If someone beats you three times in the row, they're your daddy. So I was fired into to not let that happen Today.
Gooday and welcome to the tennis. For day seven of AO twenty twenty five. John huveeros with all the big news from Melbourne Park every day of the main draw. Today on the Tennis Date Night, Gail and Elena dance into the second week.
Well, I would want to say that they've got inspired after my husband's.
Win, Demon's declaration, The legs are back, American young guns shooting true. Plus a preview of day eight and we go downtown with Donner.
Last year I developed this obsession with shopping. I'm trying to control it a little bit, but you know you're on in Australia once a year.
That's all ahead. On the tennis.
Four heading there from as Fidelein, she goes with a backhand down the line, power lady scrambling, but the shot is too good.
That's a big turn up and.
Spiderlina takes it out in three sets, two six six ' four six love for the final set and she makes a statement over on Margaret Court arena.
She defeats Paulini. Elina s Fittalina has joined husband galmon Feast in the round of sixteen following an impressive three set defeat of Jasmine Paulini. The Ukrainian twenty eight seed was slow out of the blocks, broken three times in
a thirty minute first set dictated by Paulini. Spittelina up to her game in the second set, winning all but two points on serve and counterpunching with some crushing blows from the back of the court seventeen winners in all to bring the match back on an even keel, but few could have predicted the whitewash that would unfold and the decider as the two time quarter finalists found another gear. She won seventy one percent of receiving points and converted
all three breakpoint opportunities in a third set demolition. The final result six sixty four to six love.
It was a crazy bouttle today. Well, I would want to say that they got inspired after my husband on sir Win, but to be fair, you know, I played so bad the first set, so I've ben not sure if I was expired or but after, you know, I had to really push through and really happy the way that I came back to the match and was just trying to get to one extra ballower than that and try to find my shot. So I'm really happy with the performance in the end.
It's the first times Fitelina and Monfie have both reached the second week of a major since the twenty nineteen US Open. Her next opponent is Veronica Kodimteva, who's stunned fifteen seed Bertris hanaj Maya six four six two.
Yanix Senna here on match point at forty thirty, he serves plans this in that's gone white from Giron. He only needs the one match point, does Yanixinna. That is a very workman like performance from yannix Cinna, barely getting out of third gear to see off the challenge of the American Markovs Giron.
With Paulini's earlier defeat, Yeah, Nick Sinner has kept alive the Italian dream, overcoming Markos Giron in three. The American ground his way into the match, breaking back in the third set and matching Sinner as the rallies drew longer, but with the end in sight, the world number one snatched the final four games of the match to win sixty three six four six to two.
Felt like today was, you know, maybe the best match in the way of how I tried to play. I made some some more mistakes, but it's okay. I felt like I was hitting the ball a little bit better than in the previous rounds. So yeah, I'm I'm quite happy.
Sinner has set up a fourth round clash with Holgard Runa, who weathered a meer mir Katzmanovich storm on Margaret Corderena to prevail in five sets. It was a heavyweight battle as the pair went toe to toe all the way to a first set tiebreak that belonged to the Serb. Runa struck back in the second set, breaking his opponent's first service and launching thirteen winners, including three aces, to
level the match at a set apiece. Katzmanovich took advantage of a break point opportunity in the tenth game of the third and had one foot in the second week when he broke for four to two in the fourth, but Runa still had more left in the tank, breaking the Serb twice in a row and consolidating with conviction
to send it to a decider. Battling leg cramps, the Dane had to dig deep to stay the course, relying on his heavy ground strokes from the back of the court before capitalizing on a loose service game from Katzmanovich at four all. From there he was home and host a six seven sixty three four six six four sixty four result, putting Runa back in the round of sixteen in Melbourne for the second time.
I was so tired, so I was like, Okay, I need to find a solution. You know, I wasn't going to be able to run like fifteen and of all side to side, so I had to go for it when I had the chance. And you know, MW me depleted an amazing match. We pleated a couple of times and he's just a big competitor, so credit to him for making this mational missing Cudy.
Is this the moment for Madison Keys to move through?
Yes, it is.
See Hammerson as down the medal and Madison Keys has a scene off the challenge of Danielle Collins tonight on.
Rod Labor Arena six four sixty four.
It was in an hour and twenty three minutes.
For Madison Keys. She's back in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Earlier, Madison Keys was bell of the Ball in the All American Showdown with Danielle Collins. The big hitting Keys broke Colin serve in the very first game of the match, holding her lead as both players
settled in. Collins flipped the script early in the second set, racing to three love and looked like she meant business, but a knee complaint required medical attention and Keys capitalized, ripping fourteen winners and winning five consecutive games to wrestle back control. She served it out six four six ' four to progress to the second week in Melbourne for the first time since twenty twenty two.
I've been playing some good tennis. I always really love playing in Australia. I've had a lot of really great success here and being able to being able to win another title in Australia and be in the fourth round is amazing.
Key's next opponent is Elena Rebeikiner more on the twenty twenty three finalist later in the episode.
The second So there's also our faults and Alex Deminor has withstood a fair old challenge from Francisco Serrendalo, but he has found a way to deal with the Argentinian and is through to the fourth round in four terrific sets of tennis on Rod Labor Arena, an Australia's hopes for a men's champion tenienu into the second week well.
Alex Demor continued to fly the Australian flag on day seven of competition and his match is the first of our spotlight focuses for today. I've got with me Simon Ray from Gigallo. Simon Hey, John good to be back, and also Candy Reid, how is your Day seven.
Has been unbelievable, how many good matches we had, with exciting conclusions, terrific tiebreakers, all kinds of drama going on around the grounds.
It's been a cracking one for the local contingent, demon Or, the sole Australian left in the singles draws, and today he took care of Francisco Sirundalo, although Simon not without a little bit of a test five seven seven six three six three six in the end and it was a dogged performance from the.
I yeah, well, dogged's right. Three hours and fifty three minutes worth of dogged really dour a tough struggle out there on Rod Laver Arena, and I think there's a lot of upside for the Demon in coming through today. With one caveat which I'll get to a little bit later. On his serving numbers were off. You know, both players didn't serve a particularly high number. From a first percentage perspective, Demon landed just forty nine percent and Sirundlo is at
fifty two percent of first serves in play. But it's on the second serve return where Demon's able to differentiate this match. So second serve return points one, Sirundalo wins thirty six percent of his second server return points, Demon wins forty nine. And it's becoming a bit of a trend for Alex on second server return. He's going about it in a little bit of a different way than
what we've seen previously. So we know how aggressive he can be on second silver return and often a meter two meters inside baseline, but he's weaving in and mixing in the one where he's three and four meters beyond baseline.
So it's a little bit of both. And I like the light and shade that he's starting to introduce from a return perspective, he's just it's a strength of the game, and he's just adding another string to his bow there and he was able to put a gap in the match through the pressure that he was able to put on the surundolo second. So not always coming at Adam
inside the baseline. A lot of the time coming up Adam, but not always so going about it in a slightly different way than what we've maybe seen in previous years.
I like it, and Candy the legs were back.
Ha, Yeah, it's interesting. I actually saw Sue Bolter in the cafe after the match. Now Sue Bolter is of course the mum of Katie Bolter and Katie Bolter the fiancee of Alex de Minor, and I was asking Sue about the leg thing and she said, yes, it was weird, wasn't it. In the first set, Alex Domnor didn't look like himself. He was frustrated. We don't often see that. He's got a great poker face, but he looked like he was whacking his strings. He was complaining to his bench.
I don't think I've ever seen him that animated in my life, and maybe he was started to panic just slightly. Being the last Australian in the singles draw, there's a lot of pressure on his shoulders and his straw has been relatively easy and it's opening up. So I think a few more people have done to say, well, Alex de Monor could get to the quarter finals, and that heaps more pressure. Now we know Alex's a very calm individual.
He's quite insular. He seems to take things really well. However, you know, when you've got that much anticipation and build up around you as the last person standing, that's going to hurt. And I think it was very interesting after he won that second set. I actually said on AO radio commentary, I think he's going to be all right now. That second set breaker was crucial if Francisco Currinderloud won it.
And I thought Cirrindillo was playing unbelievably well in matches that I've commentated on him before.
He's gone off a lot.
Sirindalo's very talented, but I thought he was playing nine out of ten, Alex de Minor was playing six out of ten, and Alex de Minor, despite being the second best player on the court, managed to level it up at a set all, and then I thought after that Demonor was home and dry, because we know about his unbelievable legs he had the momentum, and Sue Bolter said, yeah, it looked like the real Alex de Minor just appeared in sets three and four. So she's looking at her
future son in law with very microscopic eyes. She absolutely loves him, by the way, she says, I couldn't really have a better son in law. He's going to take care of Katie and that's very important because I am a mother too.
Good results all around then, So more numbers then from the Demon today.
Yeah, well, I just wanted to touch on the physical profile because these numbers from the perspective of the two players and the two player comparison, they are off the charts. You just don't see separation like this, and Kenny's touched on it already. I think it can be a blessing and a curse for Demon. So clearly the league's being
back absolute blessing. But the fact that Sarriendola was able to dictate so much of the proceedings through the opening couple of sets and Kenny's it all hinged on the second set tiebreak and Alex was able to do enough, do enough to turn the tables, and I think it's it's not doom and gloom in terms of I think he can take a lot of confidence, a lot of belief because we know his legs and his physicality and his movement and his explosiveness. It's so important to him.
But have a listen to these numbers in terms of the difference in the profile. So from a sprint perspective, we've got a measurement here in our dashboard sprint. Cirindalo sprinted twelve times in this match. That's about half as much as we would have expected him to sprint. Okay, normally we see him sprint twenty five times twelve for Cirindalu Demon fifty six.
Yeah, it's like five times fifty six sprints.
To twelve distance. Demons covered an extra six hundred meters, so he's up around three thousand, well four thousand meters. Sirindalo's at thirty four hundred and distance run at high speed, So how much of that distance is at high speed Demons at nine percent. Cirindalo's down at three percent. So
he can take belief out of that. He can take faith in the fact that his physicality is back, But by the same token, he won't want to be wholly and solely relying on that physical profile to go five sets for the next what he hopes is four and five rounds to claim the crown. So a blessing and a curse.
I guess well, it's Alex Michelson next in the round of sixteen and potentially a quarterfinal with the defending champion Janick Sinner to come. Kenny. Other match focus for today was a little bit more one sided, Egon Tech sweeping aside Emma Radikanu for the loss of only one game six one six love. She goes through to the fourth round.
She was great.
A couple of days ago, is on your podcast and it was IgA versus Rebecca Shramkov as Slovakia, and I said, I thought that Shramkov was going to give her Egor a tough time.
She didn't.
She got two games and Radakana got one fewer. After holding, she lost eleven straight and I think that says a lot about Igsion Tech. We were just discussing this at AO Radio, the fact that now Egor has become the world number two, she's no longer the person to beat. She looks like she's just relaxed, and she said as much in her post match press conference that last year she was worried.
She was a little bit up on edge.
You could see fear in her eyes and panic coming in, and she didn't have her best year, despite of course winning Roland Garrass once again. But people have started to find a solution to the Egas Fontech problem, which they weren't in twenty twenty three. This year, she looks like she's calm, she's relaxed, she's playing her best tennis.
She's moving.
She moves, in my opinion, better than any other female maybe with the exception of Cocoa Goth those two really dominate that part of the game. She looks much freer Radi khan who just about scraped through her first two matches. It was very close against Eketerine Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova. I didn't feel like Emma Rada Khanne was playing anywhere near her best, but she was getting through it very very well. But Egos Fontec just showed why she is
one of the world's best. There was a big class difference today, So watch.
Fiontech doing really well this tournament.
Simon, well, there's two things I wanted to touch on, and one of them revolves around the numbers, and I just want to stop the numbers and talk a little bit to the mentality. So I'll touch on the numbers first of all. Let's go there first. The trouble starts from Radekanu perspective. First serve and play fifty eight percent. Okay, second serve one twenty three percent? And what is Eager doo? She really goes to work a lot of the time.
It's not necessarily cold return winners. It's returning deep middle and taking control of the point thereafter and rocking Radakanu with her physicality, which Candy's touched on. So her court coverage you feel like you can't get through her. And then the heaviness of her forehand today was off the charts, even by her lofty standards. So twenty six hundred revs on the ball the two are average in the woman's game is about twenty one hundred. That's high even by
Eager's standards. Okay, serious spin. So that ball off the forehand side is jumping, rearing, leaping at you. It's got an edge to it that we haven't seen from her down here in Australia in previous years. And then there's a mentality. So now I'm just going to stop the numbers, close the book, right because I thought this was a more emotive, more expressive, more ruthless eagersh on tech on
the court, and that's sometimes what we haven't seen. We've almost felt like we've seen that robotic mono tone from her where she's not giving a lot away, but nor is she being absolutely kind of outward and external with her expressions of emotion. And I thought we saw the fire today. I thought we saw the glint and the eye looking down the other end of the opponent and almost moving in for the kill. I thought we saw
the ruthlessness. And I love the externalization if that's if that's a word of that emotion, and I think it sends a signal that she's going about it slightly differently. And I just loved what I saw.
I think she had almost a point to prove, because of course there's so many eyes on Emmarada Khano. She's absolutely beloved in Great Britain, and I think she is around the rest of the world, in China and Romania.
Of course, she's got roots.
She was born in Toronto, and when she breaks her fingernail, it's reported in Great Britain.
There's so much attention.
So when you play Emarada Khan, who I think a lot of players really want to beat her. I also questioned the Egosfiontech vinf set relationship after Eager fired Thomas Fitarowski. I wasn't sure if it was the right combination, and I'm apologizing for that because.
I think it's come around.
I've come around well. I mean, I admit when I'm wrong, and I'm wrong very very often. Unfortunately, my husband reminds me daily.
They've gone early with that enough, it seems yeah, I think so.
I think impressed by the forehand. I think they've worked very aggressively. They've changed a little bit on the serve and he's brought a more relaxed, calm demeanor to Ego's fiancee.
So watch out for her.
Before we turn our attention to day, I just wanted to touch on Galmon's face. Magnificent win in four sets over Taylor Fritz. Fritz was a tournament fancy for many of myself included before the event. But he goes in the third round.
He was second best? Wasn't he a gal or feast?
I was a bit worried about him in the fourth set of his match against Giovanni mcpetchy Pericard in the first round.
I thought he did superbly.
He keeps humping his older doesn't He keeps leaning over and look like he's done, and he's not done. He's thirty eight years of age and he was moving around the.
Court, I think, and he's foxing.
And he was talking about in there afterwards, you know how he's slow balling Fritz, who's a little bit, for my mind, one dimensional. I don't know if Simon would agree. Doesn't really like to bollie, even though Michael Russell and Paul Ana kind of been urging him to go forward.
He doesn't really like to slice.
He likes to play that game right in the pocket where he's hitting the balls, and Gael mon Feast didn't allow it. He soft bored him, gave him no pace and then suddenly when he had a minute, he flicked the ble hard down the line and he was having so much fun. The dance at the end, I mean, that's going to be the moment of the Australian Open twenty twenty five. That was such a sensational He just he looked like he'd won an Emmy, a Golden Globe.
He just conquered the world. And it's so fun to see Gael mon Feast and full flow.
Genius performance from the Frenchman.
Yeah, I don't think any of us really saw this coming. We've kind of seen him on and off the tour in recent years and still dangerous and damaging when he wants to be, but we've not seen him consistently week in week out. So these two last played at this strain up and in twenty nineteen, six years ago. Mont
Feast is a thirty eight year old. I don't know if any of us thought that this run was in him and Kenny's right, it's one of the absolute headline items at the Australian Open for twenty twenty five right now, and who's to say it stops here? So really exciting to see where the run goes next.
And just quickly, Michael Russell, the coach of Taylor Fretz, was laughing because he said when Michael was playing that he'd played gam increased three times in his career and his proteges he's playing it and they can't beat him.
Yeah, what's wrong.
It's insane.
Painter of so many beautiful pictures in the sport fifth paints a masterpiece today, Hang it to the loof four beats takes down Fritz in four a masterclass.
As mentioned earlier, Gaumon Fees has round back the clock against pre tournament fancy Taylor Fritz to produce a four set work of art. The French veteran was outplayed in the opening set, with Fritz winning eighty three percent of first serve points to land the first punch, but the Adelaide champion pounced on the American's foot niggles, taking the
second and dominating the tie break in the third. From there, he lifted his level again, breaking Fritz in the night game of the fourth set before serving it out an ace on match point the peace to resistance of the mon feast masterpiece three six seven six six.
Four Tell always starts wrong, serving well, and it was just one break. I played a very poor game, but I thought like I could move great today, and the game plan was to hold my best line and definitely change of tempo, hit some big shot down the line and use you know, some shape with my friends, some slice us the back end, and so well, and I think it. I've done the job. I mean, I've done the job.
So but the thirty eight year old is approaching the fourth round with a sense of humility.
To be honest with you, is not even a dream doing the tournament. Main dream, you know it is to be old and with a lot of kids and healthy. You know that that's your dream. I gets two two win slam. You know, I tell you my dream. My dream is to have an unbelievable family. You know, tennis is cool, you know, of course, you know you want to have cool dream whatever, But that's that's my dream.
Is he is out there, mon Face has set up a round of sixteen clash with Ben Shelton. The American brought it home in a fourth set tie break in his match against Italian number two Lorenzo Mazzetti to win sixty three three six six four seven six.
Yeah, it's never straightforward to Musseti. He's definitely one of the most talented guys on tour, one of the top three shot makers on tour, and he does some things that you can't believe when he's on the court. I was zeroing too against him before today. So, uh, we say on tour if someone beats you three times in a row, they're your daddy. So I was fighting too to not let that happen today, and I'm glad that I was able to come.
Out with it.
Emminavarro has secured a maid and fourth round berth in Melbourne, downing Ons Jibbur in three grueling sets. The eight seed won the first five games of the match before the Tunisian snatched the next four, setting the tone for a seesawing battle. After six breaks of serve apiece, it was the American who prevailed six four three six six four.
I work really hard on my fitness and just my you know, ability to go the distance and stick in there for as long as it takes. And you know, I always tell myself that before I go out in the court, don't be afraid to stay out there for as long as it takes. And you know, I'm really not not afraid to go two three hours, whatever it may be. And yeah, I mean, of course I'd rather win in two, but you know, I kind of love the grind of three sets.
Navara's next opponent will be night seed Daria Kasatkina, who accounted for Yulia Potinziva. Ever the opportunist. The night Seed clawed back a break of serve and converted another five from five opportunities to win seven five, six to one.
Exactly, especially in the first set up and what I expected. Tough beginning and then you know, fighting was hot today, tough conditions, you know, longer rallies, but again very happy with the win. And how you know, I turned the first set around and I was down, but still came back and really happy to you know, not going to the marathon match today and finish it in two.
Cents eleanor rebike and has powered past Diana y Stremsker in hot conditions on John Cane Arena. The twenty twenty three finalists played a cleaner brand with just sixteen unforced areas, but her opponent showed plenty of fight to stave off six match points. Rebikener, who was battling through lower back pain, finally sealed the deal six three, six ' four.
Well, honestly, I didn't know how it's going to go, because it came out of a sudden I did you expect, And of course it was not easy. I knew that it would be very difficult for me to stay longer in the rallies or I was trying just to play you sometimes risked a little bit more. So Yeah, really happy that it went on.
My way in And the dream campaign of ever Lease has continued into the second week, the German lucky Loser coming from a set down against Jacqueline Christian to reach a Grand Slam round of sixteen for the first time. Lisa has now added four hundred and twenty thousand Australian dollars to her kitty. Not a bad return for someone who is almost about to fly home following her qualifying campaign. And here's the moment she found out just before her chat with Lockey Wills from AO Live.
But I'm incredibly happy.
Yeah, I'm a.
Four hundred and twenty grand.
I know you didn't know.
Because I've never went that far in the tournament. I'm just looking at the quality numbers.
Story like you're gone from maybe fly back maybe not.
Yeah, four two it's insane.
That is insane. That's a number I have never even heard in my life.
So it's now your rich.
It's been the young guns that are flying the flag for Team USA. Alix Michelson continuing his giant slang run, this time leaving nineteenth seed Karen Hutchenov in his wake after ousting Stefanov Sitsipass earlier in the week. Michelson moves on with a six three, seven, six, six to two result in two hours and fifteen minutes. The twenty year old shocked by the quality of his tennis.
I played unbelievable most of that match. I don't really know what's going on. I was sitting my foreign unbelievable on my foreign that well, So just super happy to keep the momentum going. And yeah, not a lot of words right now.
Meanwhile, teenage compatriot Lerner Tien wowed the Kia Arena crowd with a statement win of a Kranton mute, showing a
maturity beyond his years. The slayer of Daniel Mevedev captured the first set in a twelve ten tiebreak before making his opponents scramble across the court an ailing mute unable to go the distance with the nineteen year old, who advanced seven six sixty three sixty three in doing so, becoming the youngest man since Rafael Nadal in two thousand and five to reach the second week in Melbourne.
It feels great, obviously, I mean this, this succeeded my expectations what I was hoping for coming into this week. Obviously, you know, you go into every match believing you can win, but you know, to be in the second week is is amazing.
Yeah, the cramping Frenchman pushing to the end in a unique show of sportsmanship.
All the best him, you know, wishing him speedy recovery. I'm not sure what actually happened. I was like stretching for a return and I didn't really see what was going on, and then I saw him on the ground, So I just didn't really know what happened. I didn't want the match to end like that, but he told me, told me he was going to keep trying just for me.
So Ten's fourth round opponent is Lorenzo Sanago, who overcame a first set deficit to beat Fabian Marajan.
So there was it was difficult because it was so hot and the first and second set was really really tough. Not a lot energy on court, but I tried to put all my energy on court.
As we round the bend into the second week of competition, there are some tantalizing matchups for us. On day eight, the commencement of the fourth round, Jack Draper and Carlos Alcarez. First up, Well, Draper has been put through the ringer, I think spent the most amount of hours on court so far at over twelve hours, and now has this tough ask of the world number three in the fourth round.
Well, firstly, I apologize because he's taken out two Australians. Hasn't he the brit in five sets? He's played fifteen sets and three matches. How gutsy is Jack Draper who had a terrible off season. He was playing well and then he hurt his hip. He was supposed to be training with Joe Fonsaca at the National Tennis Center in London right before Christmas.
I know because I was there and he couldn't play.
So Fonsaka was playing with the likes of Charlie Broome and others just to get some matches in because otherwise it would have been a wasted trip from Brazil. So not ideal for James Tropman and Jack Draper. But I've just been so impressed by his ability to to grind things out. I do wish and I've had this same conversation with James Truptman, who was a year behind me when we were playing in Great Britain, that Jack would
be a little bit more aggressive. He does tend to move back in the court and CounterPunch and run, but boy is he fit. His trainers have done a remarkable job with Jack Draper. I just think perhaps he's going to run out of steam against al Karaz, who was just at his magic best a couple of days ago. Is growing in this sensational fourhand drop shot. Sometimes he slightly overdoes it, Carlus, but we're all here for it, aren't.
We just love him.
I think Draper does play a price physically. I hope I'm wrong, But and I took my cap to Jack last night as well. I thought it was a remarkable competitive and physical display from him and his team. And Trot's in the physio. They'll they'll be would have been working overtime since last night to prepare for tomorrow. But I think I've got to feel like it's too big an ask five sets into five sets into five sets into play Alcarez smells like trouble to me. But I hope I'm wrong.
So Alcoraz doesn't need to diverge from Plan A on this one.
I don't think so. In fact, I think it will have. I've got to think it's it's Trot's and Team Draper that come up with a different plan of attack, which is I think that that aggression that Candy's calling for there, you have to see that, and you have to see it from all one. The points have got to be shortened. Jack's got no choice because I don't think he's got five sets in him so and in fact, I don't think he's got extended rally after extended rally after extended
rally in him. So he's going to have to come up with a different plan of attack, a different way through. And I wish him luck because elk Rez he can do it all.
It's so exciting to watch. I am absolutely fascinated.
I actually thought that Jack Draper would have lost steam offed second five set match, the fact that he's just been vuks I think it was six five and the fifth when I went to sleep, and I thought, oh, Vukitch is probably going to take that, and he didn't.
When I woke up this morning, Jack Draper again, I was guts had one.
He was gutsy.
Yeah, it's just an incredible performance.
He's somebody who's been coached by Justin Shearing As a youngster, Justin Shearing was the man behind Joe Salisbury and a host of other British juniors. Justin Sharing, for my mind, is one of the best coaches in Great Britain, and Jack Draper is just showing a lot of fight and belief. But I would love to see the all aggressive match against Alcaraz. But I just suspect that his default, Draper's is still moving back behind the line, and I don't think he can play that way all right.
Other Day eight match for focus is Coco Goth against Belinda Benchicic, who, on the opposite side of the coin should be a little bit more fresh having passed through her match against Nawmiosaka, who is forced to retire after just a set, and suddenly Benchicch is back in the second week of a Grand Slam in Melbourne.
Another one that's got British roots.
Just bring that in because Benchicic's coach is Ian Hughes, who used to be my coach growing up. And Ian Hughes is in his second stint with Belinda Benchich. He's also worked with the likes of helenas Fittalina Katarina Siniakova. He got Magdalenette to a semi final here a few years ago, so he is a phenomenal coach and they've got back together. Of course, baby Bella is traveling with Belinda. Her mum is here to look after Bella. Her boyfriend and partner and the father of a child. Martin is
her strength and conditioning. She just seemed really settled, and I think having a child has actually put a sense of perspective into Belinda Benchic. She was coached by Melanie Molitor as a youngster. Melanie Monitors the mother of Martina Hingis, so she's been well grounded. She has this unique style where she walks through shots. For my mind, she has the best drive volley in the whole world of tennis. Wow, it's unbelievable. She never misses it.
I promise you'd just watch it and she'll probably miss everything.
Yeah, what's having on that tomorrow?
I'm so interested in this matchup. I'm not sure who's going to win. Obviously, Coco Gough on paper, is the favorite. Benchich has hardly just really come back to tennis after giving birth, but she looks fit as a fiddle. She's had some great results, She's taken out some big names already.
I mean, who's to stop her going one further?
I don't know if Coco Gough maybe us a little bit on that forehand, which she did slightly against Leilani Fernandez before shoring it up. Maybe Benchic can use her smarts and get through it.
Well.
I think the data is saying to me when I look at it, that you know, the fairy tale run of Benchich probably comes to an end tomorrow. But I think again, I'm with Kenny. I tip my cap. What a resurgence, What an effort from a relatively fresh new mum to return to these heights that quickly. It's phenomenal what these women are doing in the women's game. I just I spoke about earlier. I'm in awe. I'm in
admiration and follow of admiration for what we're seeing. But I think the fairy tale return may be shutters to a quick cult tomorrow because I think go Coco's profiling like someone that's going to be here at the very business end of the event. Physicality. She can do it on both sides of the coin, so she can defend we know she's got elite movement, elite defensive skills, very hard to get through, but then she can hurt you as well with her weapons on from the back of
the court. Probably goes about it slightly differently off the foehand wing. It's more spin than speed necessarily, but back endside can punish you as well, and always adding strings to the bow cocokef She's still a work in progress, she's still improving, so she's my overwhelming for that matchup tomorrow.
Also in action on day eight is Donavekicch, who will take on Anastasia Publiahchenkova. The twenty twenty three quarter finalist, is one went away from getting back into the last eight, but tennis isn't the only thing on her mind. During her stay in Melbourne, the renowned fashion easta taking some time off on her day off to tick off another non negotiable.
Hey guys, let's do some shopping.
I'm obsessed with dresses like these, Like this is what my whole wardrobe is.
I really like.
Fashion of court. For me on court, it's important to feel good but at the same time look good. I like to wear different colors of court as well and yeah, I like to mix it up.
Anything that can slim me. That's well, you don't need that either.
We haven't, like, didn't have any time to do any shopping.
Okay, I think, all right.
Well this is a great excuse. Last year I developed this obsession with shopping. I'm trying to control it a little bit. But you know, you're only in Australia once a year, so and this brand, I guess we can only find in Australia, so I have to make good use of it. I've been really enjoying Coca Golf collections. She always has cool kids. But it's nice to see some different things now. Miosaka last year as well, so I like to see players changing up a little bit.
Okay, let's see.
Wow, that's great.
It's definitely my color.
Yeah.
Oh I have pockets.
Pockets.
Every single dress in the world should happen pockets.
Well, we tried.
This is nice.
I was obsessed last year in Sydney. Next to our hotel was like three shopping malls and so many little boutique stores. And yeah, I spend more time shopping than on court. Yeah, maybe that's why I lost the restaurant. I travel with two or three suitcases, and then when I go back home, that becomes at least another suitcase. And it's then even a bigger problem when I go back home and I have no more space to put
my stuff in. So I need a bigger apartment in a bigger closet because I don't think I'm gonna stop shopping anything soon.
That's all for Day seven of the Australian Open. Join me again tomorrow for all the big stories from day eight. Take a moment to subscribe to never miss an episode, and please leave a rating or review so more fans can discover the tennis. You can also catch our daily spotlight segment on our YouTube channel, Australian Open TV. And don't forget the sit down. We'll be back tomorrow with a great episode featuring the father of Cocoa Goth and I'll catch you tomorrow for more of the tennis