Miomir Kecmanovic survives two match points for second straight round to oust Tommy Paul

One might say Novak Djokovic is the ultimate guru when it comes to both finding ways to win tie-breaks and surviving matches from losing positions.

Miomir Kecmanovic is doing one heck of a job emulating his prolific countryman at this year’s Australian Open.

The 24-year-old matched his best major result—also a round of 16 showing in Melbourne—when he eliminated 2023 semifinalist Tommy Paul, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-0, in three hours and 57 minutes on Saturday.

For the second round in a row, Kecmanovic prevailed from two match points down by stepping up in a tie-break situation.

“It was supposed to be my day, I guess. I had a bit more luck and played some fantastic tennis in the end. I’m really happy to be in the fourth round again,” he told Mark Philippoussis in an on-court interview.

“It feels like home. There’s so many Serbian people here. You feel welcome.”

Two days earlier, the Serbian had missed three match points in his clash with Jan-Lennard Struff—and then found himself trailing the German 9-7 in a decisive match tiebreaker. Kecmanovic erased the first match point he faced with an ace, then made enough impact on a stretched backhand return to draw a volley error. After Struff dumped a backhand into the net, Kecmanovic closed out the come-from-behind victory by clinching a 33-shot rally with a backhand crosscourt winner.

Against Paul, Kecmanovic had to dig even deeper when the American arrived at his two match points in a fourth-set tiebreaker. At 5-6, he grinded for 11 shots until Paul tightened up with a netted forehand from the middle of the baseline. Paul’s second match point came on his racquet two points later, but after being forced to hit a second serve, he pushed a backhand two feet long.

Moving the No. 14 seed around the court to reach his first set point, Kecmanovic unloaded on a serve +1 with a commanding inside-in forehand finish to get himself into a decider. The Belgrade native soared, taking 25 of 31 points as Paul withered away.

Kecmanovic's next opponent? Carlos Alcaraz, who led Jerry Shang, 6-1, 6-1, 1-0, when the 18-year-old retired from their contest on Rod Laver Arena with an injury.

Asked about the game plan for Alcaraz, Kecmanovic responded, “I think the coach can take this one. I did four hours, he has to do something now.”

The two met once previously, in the 2022 Miami Open quarterfinals. On that day, it was Alcaraz who emerged victorious in a winner-take-all tiebreaker after claiming the final four points from 3-5 down.