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If ever there was an advert for the Australian Open's decisive set format, look no further than Fabio Fognini and Salvatore Caruso. There was stress. There was shot-making. And there was smack talk. But through it all, No. 16 seed Fognini erased a match point to ultimately prevail, 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12).
Fognini fell behind 1-5 in his decisive 10-point match tie-break with his countryman. Like he did throughout the match, Fognini worked himself back into the fold and would eventually reach match point at 9-8. Caruso saved it by clipping the sideline and drawing a forced error. He saved his second match at 9-10 with deep groundstroke and reached match point with a gutsy backhand winner up the line at 10-10.
He pushed a backhand long to miss his chance, though followed up Fognini's fifth ace by wiping away a third match point after his forehand, to his opponent's dismay, caught the back of the baseline. Fognini, who had received a code violation warning for an obscenity a few minutes earlier, continued to mutter his frustration. Well behind the baseline and scrambling to his left, Fognini channeled his contempt into a highlight reel winner by rocketing a backhand cross-court pass to move ahead 13-12. His out-wide serve on the ensuing point had enough behind it to get him across the line.
As the two went to shake hands, Caruso let Fognini know he was not happy about his sportsmanship. The two Italians began gesturing and later, engaged in a heated exchange from their player benches. A supervisor was called to court, though the fireworks soon stopped, as Caruso walked off and nothing physical materialized.
"I am tired, for sure," said Fognini. That's what a near four-hour match full of emotional ups and downs will do to you. —Matt Fitzgerald*
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The last time we watched Stefanos Tsitsipas at a hard-court major, the 22-year-old inexplicably let a two-sets-to-one—and 5-1 in the fourth—lead slip. To his credit, Tsitsipas didn't let that shock loss to Borna Coric derail the rest of his season; he went on to reach the Hamburg final and Roland Garros semifinals. If anything, the collapse emboldened him.
But you could forgive Tsitsipas if that match came to mind while serving at 5-4, 15-30 in a fifth set today. His opponent, Thanasi Kokkinakis, had yet to break his serve, and had only earned three break points over four-and-a-half hours of play. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, had earned 22 break points, and converted five. And yet, this match wasn't over already?
Credit Kokkinakis, the 24-year-old Australian who surfaced in the pros around the same time Nick Kyrgios did, but whose career has taken a much different path. Numerous injuries have held Kokkinakis back, and kept him down in the rankings—he's currently No. 267, and needed a wild card to enter the main draw. But despite some soul-searching about whether he should still pursue professional tennis, Kokkinakis has soldiered on. So much so that his journey has inspired Kyrgios, who talked about his friend and doubles partner's determination after his marathon win last night.
Kyrgios was among the reduced but energized crowd watching as Kokkinakis executed a flawless running pass to reach 15-30, and keep the improbable going. Just three years ago, Kokkinakis defeated Roger Federer at the Miami Open. And Tsitsipas, while he may play like Federer, is not Federer. This was a gut-check moment for both men—though as the prohibitive favorite, questions about Tsitsipas' mettle were greater.
Tsitipas went on to take the next three points, never giving Kokkinakis a chance to really tighten things up. After each service point won, Tsitsipas exulted, staying positive amidst an opponent that was still hitting big, remaining confident and staying resolute. It was a test passed for Tsitsipas, but also for Kokkinakis.
"He has huge potential, I think he knows it himself," said Tsitsipas after his 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-4 win.
The same can be said for the Greek as well.—Ed McGrogan