Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego, Camila Giorgi, Lucia Bronzetti and Martina Trevisan start off on the right foot at the Australian Open, defeated by Fabio Fognini, Salvatore Caruso and Jasmine Paolini. These are the first verdicts coming from the Melbourne hard court where the first round of the season of the Grand Slam began.
Berrettini had to fight hard to overcome the American Brandon Nakashima, 68 Atp, bent 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, after 3 hours and ten minutes of play. «I didn’t feel good with my stomach – said the Roman after the game -. It was really difficult to play, especially in the third and fourth sets. I was playing a great game against Brandon … I told myself I had to fight and do my best and in the end I won. I’m really happy”.
He has an easy life, against the American Sam Querrey, Sonego who imposed himself 3-0 (7-5 6-3 6-3) peremptorily. Also in the first round of last year the Turin player had defeated the same opponent.
The negative surprise is the first round knockout of Fognini who lost 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor. The Ligurian, n.32 in the world, in the presence number sixteen on the scoreboard with four qualifiers for the round of 16 (2014, 2018, 2020 and 2021), after losing the first set he tried to recover but had to surrender to the aggressive game of his rival n.62 in the ranking. Nothing to do for Caruso, after the repechage, son of the exclusion of Novak Djokovic: for the Italian, number 146 in the world, defeat in 3 sets to Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, n.77 in the ranking, with a score of 6-4, 6 -2, 6-1
In the women’s draw Giorgi leaves just four games to Potapova who remains in the game until 4-4 only to yield 6-4, 6-0 in an hour and 12 minutes of play. A feat of Bronzetti, the blue n.142 in the world, promoted by qualifying and for the first time in the main draw race, he overcame a comeback 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in an hour and 49 minutes of game, the Russian Varvara Gracheva, n.78 in the world. Disappointment for Jasmine Paolini, the n.52 WTA gave 6-1, 6-3 to the Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse, n.72 in the world, in an hour and 10 minutes. Trevisan, n.111 in the world, eliminated the Japanese Nao Hibino, n.125 in the ranking, with a score of 6-2, 6-3, after an hour and 12 minutes of play. For the 28-year-old from Tuscany, coming from the qualifiers, this is the seventh participation in the main draw in a Grand Slam event.
The Spanish
Prediction respected for Rafa Nadal who beat the American Marcos Giron, number 66 in the world, without great difficulty, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 after an hour and 46 minutes of play. In the second round the Spaniard ex n.1 in the world, sixth seeded, will face the winner of the match between Yannick Hanfmann and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Responding to a question about Djokovic, the Majorcan said that “justice has spoken”, but he is not the only one to blame for the “mess” that overshadowed the Australian Open. «Almost a week ago, when he won in the first instance – Nadal recalled – he was able to get his visa back and was training. I said that justice had spoken. If justice says that his visa is valid and he can play here, justice has spoken, then it is the fairest thing, that he deserves to play here. Justice said something else yesterday. I will never be against what justice says ».
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