Worrying claims from Corentin Moutet that he fainted before his match, Alex de Minaur shows his fighting spirit, and America’s next generation announce themselves to the world.
- Day seven live blog: Collins booed then sent packing from Australian Open
- ‘I’d rather win ugly’: Alex de Minaur defeats Francisco Cerúndolo to reach Australian Open fourth round
- Today’s live blog: Join the ABC Sport team from 10:30am (AEDT) for all the action
Here are the five quick hits from day seven of the Australian Open, including when the Aussies are playing on day eight.
1. Frenchman faints before losing
Corentin Moutet said he lost 15 minutes. (Getty Images: Future Publishing/Chris Putnam)
Learner Tien celebrated beating Daniil Medvedev with a pepperoni pizza after becoming the youngest American to reach the third round at Melbourne Park since Pete Sampras in 1990, and backed up that win by beating French world number 69 Corentin Moutet 7-6(10), 6-3, 6-3.
Although not as big a shock as beating Medvedev, it was still a surprise — not only because the way the 19-year-old bounced back from his late night efforts.
But it turns out, perhaps there was a reason why Moutet was a bit off.
“45 minutes before the match, I fainted in the shower,” Moutet said.
“I don’t know what happened. I was showering, and suddenly I woke up on the floor in total darkness. I couldn’t see anything.
“It’s strange because I had felt fine all day, without muscle aches, and I had recovered well from the previous match.
“It was disturbing. I had no reference points and was stunned by the fall. I wasn’t hurt, but I was stunned.”
Incredibly, the 25-year-old is yet to see a doctor, saying he has not had time.
“I have a gap of 15 minutes where I don’t know what happened. I just know that I woke up on the floor, in the darkness. I had no warnings or anything that something was happening.
That being said, Moutet gave his young American opponent full credit for the win.
“He gave me a tough battle. I thought I could pull it off … but he deserved the win.
“Mentally and physically, he’s impressive. At his age, if I played a match like he did the other day, the next day I would ache all over. He managed to handle all of that. It’s impressive.”
Perhaps it was the pizza?
2. Married couple Monfils and Svitolina produce statement wins
Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina both recorded wins at Melbourne Park. (AAP Image: James Ross)
Gaël Monfils has always been a popular man at Melbourne Park, but he may enjoyed his finest hour on day seven.
The 38-year-old Frenchman wound back the clock to defeat American fourth seed Taylor Fritz.
The entire match was a throwback to Monfils in his prime, and the crowd were buzzing for the veteran.
But as far as he was concerned, he was just getting the crowd ready for the next match at Margaret Court Arena — which his wife was playing in.
In the wake of his big moment, Monfils had already turned his attention to his wife, Ukraine’s 28th seed Elina Svitolina.
“I think I warmed up the court for her,” Monfils said with a quip.
The Frenchman had just enough time to shower and change before he was back on court to be in the coaching area for Svitolina.
Svitolina was out of sorts in the first set, losing it 2-6. But the Ukrainian made a statement to roar back and win the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
The final set was simply breathtaking and it was Svitolina’s first win over a top-five player since Wimbledon 2023.
“I would want to say I got inspired after my husband’s win,” Svitolina said after her win.
It was a truly magnificent day for the pair, who were seen on the television broadcast savouring the moment together on Saturday night — no doubt looking ahead to their next contests.
3. De Minaur proves injuries are behind him with never-say-die attitude
Much of 2024 was a source of frustration for Alex de Minuar.
The Australian world number eight battled injuries for most of the back end of the year.
He had to pull out of a Wimbledon quarterfinal with Novak Djokovic and could not compete in the singles for Australia at the Paris Olympics.
He finished the year well, but the signs de Minaur was back to his best came in a gusty, never-say-die, rally in his victory over Argentine 31st seed Francisco Cerundolo
Down 0-15, de Minaur never gave up on the next point. Cerundolo was in full control and was moving a desperate de Minaur from one side of the court to the other.
But the Australian never stopped running, never gave up, and returned the ball over the net and forced Cerundolo to keep playing.
It was the point that turned that game, led to a break, and guided the Australian to the fourth round.
“You put in a lot of hard work in the off-season, and these are the moments [where] you see the results.” he told Jim Courier after the win.
“I’m extremely happy I felt great out there.”
That point encapsulated Alex de Minaur at his best, and could be enough to have his fans believing in something very special as the Australian Open moves into the second week.
4. America’s next generation announcing their arrival
It has been a while since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were at the forefront of men’s tennis, but the next great age of American power could be emerging before our eyes.
Alex Michelsen, Learner Tien and Ben Shelton are into the fourth round at the Australian Open, (AAP: Lukas Coch)
For the first time since the 1993 US Open, there are three Americans under the age of 23 in the final 16 of a grand slam.
Ben Shelton (22), Alex Michelsen (20) and Learner Tien (19) all claimed third round victories at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
All three have been exceptional in this tournament, with Michelsen and Tien the most unlikely to be fighting in the second week of the Australian Open.
Tien proved his 3am finish against Daniil Medvedev was no fluke as the qualifier beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Michelsen became the youngest American since Sampras and Agassi to beat two top-20 players at one grand slam.
His stunning straight-sets win over 19th seed Karen Khachanov was arguably more impressive than his first-round defeat of 11th seed Stefanos Tsistipas.
Add Taylor Fritz, who was stunningly beaten by 38-year-old Gael Monfils on Saturday, and we could be seeing The Stars and Stripes being well-represented deep in majors for years to come.
5. Which Australians are playing on day eight?
With Alex de Minaur the last man standing in the main singles draw for Australia, there are not quite as many opportunities to see some home hopes.
Nevertheless, here’s when all the Australians are playing on day eight at Melbourne Park (all times AEDT):
- Kim Birrell/John-Patrick Smith (WC) vs Demi Schuurs/Tim Pütz (7) fourth on 1573 Arena
- Luke Saville/Li Tu (WC) vs André Göransson/Sem Verbeek last on Rod Laver Arena
There are plenty of other big names in action though, and here’s when they are playing (all times AEDT):
- Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Mirra Andreeva (14) from 10:30am on Rod Laver Arena
- Coco Gauff (3) vs Belinda Bencic second on Rod Laver Arena
- Jack Draper (15) vs Carlos Alcaraz (3) not before 2:30pm on Rod Laver Arena
- Ugo Humbert (14) vs Alexander Zverev (2) not before 5:00pm on John Cain Arena
- Novak Djokovic (7) vs Jiří Lehečka (24) not before 6:00pm on Rod Laver Arena
