IT was the day of epic matches, with a couple five-set thrillers that left fans on the edge of their seat with the very best action.

After two successive five-set matches, Italian 12th seed Fabio Fognini had a more straightforward win in his Round 3 clash over 22nd seed, Guido Pella. The Italian won 7-6 6-2 6-3 which including a 7-0 tiebreaker in the first set as the controversial firebrand showed he was going to make the most of his close escapes in recent matches with a place in the Round of 16. He hit 46 aces and recorded 11 aces in the match, dominating at the net with 18 from 20 points won there. He broke five times from six attempts but saved six break points himself, restricting his Argentinian opponent to just two breaks and 15 winners. Pella had a high serve percentage of 69, but could not turn that into winning points, bundled out on the night.

Now Fognini will face United States’ Tennys Sandgren who downed compatriot Sam Querrey in straight sets earlier in the day, 6-4 6-4 6-4. The match last just under two hours and it was Sandgren that came out on top, courtesy of a 77 per cent first serve point percentage. Querrey was not far behind with 71 per cent himself, but he could onlt break twice, which Sandgren managed it five times. The winning American totalled 35 winners and only 22 unforced errors, while the losing one had the 27 and 43 respectively. Sandgren has played some superb tennis at the Open and he will need to be at his best to down the 12th seed in the next round.

Hungarian world number 67, Marton Fucsovics‘ run at the Australian Open continued with a big win over American, Tommy Paul. Fucsovics defeated 13th seed Denis Shapovalov in the first round and has built his form from there, dominating Paul in an hour and 46 minutes to win 6-1 6-1 6-4. The Hungarian won all the key statistics with 28 winners and 25 unforced errors compared to 16 and 42 respectively. He broke six times from 14 attempts and saved all four opportunities from his opponent. His first serve winning point percetage was 77, and his second was not far behind with 68, as he attacked Paul’s second serve with an efficiency of 61 per cent.

In arguably the match of the tournament thus far, the Swiss Master found a way to come from 8-4 down in the super tiebreak to win six consecutive points and down Australia’s John Millman. It was a battle of epic rallies and break point saves as neither player was giving an inch. Millman surprised in the first set by winning it, and when Roger Federer got on a roll with the next two, it was expected the world number three would roll to victory. But the Australian pulled out a surprise late in the fourth set, breaking him ad then holding firm to win the set and take it to a decider. The pair broke each other early in the fifth and traded blows in a match for more than four hours at Rod Laver Arena, and it all came down to the super tiebreak. Australia was set to celebrate Millman’s remarkable upset win when he was two points away from victory, but then Federer just found that way to win. He served 16 aces and 62 winner, but hit a massive 82 unforced errors in a match where Millman kept him gueesing the entire time. Normally a conservative counter puncher, Millman played shots that many did not realise were in his arsenal, slamming home 40 winners and only 48 unforced errors, as well as a surprising 11 aces – he averages four per match over his career. While it was shattering for Millman to lose, he could be proud of the effort he produced.

T. Sandgren (USA) defeated S. Querrey (USA) 6-4 6-4 6-4
[12] F. Fognini (ITA) defeated [22] G. Pella (ARG) 7-6 6-3 6-3
M. Fucsovics (HUN) defeated T. Paul (USA) 6-1 6-1 6-4

[3] R. Federer (SUI) defeated J. Millman (AUS) 4-6 7-6 6-4 4-6 7-6

Argentinian 14th seed, Diego Schwartzman booked a fourth round date with seven-time champion, Novak Djokovic after knocking over 24th seed, Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. The diminutive South American had it smooth early, winning 6-2 6-3 before being forced into a tiebreaker and just getting through to record the straight sets win. Schwartzman was particularly effective on his first serve, recording a 72 per cent winning record compared to his opponents’ 56 per cent, while breaking seven times to four throughout the contest. Lajovic caused some headaches for the 14th seed with his work at the net, and also hit an extra winner (26-25). However the winner was more efficient, hitting just 29 unforced errors to 45, as well as 47 per cent of his receiving points to 35 per cent for the Serbian.

In a match that for some parts resembled a training drill, second seed Djokovic looked to be on cruise control with a break early in each set, then focusing on dominating his serve for the majority without using up too much energy. No matter what Yoshihito Nishioka threw at the reigning champion, Djokovic had the answers, pulling out the party tricks from the first set with clever lobs, perfectly timed drop shots, and amazing cross-court rallies. He won 6-3 6-2 6-2 with a casual 17 aces and 40 winners, while only dropping a remarkable eight points on-serve. He broke five times from six opportunities and dominated when approaching the net. Quite simply, he blew Nishioka away and it is hard to see too many stopping the Djoker when he is in this kind of form.



In one of the matches of the tournament, Croatia’s Marin Cilic continued his unseeded run at the Australian Open with an unbelievable five-set win over ninth seed, Roberto Bautista Agut who was unbeaten in 2020 prior to the match. It took Cilic four hours and 10 minutes to finally shake off the top 10 Spaniard, winning 6-7 6-4 6-0 5-7 6-3. He was simply sublime with his hard hitting, producing 76 winners and 24 aces, winning 77 per cent of his first serve points in the match. He controlled the tempo with his fast serving, while Bautista Agut was forced to be more aggressive than usual, hitting 39 winners himself and dominating at the net. He could only break twice during the match though, while Cilic managed it seven times, and looked like he was going to storm away in four sets, but Bautista Agut took it to a deciding fifth before Cilic got home.

In an even bigger upset, 32nd seed Milos Raonic has knocked off 2019 semi-finalist and ATP Finals winner Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. The Canadian is yet to drop a set at the 2020 tournament and while he was constantly challenged by the sixth seed, he held his nerve to win 7-5 6-4 7-6 in two and half hours. Raonic was simply superb with his 19 aces and 55 winners, racking up a first serve points winning percentage of 89 as Tsitsipas could not even generate a break point opportunity let alone break through. Instead, Raonic broke twice and with only 32 unforced errors, was slick and powerful throughout, winning 71 per cent of his points at the net to put extra pressure on the Greek young gun. Now he takes on Cilic who has a 2-1 head-to-head against him in what will be a tantalising Round 4 match.

[32] M. Raonic (CAN) defeated [6] S. Tsitsipas (GRE) 7-5 6-4 7-6
M. Cilic (CRO) defeated [9] R. Bautista Agut (ESP) 6-7 6-4 6-0 5-7 6-3
[14] D. Schwartzman (ARG) defeated [24] D. Lajovic (SRB) 6-2 6-3 7-6

[2] N. Djokovic (SRB) defeated Y. Nishioka (JPN) 6-3 6-2 6-2