, Thanasi Kokkinakis proves sportsmanship is alive and Alexander Zverev is not interested in a barber.
- Day four live blog: Vukic stuns 22nd seed in five sets as Kokkinakis’s hopes crushed by Britain’s Draper
- ‘I told myself to just swing’: The simple message that saved Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open campaign
- Today’s live blog: Join the ABC Sport team from 10.30am (AEDT) for all the action
Here’s the five quick hits from day four of the Australian Open, including when the Aussies are playing on day five.
1. Djokovic pulls out his bag of tricks against fearless qualifier
On the day Novak Djokovic played his record 430th grand slam singles match, the Serbian star starred in the tournament’s best rally thus far.
Portuguese 21-year-old Jaime Faria was outstanding against the 24-time grand slam champion, evening winning the second set.
Loading Twitter content
The Serb needed to produce some of his best tennis on Rod Laver Arena to overcome Faria, and that is what he produced.
Despite losing the second set, fans who watched will remember Djokovic winning the 10th game with a magnificent 29-shot rally.
Both men ran each other from side to side. At one moment, Faria looked certain to win the point, then Djokovic fought way back.
By the end of the rally both men were well in front of their baselines, slugging out volleys until finally there one got through.
He may now be the seventh seed and there may be new kids on the block who are winning grand slams — but when Djokovic can prove he is just as athletic as an opponent 17 years his junior, he will always be a threat to claim grand slam 25.
2. Mensik produces an outrageous winner
If Djokovic and Faria have had the best rally of the tournament thus far, then the best shot from Melbourne Park may also have occurred on day four.
Czech world number 48 Jakub Mensik needed something special to overcome sixth seed Casper Ruud.
The 19-year-old was fearless when he took the opening set, but dropped the next as the more-fancied Norwegian settled into stride.
But Mensik wrestled back momentum with a near-flawless third set. The Czech’s brilliant third set began with one of the great winners on his way to securing the first of two breaks in the set.
Mensik and Ruud produced a great rally that the Norwegian looked certain to have won, when Mensik was at the net and had a volley hit past him.
Loading Twitter content
But the 19-year-old chased down the ball and flicked his wrist to hit the ball back over the net, cross-court, out of Ruud’s reach.
Mensik gestured to the crowd that he wanted more noise and they gave it to the 19-year-old, who then went on a tear to take the set 6-1.
The teen went on to close out the match in four sets and eliminate the world number six in the process.
3. Kokkinakis’s sportsmanship hands the opponent a point
If Thanasis Kokkinakis did not win any more fans with his brilliance against British 15th seed Jack Draper, his sportsmanship certainly would have.
Leading two sets to one and with a break in the fourth set, Kokkinakis was all class when he asked the chair umpire to award a point to his opponent in the fifth game.
Thanasi Kokkinakis tells chair umpire Marijana Veljovic to award a point to his opponent after the play was called dead mid-point. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
The pair had produced an excellent rally, which lasted nearly 20 shots, when Draper appeared to have nailed a forehand winner.
But as the ball was sailing over the net, chair umpire Marijana Veljovic called for the point to be replayed.
Veljovic then called the two players to the net to explain why the point needed to be replayed, which was not picked up by the broadcast microphones.
But Kokkinakis, realising that he was well on the way to losing that point before getting a huge slice of luck, asked Veljovic to award the point to Draper.
Draper would go on to hold serve in the fifth game then break Kokkinakis twice to claim the fourth set.
4. Haircuts are for ‘idiots’, says Zverev
Alexander Zverev soared into round three of the competition with a straight sets victory over Spain’s Pedro Martinez.
The German barely got out of second gear in the match and afterwards his long, (luscious?) hair was still neatly tucked up in a bun.
In recent weeks we’ve seen some other men’s players getting buzz cuts and shorter trims whilst on tour.
Carlos Alcaraz’s buzz cut comes to mind.
But back to Zverev and his locks, well he’s not a fan of his peers having short hair.
“I think they’re idiots,” Zverev said.
Loading Twitter content
“Grow it out as long as you can, we’re all going to be bald at some point, so take full advantage of it,” he added.
Asked whether or not he would opt for an Australian-style mullet look, Zverev simply said “no”.
In the next round of the competition, Zverev will take on Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.
Wonder if his hair will be a distraction for Zverev.
5. Which Australians are playing on day five?
Here’s when all the Australians are playing on day five at Melbourne Park (all times AEDT):
- Tristan Boyer vs Alex de Minaur (8) not before 12:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
- Jannik Sinner (1) vs Tristan Schoolkate (WC) from 6pm on Rod Laver Arena
- Destanee Aiava (Q) vs Danielle Collins (10) last on Kia Arena
- Alex Michelsen vs James McCabe (WC) not before 2pm on Court 3
