By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 20, 2023
Iga Swiatek opened the bagel factory on Friday in Melbourne and dropped just one game.
And… just like that we already have half of the draws filling out the round of 16. Catch up on what you missed from a wonderful Day 5 at the Happy Slam.
Also Read: AO Day 1 Wrap | AO Day 2 Wrap | AO Day 3 Wrap | AO Day 4 Wrap
Iga’s bagel factory is back in business
World No.1 Iga Swiatek absolutely blitzed Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa, 6-0, 6-1. Swiatek has now reeled off 15 bagel sets at the Slams since 2019. The woman just knows how to dominate.
Jiri Lehecka is hecka good!
Prior to this week 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka had never won a main draw match at a Slam before. The Czech made his Grand Slam debut at all four majors last year and lost all four matches. This week in Australia he’s been proving himself match after match, but Friday’s five-set victory over Cameron Norrie was an official announcement of his arrival.
Come sail away with Stefanos Tsitsipas
Gotta hand it to Stefanos Tsitsipas. He hails from his own planet and brings something completely unique to the sport. Just look at the way he signed the camera after his third-round win over Tallon Griekspoor. How do you not love this guy?
Vika’s still rolling
The only former Australian Open champion still playing in the women’s singles draw in Melbourne is Victoria Azarenka. The 2012 and 2013 champion rebounded from a slow start to take out Madison Keys, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1
In the video below she taps her name as she passes it by in the hall of champions. Azarenka talked about what it means to her to be a two-time champion and to have that history in Melbourne Park
"It's something that I can be proud of myself for the rest of my life," she said. "My name is going to be ingrained in the history. I feel like sometimes, when maybe you don't feel confident with yourself, results are not there, you kind of forget what you've done."
Sinner the winner!
Jannik Sinner looked down and out early during his third-round encounter with Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. It really felt like it was over for the wiry Italian, but he had other ideas. He hit back swiftly, dominated the final three sets, and came away with his first ever win from two sets down at a major.
Sinner dropped just three games in the final three sets to earn a round of 16 showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas. Should be a good one.
Tsitsipas agrees. He defeated Sinner in straight sets in the quarterfinals at Melbourne last year but is expecting a tougher fight this time around.
“For sure I have a good memory from last year,” he said. “I'm sure he's much better prepared this time. I hope I can deliver a good sort of level of game 'cause it was close last time. I think it was in three sets, yes, but it was close.”
Djokovic miffed at Eurosport
After Eurosport posted a video of Novak Djokovic, and wrongfully stated that the Serb was defying the umpire when he went for a toilet break, Djokovic hit back and stated his reasoning in an interview with Serbian journalists.
“In our organisation – ATP or WTA – there has to be a system of timely protection of players, someone who will react, do something about these things,” he said, according to Tennis Majors. “I am an easy target to be the villain. That is how they portray me, for me that is now a normal occurrence – but I will not tolerate injustice.
“Some things I can tolerate, some I cannot – they do not deserve for something like this to just be allowed, to get away with it. Usually I don’t react, even though I could have reacted a thousand times over different things in the past. Today they went completely overboard. Nobody apologised to me publicly. Are they going to publicly apologise to me? I don’t think so. Eurosport is broadcasting the Australian Open, they are one of the biggest sports channels in the world. They could issue a public apology.”