Melbourne (AFP)

Who are they, where do they come from, how did they do it?

Su-Wei Hsieh and Aslan Karatsev to everyone's surprise reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Sunday and they are funny numbers.

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Karatsev, one hell of a leap

Born in the Russian Caucasus in Vladikavkaz 27 years ago, Karatsev has been playing since 2009 on the secondary circuits of professional tennis (Challenger and ITF).

Until this Australian Open, he had won only three matches on the ATP main circuit, had not passed 111th place in the world and had accumulated tournament earnings of $ 618,354.

In a week in Melbourne, he has already won four matches (including two against Top 20, Auger-Aliassime and Scwhwartzman who is even 9th), increased his capital by 407,000 dollars and ensured his entry into the Top 70 worldwide.

In the shadow of his compatriots Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, with whom he won the ATP Cup even though he only played doubles without winning a single, he is the first of the three to have climbed in quarters.

Would he have believed it before the tournament started?

"I don't know. I still can't put myself down. I would have said + who will live will see +".

A strange poise for a player who had never before taken part in the big table of a Grand Slam tournament.

But this confidence, combined with a powerful and solid game, allowed him to become the lowest ranked player (114th) to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne since Patrick McEnroe in 1991 (also 114th).

He also became the first player to reach the quarterfinals in his first major since Alex Radulescu at Wimbledon in 1996.

This confidence also undoubtedly allowed him to reverse the situation in the round of 16 Sunday against Auger-Aliassime who led 2 sets to 0 after inflicting a 6-1 in the second set.

"What I wanted was to get into my match because I wasn't there. He was playing, but I wasn't really. So I walked out of the court to go to the bathroom and came back thinking I was going. play every ball and get into the game, ”he said.

A plan executed to the letter.

What to hope to win the Australian Open or another Grand Slam tournament one day?

"Time will tell..."

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Hsieh, a phenomenon

At 35, he was no longer expected at such a party.

But the Taiwanese who ran away from home at 16 is no longer a surprise!

For a long time, she played without a coach, without anyone to guide her game: "it was difficult to improve myself", recognizes today the one who nevertheless reached the 23rd world rank in 2013 and won three WTA titles in singles and 28 in duplicate.

“Sometimes I would go to tournaments, and I didn't have anyone to warm up with. So my only concern was trying not to play the game too badly,” she recalls.

The click, she had it one year at Roland Garros where her boyfriend's family came to see her play.

She faced a Top 10 player in the first round, a level at which she had never clinched a victory.

"I was getting beaten up and I had the impression that they were falling asleep, she says. So I said to myself + I don't care what will happen, but I will try to run after it All the balls. At least I would like to see them wake up a bit. And that's how I won the set and then the match. And since then, I have had other victories against Top 10 " .

She also found a coach, former player Paul McNamee who she calls on from time to time.

And he too has funny memories of the player he describes as "a free spirit".

"In training, I saw her hit a ball or two, badly, and it's over. She won't play all day, she doesn't feel it," he said.

In matches, too, it can be confusing.

“One day in Eastbourne,” McNamee recalls, “her balls were coming out three meters, when it's usually a matter of millimeters. I realize that several strings on her racket are broken. I tell her + your racket + and she answers me. + oh yes ... + It's been three years since she broke a string ... "

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