Marton Fucsovics celebrated after his first round victory. ©screenshot
Before the possible round of 16 cracker against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner faces a duel at the Australian Open on Friday, which is explosive not only because of the history between the two players. His opponent has attracted a lot of attention after a revealing jubilation pose in the last few days.
19 January 2023
From: leo
Marton Fucsovics is a very good tennis player. One who has already reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. The big headlines don’t usually belong to the Hungarian, although the 30-year-old is always ready for a magic strike. That changed abruptly at the Australian Open. After Fucsovics beat Argentinian Federico in five contested sets in the first round after more than four hours, he drew blank. The pictures of it quickly circulated on the net, and tennis colleagues like Daniil Medvedev could not help but make amusing comments. He quickly earned the nickname “Hulk”.
It’s not just his muscular body that impresses, but also his performance on the pitch. Fucsovics, currently ranked 78th in the world, was already number 31. In his career he has repeatedly managed to annoy the big names – including Sinner. The Hungarian, known for his solid game, won two duels: At the Australian Open 2020, after Sinner had won his first match in a Grand Slam, he won 6: 4, 6: 4 and 6: 3. A year later at Wimbledon, he prevailed in four contested sets. Sinner, on the other hand, clearly prevailed in two rounds in 2020 when he won his first title in Sofia.
A complete player
But what is it that makes Fucsovics dangerous? The right-handed player is excellent at picking up the opponent’s pace, which is why Sinner’s hard shots don’t cause him too much trouble. In addition, he is a good server who is not afraid to take the dictate and place many winning shots. In the first two matches alone, he applied 102 of them. They also helped him win the second round against Lloyd Harris, after which he celebrated more subtly. “Too cold to cheer shirtless,” he wrote on social media.
Challenges Sinner: Marton Fucsovics © ANSA / FAZRY ISMAIL
Sinner is therefore warned. A high rate of first services and good groundstroke depth will be key. The match takes place on Friday at 1 a.m. (CET).
