In a second day marked by the victory of guest Andy Murray in five sets against Basilashvili, seeded n ° 21 and the surprise defeat of Leylah Fernandez (n ° 24), finalist of the last US Open, the balance of the French is contrast. Hugo Gaston, who will have to beef up his serve, logically left the stage, Océane Dodin missed the mark against Begu, Ugo Humbert disappointed against Gasquet. Caroline Garcia, she lived a little nightmare…
Performance: Richard Gasquet
Richard Gasquet beat Ugo Humbert (3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3). It may be a detail for you, but for him it means a lot. The Biterrois, 35, had not beaten an opponent as well ranked in Grand Slam for 5 and a half years! A small feat after an arrival in Australia disturbed by a positive test for Covid-19 and eight days of isolation in Melbourne. “I didn’t do any preparation. I arrived without landmarks, without any match, sums up the Frenchman, 81st at ATP. I played an hour a day since, I was quickly tired. It was hard to recover, even mentally. It’s a very big surprise to win this match, it’s even unexpected. »
Under a strong wind, Humbert caught some air pockets. “I was born in the wind, in the Hérault, laughs Gasquet of which this will perhaps be the last season on the circuit. I doubt I’ll still be on the circuit in 2023 but we’ll see. “His compatriot, he continues to show his deficiencies in Major. “I was not positive enough, nor enterprising enough. I try to do the best, but I still have trouble in my approaches to Grand Slam tournaments, explains the Messin. I find it hard to concentrate on the game.”
The bide: Caroline Garcia
And suddenly, it’s the drama… Caroline Garcia quietly led 6-4, 4-2 against the qualified American Hailey Baptiste. The royal road to the second round. But the Lyonnaise completely lost control of the match and ended up losing (4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3).
“I will try to digest this defeat quickly to be ready tomorrow for the double with Kristina Mladenovic. It’s always difficult when you come back from a defeat in singles, you have to manage to turn your head in the right direction, she breathes. I will try to be as professional as possible. »
The number: 478
Finally… 478 days later, Benoit Paire won a Major match. A happiness he had not known since Roland-Garros 2020. After four consecutive road trips in a row, a kind of anti Grand Slam, the Avignonnais, 56th in the world, tore away to beat the Brazilian Monteiro in 5 sets (6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5). He will be opposed in the second round to the Bulgarian Dimitrov, seeded n°26.
The phrase: “There are always lessons to be learned…”
Two days after the resounding departure of Djokovic, Tennis Australia, which manages tennis in Australia and the Melbourne tournament, issued a press release to regret the management of the case of the world No. 1 (but without ever mentioning it).
“As representatives of the tennis family, we recognize that the events (around Djokovic) have been a significant distraction for everyone and we deeply regret the impact this case has had on all players. We will examine all aspects of our preparation and its implementation, as we do every year,” explains the federation, which respects the decision of the Ministry of Immigration. It was Tennis Australia and the State of Victoria who opened the door to the infamous exemption that the Serb enjoyed and which started the whole affair.
Image: Alizé Cornet
Two more small Grand Slams and Alizé Cornet will break the record for the number of consecutive appearances (62). In the meantime, the French No. 1, who will celebrate her 32nd birthday on Saturday, did not give up on Viktoriya Tomova (6-3, 6-3). Cornet remains on three consecutive eliminations in the 2nd round in Melbourne where she had reached the round of 16 in 2009. In the next round, she will face the Spaniard Muguruza, seeded n ° 3 and faller of Clara Burel (6-3, 6 -4).
