Australian Open: Edmund and Isner bow out. Tsitsipas and Anderson win
Kyle was nowhere near the form from 12 months ago, struggling with a knee injury that forced him to skip Sydney and staying competitive only in the third set against the Czech who did everything right on the court.
Tomas blasted 12 aces and he faced one break point in the entire match, at 4-5 in the 10th game of the third set that could have prolonged Kyles chances in this match if he had managed to convert it. Besides that, Tomas had the upper hand all the time, creating seven break chances and stealing the rivals serve on five occasions to close the match in style, hitting 37 winners and just 14 unforced errors.
The first set was decided already in the second game after poor serving from Kyle who never found a rhythm on the return, falling two sets to love down after giving his serve away three times in set number two. As we already said, he was on the same level with Tomas in the first ten games of the third set but that set point he squandered sealed his fate in this match, losing serve in the next game and allowing Berdych to cross the finish line with a hold at love a few minutes later.
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The South African lost the second set but he shifted into a higher gear from that point to wrap up the win as fast as possible and avoid spending more time on the court in the opening match of the tournament. They had an almost identical number of winners and errors and Matteo stayed in touch after converting both break points he earned on the return. On the other hand, Stefanos managed to break him four times and it was enough to carry him over the finish line and secure another milestone for his country.
Matteo fought great in the opening set, saving one break point and taking the tie break 7-3 to announce an upset. Stefanos stayed focused, though, breaking his rival at 2-2 in the second set to win it 6-4 after some impressive serving, repeating that in set number three when he broke Berrettini twice to move a set away from the win.
The Italian served better in the fourth set but he failed to convert two break points, losing the tie break 7-4 to push Tsitsipas over the finish line and into the second round. .
As was expected, we saw some strong serving on both sides and they completed the match with 87 aces and just five break points faced. Both players scored one break and they stayed neck and neck from start to finish, barely missing a chance to send the match into a decider and deliver more drama on Court 8.
John won five points more than the youngster but that wasnt enough for a positive result, dropping the second set despite having a 6-4 lead in the breaker and wasting a 5-3 lead with a break in set nuber four before Opelka bounced back to claim the biggest win in a career so far.
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