Perfection of Nadal, Tikhonova's semi-final and Kvitova's victory: the results of the 11th gaming day of the Australian Open

Rout

Stefanos Tsitsipas before the semi-finals of the Australian Open said that after the defeat of Rafael Nadal at the prestigious tournament in Toronto, he promised himself the next time to play against him much stronger. However, in the end, the Greek having Russian roots in the three sets allocated to him, he took fewer games than in the two games of the August final, losing 2: 6, 4: 6, 0: 6.

Sown under the second number, the Spaniard was stronger in all the key components of the game, starting with a phenomenal 80% of points won in his presentation and ending with only 14 unforced errors. In addition, the favorite left behind the last nine games in which the vis-à-vis allowed only 10 draws out of 47.

Reporting debacle allowed Nadal on the 25th jubilee time to qualify for the Major Final, which is the second indicator in the Open Era (only Roger Federer has the most - 30). It is also noteworthy that the native of Manacor did this without losing a single game in the tournament. In the event that on Sunday he celebrates success in Melbourne, he will become the first tennis player in history, beginning in 1967, who will be able to win all the “Helmets” twice.

“I hope I can play even better. I do not know how to achieve this yet, but I was pleased with today's match. In general, I play decently in every match at this tournament, it is difficult to make serious claims to myself. After several months without playing this court and this audience give me strength. I am extremely glad that I will play in the Australian Open final for the fifth time. Starting the year with a positive was very important, especially after I had withdrawn from the tournament in Brisbane. Then it was difficult to imagine that I would get so far in Melbourne. Apparently, I was really well prepared, ”Nadal said after the match.

C believe @ af af @ O af af A # # # # # # AusOpenpic.twitter.com / U7n8V3Oo8Z

Match

If Carolina Plishkova 24 hours after the dramatic denouement of the bout with Serena Williams would have saved the meeting with Naomi Osaka, the final match of the women's single tournament would have turned into an internal Czech squabble for the title of the first racket of the world. The chance to do it from the seventh seeded in the third set was excellent - in the eighth game with the score 3: 4 at the reception she earned a break point, but the Japanese performed the ace, and then took the next two draws and retained such an important advantage.

Serving right through was generally Osaka's secret weapon in this confrontation. She sent the ball 15 times to the opposite square so that the Czech could not reach it. Moreover, for the most part she did it at the exact moment when it was required. Thus, in the first game, Naomi, when she scored 5-2 in her own favor, was stunned three times by Caroline, and in the final game of the semifinal she performed a trick in match ball. The ratio of actively scoring points looks no less significant (56 vs. 20), which vividly explains who dictated his conditions to whom and in the match, which ended with a score of 6: 2, 4: 6, 6: 4.

Thanks to this success, the 21-year-old Japanese extended her unbeaten run and repeated Jennifer Capriati's achievement, reaching the finals of the next TBSH after winning her first title (an American in 2001 became the winner of the Australian Open and Roland Garros. - RT ). Osaka does not hide his desire to stand in one row with the Olympic champion in 1992 and lead the WTA rating from the new week.

“The final triumph is my main goal. But the status of the first racket of the world, of course, a significant achievement. Nice to know that you can lead the rating. However, this is secondary, and I will try to just focus on winning the final so as not to feel too much pressure, ”Naomi said. Along the way, she refused to name the meeting with Plishkova the best in her life and admitted that she would not forgive herself if she had to admit defeat.

She prayed for it 😂🙏 # AusOpenpic.twitter.com / E7vmbBdnNt

Justification

In the decisive match Osaka will meet face to face with another representative of the Czech Republic - Petra Kvitovoy. Eighth seeded in the semifinals only in the first set experienced any serious problems. But Daniel Collins was unable to convert a break in the fifth game to an advantage, or a flawless game in her serve at the end of the game (she took 12 before the tie-break from the last 14 drawings). At the right moment, the two-time winner of Grand Slam tournaments added and ceased to be wrong, which resulted in a devastating 7: 2.

The American could not recover from this blow. In the second game, she looked like her pale shadow and looked helpless, which clearly confirms the statistics of points won as a whole - 12 out of 38, and on her second submission - 1 out of 11. In essence, Daniel resisted only in one game - with the score 0 : 4, when the outcome of the bout didn’t cause any doubts in the stands.

She's into her first #AusOpen final! @Petra_Kvitova powers past Danielle Collins 7-6 (2) 6-0 in 1 hour and 33 minutes. pic.twitter.com/6DYYDS9Qfg

“I still do not believe that I made it to the final. You know, I have strange feelings. Not many people believed that I would be able to play tennis again and play at a decent level. Few people believed. But I am glad that I was surrounded by optimists. I hope they are as happy as I am now. My family and loved ones were always there when it was required. It was not easy physically and psychologically and it took time to gain self-confidence, ”Kvitova did not hide her emotions.

The American said that the decision of the organizers to close the roof at the Rod Laver Arena because of the heat between the parties had a significant impact on her game. “It seems to me that the meeting should be completed in the same conditions in which it began. So, for example, happens in football. Of course, because of this, the rhythm of the match has changed. After that, Petra began to show great tennis. Probably it is worth talking about this, ”Collins said.

Due to Extreme Heat Policy, @RodLaverArena will now be closed. # AusOpenpic.twitter.com / j42fWERjpi

Statement

Patrick Muratoglu, the coach of the 23-time major winner Serena Williams, was immediately noted by several loud statements after the departure of the ward in the quarterfinal. Following the words that an American woman was actually prevented from continuing her ankle injury and she would have withdrawn from the first Grand Slam tournament of the year even in the event of a victory, he admitted that he could not help Maria Sharapova defeat her eternal rival even as her mentor .

“I don’t think that any of my other charges would be able to defeat Serena. It is simply impossible. Serena is Serena, with or without me. I think that in a certain period of my career I managed to help her use her best qualities, but no more. I repeat - if I train Maria Sharapova or someone else, I would not be able to defeat Serena Williams, ”Eurosport cites Muratoglu.

She'll be back ✊ # AusOpenpic.twitter.com / bonNf5YvZO

Hopes

The closer the end of the tournament in the junior nets, the less sensations there. Top favorites continue to make their way to the title. However, there are pleasant exceptions. The authors of two of them in the quarterfinals of the single category were Anastasia Tikhonova and Daria Snigur. The Russian has removed from her way the seventh seeded Swiss Lulu Sung - 7: 6 (7: 1), 4: 6, 6: 4, and the Ukrainian left out of work the fifth tournament racket to the Thai Mananchay Savangkayev - 6: 4, 6: 4. In the fight for the finals, Tikhonova will meet with Leyla Annie Fernandez (4), and Snigur - with Danish Clara Tawson (1).

Interestingly, the last time representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the same time climbed so far on the courts of Melbourne in 2017, but then the paths of Elena Rybakina and Martha Kostiuk crossed in the semifinals.

If in singles the names of those who play the title have yet to be determined, then in pairs the finalists are already known. Unfortunately, Daria Freiman was not included in their number. Together with the Italian Federica Rossi, she lost to the American women Chloe Beck and Emma Navarro. It is doubly insulting that the rivals took over exclusively on tie-breaks - 7: 6 (7: 2), 7: 6 (7: 3). Thus, the junior missed the chance to repeat the success of Anna Kalinska, who became the champion of the Australian Open with Slovakian Teresa Mikhalikova in 2016.

Fan

Nicole Kidman on Thursday was spotted on the tribune of the Rod Laver Arena along with her husband Keith Urban. According to rumors, the winner of the Oscar for the role of Virginia Woolf in the movie “Watch” supported Daniel Collins.

Stand and 👏 # SleepIsForTheWeak is back. # AusOpenpic.twitter.com / CADCnTAShx

Kiss

Parental support is important even if you are the semi-finalist of the Australian Open. The mother of the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas did not miss the opportunity to admonish her son in the arena premiere of the arena before the match with Rafael Nadal.

Kiss@StefTsitsipas#AusOpenpic.twitter.com/Y4PafKtMoU