Solar shines on Stefanos Tsitsipas, Iga Swiatek at Australian Open | Tennis Information – Instances of India

MELBOURNE: Stefanos Tsitsipas and Iga Swiatek dazzled in vivid sunshine to make quick work of their third-round opponents on Friday as some normalcy returned to the Australian Open after scheduling woes, wild climate, upsets and late finishes hogged the headlines.
Third seed Tsitsipas, the highest surviving seed within the males’s draw, checked his cellphone after a 6-2 7-6(5) 6-3 win over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor and mirrored on the gorgeous day after hours of tennis had been misplaced this week to the warmth and stop-start rain.
“Fair crack of the whip mate, I mean, it was great,” Tsitsipas stated, slipping into the native vernacular.
“I think my placement on the serve was exceptional today, I didn’t have a lot of rallies on my serve, which helped a lot.
“Form of stored issues clear and I loved the climate at this time, what a stunning day for tennis it’s at this time, is not it?”
Tsitsipas has still not dropped a set in the tournament as he chases his maiden Grand Slam, with his chances boosted by the exits of holder Rafa Nadal and second seed Casper Ruud and an injury cloud hanging over favourite Novak Djokovic.
But the 2021 French Open runner-up came close, saving a set point in the second set before doubling his advantage following a tiebreak to pave the way for a comfortable win to delight his supporters on Rod Laver Arena.
Roared on by Greek fans, many of them from Melbourne, which has the largest population of Greek speakers outside Greece and Cyprus, Tsitsipas will next take on Italian Jannik Sinner in what could be a tricky test.
Top seed and women’s favourite Swiatek was equally dominant in her 6-0 6-1 victory over Cristina Bucsa as she bids to add to her two French Open wins and U.S. Open crown.
“A few years in the past once I was within the fourth spherical I used to be actually exhausted, and proper now I really feel that is the suitable place to be,” Swiatek said.
“Hopefully I will proceed to enjoying stable and hopefully I will play extra matches right here.”
Up next for Swiatek is Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina who battled past last year’s Melbourne Park runner-up Danielle Collins 6-2 5-7 6-2.
Jessica Pegula was also in a hurry to wrap up her match, as the third-seeded American swatted aside Marta Kostyuk 6-0 6-2 to make it seven straight victories in 2023 after a loss to Petra Kvitova in the United Cup.
Seventh seed Coco Gauff faltered on two matchpoints and then double-faulted before easing her nerves to save a breakpoint and dismiss left-hander Bernarda Pera 6-3 6-2 in a battle between Americans.
Nadal’s conqueror Mackenzie McDonald could not continue his run however, as the unseeded American fell to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka who won 7-6(6) 6-3 6-2, though fellow Americans Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe are all in action later in the day.
No male U.S. player has captured a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open, but the country’s hopes had been rekindled with eight players in the third round.
Organisers will hope the swift victories continue in the evening having defended their scheduling following a late finish to the previous day after former world number one Andy Murray beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in a five-set epic.
That match finished at 4.05 a.m. (1705 GMT on Thursday) and Murray described the late finish as a “joke.”
Tournament director Craig Tiley ruled out immediate changes after Murray said tennis must aim to avoid late finishes.
“At this level there is no want to alter the schedule,” Tiley said. “We’ll at all times have a look at it, once we do the debrief — like we do yearly.
“But at this point, at what it is, we’ve got to fit those matches in the 14 days, so you don’t have many options.”
Sinner supplied the drama on an in any other case clean day, because the Italian fifteenth seed overcame a poor begin to his encounter in opposition to Marton Fucsovics dropping the primary two units earlier than outlasting his Hungarian opponent 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-0.
The fifteenth seed is among the many sport’s brightest names having made the quarter-finals of all 4 Grand Slams with out going additional and confirmed his class within the final three units enjoying superior tennis in opposition to a fading Fucsovics.
Former French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova, a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park in 2022, additionally went safely by with a 6-2 6-3 win over Anhelina Kalinina and meets Pegula.
Sixth Felix Auger Aliassime additionally superior with a 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-4 win over Francisco Cerundolo.