Sports Monday, January 11, 2021 15 AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN’S QUALIFIERS IN DOHA Alcaraz moves up, Musetti exits, Zhang surprises TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK DOHA SPANISH sensation Carlos Alcaraz continued his im- pressive rise by winning his first Grand Slam qualifying match for the 2021 Austral- ian Open at the Khalifa In- ternational Tennis & Squash Complex on Sunday. The 17-year-old recov- ered to beat Slovak Filip Ho- ransky 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the second round of the AO qualifying event, being held in 2021 in Doha, Qatar. Also progressing on Sun- day were German talent Dustin Brown, Swiss No.15 seed Henri Laaksonen, and former world No.12 Viktor Troicki. However, highly rated Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti, the 13th seed, was upstaged by Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp 3-6 6-1 Players wearing masks during the Australian Open Qualifying at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash 6-4. Complex on Sunday. Alcaraz soared in the rankings in 2020, improv- ing from 490th to a peak of No.136 in October after win- ning 39 of his 46 matches. China’s Zhizhen Zhang, World No. 169, in action against 9th seeded Evgeny Donskoy of Russia, whom he The teenager debuted in beat 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round of the men’s qualifiers for 2021 Australian Open at the Khalifa Inter- Grand Slam qualifying at Ro- national Tennis & Squash Complex on Sunday. (TENNIS AUSTRALIA PHOTO BY SAMER ALREJJAL) land Garros, where he held match points before suc- cumbing to Australia’s Alek- sandar Vukic. Alcaraz revealed that experience had been a valu- able one. “I was very nervous (then). In the first set (today) I was really nervous also,” he admitted. “When I lost the first set, in the second I start to play more aggressive than the first one, and, well, I did my routines, and I think I played a really good match. Very happy.” Seeded No.21 in Doha, India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan in Italian teenager Lorenzo Mu- A ball boy wearing protective Alcaraz next plays Rus- action against 10th-seed Facundo setti, the 13th seed, who was gear on the court. sia’s Evgeny Karlovskiy for Bagnis of Argentina. Ramkumar upstaged by Dutchman Botic Van Running repairs being done to racquets of players at the Australian Open Qualifying event at the Khalifa a place in the final round of won 7(8)-6(6), 7-5 to set up De Zandschulp 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. ian Marterer. Marterer ac- International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha on Sunday. qualifying. penultimate round clash against counted for the 2-1 (4-6, 6-4, Earlier, the qualifying Chinese Taipei’s Tung-Lin Wu. Rosario-born Argentine. 6-4) exit of Argentine Marco Meanwhile, Elias Ymer of In the other matches 6-2, 6-1 against 23rd-seeded recorded its first upset with The last time they met at the Trungelliti on Court 6 earlier Sweden, ranked 204, got the of the day, Spain’s Mario Jurij Rodionov of Austria. the shocking straight-set (7- sult of the day, India’s Ram- semi-final stage of the 2015 in the day. better of Australia’s Blake Vilella Martinez made light The ticket-free tourna- 5, 6-3) defeat of ninth-seed kumar Ramanathan, the US Open qualifiers, luck was With the win, the Mott in straight sets to book work of his match against ment is open to all, and spec- Evgeny Donskoy of Russia World No. 188, dispatched on the side of the 30- year- 27-year-old Florida-resident a Round 2 match against Italy’s Alessandro Giannessi tators will be allowed in on a by China’s Zhizhen Zhang, 10th-seed and 125-ranked old Bagnis as he defeated his Daniel, who exited in the Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea with the 25-year-old World first-come, first-served basis the World No. 169. Facundo Bagnis of Argen- younger opponent in the tie- second rounds of last year’s Huesler, the 27th-seed, who No. 186 defeating his Ital- as only 30 percent stadium Meeting for the first tina 7(8)-6(6), 7-5 to set up breaker. Australian Open, extended earlier posted a 2-1 (6-3, 3-6, ian opponent 6-1, 6-3 in 61 capacity is allowed in line time at any tournament, a penultimate round clash Playing on Court 1, tour- his win-loss stat to 50-79. 6-3) win against wild-card minutes to book a second- with the essential health the 30-year-old Donskoy, against Chinese Taipei’s nament’s 5th-seed, Taro The four-day tourna- entrant Akira Santillan of round match against 19th- protocols and guidelines oc- ranked 122, was no match for Tung-Lin Wu, ranked 247, Daniel of Japan, staged a ment, which ends on Janu- Australia. seed Francisco Cerundolo of casioned by the prevailing the 24-year-old Zhang who who defeated United King- comeback 2-1 (4-6, 6-2, 6-1) ary 13, is featuring 128 play- Going by the draw, the Argentina. global COVID-19 pandemic. fired six aces and six winners dom’s Jay Clarke in straight win against Dominican Re- ers fighting for the 16 slots winner of the Daniel/Mar- On the other hand, USA’s The tournament is being to Donskoy’s two respective- sets 6-2, 6-4. public’s Roberto Cid Subervi available from the qualifiers terer clash is set to meet ei- Ulises Blanch accounted for overseen by 64 line umpires, ly as he raced to victory in This is the second en- to advance into the second of the season-opening Grand ther Ymer or Huesler in the the 6-4, 6-1 defeat of Russia’s 18 chair umpires and five less than an hour on Court 1. counter between the 26-year- round where he is scheduled Slam scheduled for February final round for one of the Andrey Kuznetsov while Ser- management officials drawn In another surprising re- old Ramanathan and the to meet Germany’s Maximil- 8-21 in Melbourne. main draw slots. bia’s Viktor Troicki won 2-6, from across the world. Djokovic, Nadal Konjuh wins epic in Slam comeback and Williams to AGENCIES “I’ve been through so much the “It would mean a lot (to quali- quarantine in MELBOURNE last couple of years and been to fy),” Konjuh said. the top level, I know what it feels “I didn’t even imagine myself Adelaide FORMER world No.20 Ana Kon- like. And to have to go through all having this chance right now, so juh survived a dramatic opening of the steps again to get there, it’s I would really love to go through DPA match against Anna-Lena Fried- hard, it’s frustrating. the qualies and to have a chance BERLIN sam to advance to the second “Right now I just feel privi- to be back with the top players round of Australian Open 2021 leged to have a chance to compete again.” TOP tennis stars Novak Djoko- qualifying. and be healthy, and I think that I Errani survived a three-set vic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Wil- Playing in Dubai, Konjuh led just really appreciate these things tussle to defeat Chinese Taipei’s liams will spend their Australian 6-1 5-2 before Friedsam staged En Shuo Liang, while Babos beat quarantine in Adelaide rather than an impressive comeback to lead Marina Melnikova of Russia 6-3 Melbourne before the first Grand by a break in the third, only for Playing in Dubai, Konjuh led 6-3. Slam of the season and take part in the Croatian to win the final three 6-1 5-2 before Friedsam “I actually wanted to play a showcase tournament from Janu- games of the match to complete a qualies for Australian Open, as ary 29. 6-2 6-7(5) 6-4 triumph. staged an impressive come- I didn’t have enough matches Organizers said the trio were She joined former world No.5 back to lead by a break in the (from) the past year, I felt like it among a group of players invited to Sara Errani, seventh seed Timea third, only for the Croatian to would be a good opportunity for the tune-up event which also features Babos and recent US Open quar- win the final three games of me to play qualies. But I was not US Open champion Dominic Thiem ter-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova in the match to complete a 6-2 expecting that I was going to play on the men’s side and Simona Halep the second round. 6-7(5) 6-4 triumph. it in Dubai,” Babos laughed. and Naomi Osaka on the women’s. After a nightmare run with in- “I’m happy to be back on court The Australian Open, in Mel- jury that resulted four elbow sur- and compete again, that’s the bourne, has been delayed to Febru- geries, Konjuh was appearing at so much more right now.” most important. The first step is ary 8 due to the coronavirus pan- a Grand Slam tournament for the Konjuh admitted to some done, two more to go.” demic. first time since Wimbledon 2018. nerves when trying to close Fried- Later on Sunday, Pironkova All arrivals into Australia must A year earlier, she had reached sam out in the second set; twice routed Kyoka Okamura of Japan currently quarantine for 14 days with the fourth round at the All Eng- she served for the match before 6-0 6-1, and has now won seven of the majority of those in the grand land Club, a year on from her US Friedsam – herself a former world her past nine matches.