ATP Sydney: Alex de Minaur, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Gilles Simon advance
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In the first battle of two youngsters, Alex dropped just 12 points on serve and he managed to keep constant pressure on the giant server, allowing Reilly to hit 17 aces but creating seven break points, converting one at the start of the match and prevailing in the second set tie break to secure the win in straight sets after two days, with the match being halted by rain on Tuesday night after just one game played.
That opening game proved to be crucial for the first set, with the Sydney native finding his return straight away to earn a break when Opelka netted a forehand. The match was resumed on Wednesday and there was nothing to separate them, rattling off nine easy holds (the returners won some six points overall) and with Alex who brought the set home with three winners in game 10 after 39 minutes.
The Aussie continued to sail through his service games in set number two as well and he had a chance to close the match earlier, creating a break point in game five that Reilly canceled with a service winner, facing two more break points next time he served as well.
A booming serve and a solid forehand attack got the American out of trouble and we saw five good holds on both sides before the tie break, a must-win one for Opelka. He opened it with a mini-break in the third game following a forehand mistake from de Minaur and two great winners pushed him 4-1 up before a forehand return down the line winner that gave him a 5-2 advantage, moving him closer to the finish line and the deciding set.
With no room for errors, Alex pulled both mini-breaks back after a double fault and a huge forehand mistake from Reilly, moving 6-5 up with two winners and securing the win after taking the fifth straight point thanks to a volley unforced error from Opelka at the net.
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Millman was more efficient behind his second serve, losing 16 points in 10 service games and facing just two break points, allowing Marton to break him once. The Hungarian almost defeated Novak Djokovic in Doha last week but he couldnt produce the same level of tennis today, spraying too many errors and getting broken three times from four opportunities he gave to the Aussie, ending his campaign in the second round.
Millman found his range early on and he moved ahead after a double fault from Marton, holding at love in the following game and forging an even bigger lead with another break in game six. Serving for the set, John squandered three set points and Marton pulled one break back, reducing the deficit to 5-3 before Millman grasped the set with a hold in game nine following a forehand error from the Hungarian.
John moved in front at the start of the second set with a backhand down the line winner and he saved a break point in game two with another good backhand, settling into a nice rhythm on serve after that to make four good holds and cement the victory with a hold at love in game 10 to book the quarter-final clash against the 4th seed Gilles Simon.
. It was a solid performance from the Greek in his first ATP match of the season following a Hopman Cup campaign, facing just one break point and hitting a similar number of winners and unforced errors.
On the other hand, the Argentinian had to play against five break points and he gave the serve away thrice, trailing 6-3, 5-1 before he broke Stefanos once while it was already too late to stage a comeback. Tsitsipas jumped ahead with a break in game two when Andreozzi hit a double fault and that was enough to carry him towards the finish line, losing five points in his games and winning the opener with three winners in the ninth game.
The second started with another break from the Greek who increased the advantage with another break in game three when Andreozzi netted a backhand. Serving for the match at 5-2, Tsitsipas got broken at love and he wasted two match points on the return in the next game, losing the ground a little bit before bringing the match home on the fifth match point on own serve in game 10 thanks to a volley winner that notched the first win of the season for the world no.
15. Nishioka had to play against five break points already in the first service game, which is never a good sign, falling behind after a backhand error but recovering in the very next game when Andrey lost serve when his forehand finished in the net.
The Russian wasted a break point in the sixth game following a wild forehand and the Japanese completed a break in the next game with a smash winner, taking another break in game nine for a 6-3. Rublev faded from the court after that, spraying a backhand error to lose serve at the start of the second set and dropping further and further behind after a double fault that sent his rival 4-1 up.
Serving for the win at 5-1, a left-hander hit a service winner to cross the finish line, happy with the way he performed and hoping for more of the same in the quarter-final on Thursday. .
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