Jan-Lennard Struff dramatically missed out on a place in the third round of the Australian Open. In a close match he was defeated by the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 4:6, 6:1, 6:7 (5:7), 6:1, 6:7 (9:11). While Alexander Zverev was able to win by a narrow margin, Boris Becker’s protégé Holger Rune had to give up.
Next five-sentence thriller from Jan-Lennard Struff, this time with the better ending for his opponent.
After the grueling first round game against local hero Rinky Hijikata, which also went over five sets, the Warsteiner lost in the decisive tiebreak this time – despite having two match points of his own. It would have been Struff’s first third-round entry in Melbourne.
Kecmanovic, 35 places lower in the world rankings than Struff (No. 25), ultimately used his fourth match point to win after 3:21 hours.
Germany’s best tennis player Alexander Zverev also had to do hard work beforehand. The Olympic champion was able to narrowly avoid an embarrassment in the second round against the Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein.
Zverev still has to improve in Melbourne
In a five-set thriller, the 26-year-old won 7:5, 3:6, 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (10:7) after more than four hours of play.
“To be honest, he would have deserved the win today, but that’s how tennis is sometimes,” Zverev admitted afterwards in an on-court interview. According to his own statement, he thought he had to take the “flight home”.
The sixth in the world rankings already had a hard time in the first round against his compatriot Dominik Koepfer. Zverev had to give up his first set and only managed the turnaround with difficulty. In the end he won the game in four sets (4:6, 6:3, 7:6, 6:3).
Now Alexander Zverev faces the American Alex Michelsen in the third round. The Hamburg resident has not yet been able to win a Grand Slam tournament; his best placement in Melbourne is reaching the semi-finals in 2020.
Boris Becker suffers with Holger Rune
Meanwhile, Boris Becker’s protégé Holger Rune has been eliminated. The world number eight surprisingly lost in the second round against the Frenchman Arthur Cazaux.
Coach Becker, who was active as a “Eurosport” expert during the tournament, suffered in the studio. “Cazaux was a bit better today,” said Becker when Rune’s defeat was certain after 3:22 of playing time: “But I’m not disappointed with Holger Rune either. He tried everything, did everything.”
Before the tournament, Rune had confidently stated that he wanted to win his first Grand Slam title this year. “I feel like I’m ready,” he said. “If I didn’t think I was ready for it, then it certainly wouldn’t happen.”
In Becker’s absence, Rune in Australia was primarily looked after by Severin Lüthi, who once trained Roger Federer.
2024-01-18 11:59:00
#Tennis #Australian #Open #Dramatic #Struff
