Andrey Rublev will battle dangerous teen Holger Rune for a spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals, while American Tommy Paul takes on Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the fourth round on Monday.
(5) Andrey Rublev vs. (9) Holger Rune
Danish teenager Holger Rune burst onto the scene midway through the season in 2022. He was ranked 70th in the world in April of last year and by May 1 he captured his first career title in Munich. In the fall he started a shocking run of success, when he made four finals on the trot and won two more titles– including the Paris Masters, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final. He is 19 years old and currently ranked No. 10. Rune earned his spot in the fourth round with straight-set wins over Filip Krajinovic, Maxime Cressy, and Ugo Humbert.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev is the No. 6 player in the world. While Rublev did not have quite as noteworthy a 2022 run as Rune, he still had a good year with four titles. His Grand Slam results were slightly disappointing, as he failed to make it past the quarterfinals (he wasn’t permitted to play Wimbledon owing to the Russian player ban). Rublev dropped a set to Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round but his wins over Dominic Thiem and Dan Evans were straight-set affairs.
This has the makings of a great match. Rune is locked and loaded and Rublev is playing well enough to give the Dane a run for his money.
Cheryl pick: Rune in 5
Ricky pick: Rune in 5
(24) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Tommy Paul
This bottom section of the draw–Casper Ruud’s quarter–is wide open. Roberto Bautista Agut played a depleted Andy Murray to earn his round of 16 spot. He looked a little shaky against Brandon Holt in the second round but eventually closed out the young American in five sets. Bautista Agut came into the Australian Open off a run to the final of the second Adelaide event, where he lost to Soonwoo Kwon.
American Tommy Paul has a career-long history of underperforming at majors. He looks great this week so far, though, so he might be poised to change that trend. Paul had a tricky draw en route to the fourth round. He faced qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff and then had an epic five-set battle with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. His most impressive win so far this fortnight was a straight-set rout of Jenson Brooksby.
This could be another long match in the books in Melbourne. Both men are in good form and Bautista Agut is a supremely fit athlete who is always prepared to go the distance.
Cheryl pick: Bautista Agut in 4
Ricky pick: Bautista Agut in 5
Rune in 5, RBA in 4, although there may be a rule in place about most matches needing to go 5 sets and end in a tb? Not sure any of these clowns can beat Djoker even if he has to hop on one leg. There used to be a high school football player who only had one leg. He moved very impressively too. Was a linebacker.
Good job Rublev🇷🇺
Good job Rublev 🇷🇺
Rune was definitely the biggest threat to Djokovic. Probably Tsitsipas is the only player who can now take advantage of a slightly hobbled Djokovic.
Some quick justice for Bautista Agut after is appalling display against our dear Andy Murray.
Well done Tommy.
I read that the Rune Rublev match was terrible quality and Rune blew his lead at the end.
This is a great result for Novak. A nice long five setter win by a player who he can beat easily.
In the semis he gets Paul or Shelton. He must be laughing himself into a coma.
de Minaur didn’t hit a single groundstroke winner. Had 9 winners for the match. 3 were aces and 2 were overheads. That’s shocking!! However good Novak was these are dreadful stats.
There is no hobbled djokovic. He said today his leg felt zero pain n he felt fantastic, he has miraculously healed totally 🙂
No one is going to beat him sanju! He is going to play Rublev, then Shelton or Paul! then probably Tsitsi. He will beat up Tsitsi’s bh so that it lies in a quivering pulp on the floor.
Amy – I had sent you a message on rafa..not sure if u saw it ..it ends at 22 or see any more ?
The level of your insecurity is astounding.
Like a kid constantly asking for approval…
The fact that someone will tell you what he/she thinks should not affect your confidence.
Here, if it will make you feel better, I think Rafa will end up with 42 slams.
Now, relax.
I honestly don’t know what to think about Rafa right now sanju. If his confidence really has been shattered then can it be rebuilt by RG? I don’t think that’s knowable right now.
Also hip injuries can be very serious. Look what happened to Andy Murray! I pray he doesn’t play before Monte Carlo.
He really needs Moya to step up for him at this stage in his career.
PS just ignore anonymous/ guest posting under one of his aliases. It’s not worth expending any energy over him.
I don’t give a rats ass to trolls Amy, they can go f@#$ themselves..I talk to people I want and ignore the other posts. What anyone says here makes no difference to me 🙂
That’s the spirit Sanju!
I didn’t write this!!
So anonymous/ guest is back to posting under our names again!
I fell asleep in the fifth set of Rublev and Rune. I don’t know that Rune would have been a threat to Novak. I think he’s very young and not experienced enough yet.
Novak’s draw is laughable. Now of course he doesn’t have any pain. Is anyone surprised by that? We see this over and over.
Nny, I also don’t think Rune would have been a threat to Novak. It amazes me how people built him up on the basis of last autumn.
Anyway, Novak has a clear run to the title. He has to battle more to win masters than AO this year.
amy,
I have no idea why anyone would think he is ready to take on Novak. He is 19 and needs experience in best of five set matches. He is no match for Novak in this tournament.
Novak has been getting ridiculously easy draws. Then this nonsense about some injury yet again. Some things never change.
If Tsitsipas gets to the final he has no chance to win. He doesn’t have the mental toughness to win a slam.
Rune is a young player with a lot of potential, but he currently lacks direction and focus. He is still in the process of developing his skills and finding his footing in the sport. With time and proper guidance, he has the potential to become a top player and a real contender for the number one spot. As he matures and gains more experience, he will be able to channel his energy and enthusiasm into consistent, high-level performances.
I agree he is one for the future. Just amazed by people saying he could beat Novak at the AO on the basis of the autumn. He is still very raw.
Only pain around here is in soneones ass.
You nasty alcoholic-ex-husband divorcee. Why do you keep insinuating and hating on Djokovic? The ass picker has always had favorable draws and now you are complaining about Djokovic. Don’t you have other purpose in life from being obsessed with that boring, no-character establishment mannequin? GTFO and die already.
Agree with you guys. Rune would have been a threat if Djokovic had comprised movement but if he is beginning to find his A game now, it is really really hard to see anyone taking him down. Tsitsipas has the best chance really but that’s a pretty slim chance.
Novak has been playing scary good since the wtf. He is by far the best player in the world.
Rafa really needs to find his confidence again for RG because if Novak wins RG he get the triple career slam. It’s Rafa who has been stopping him there. People keep talking about the threat from Alcaraz to Rafa at RG. Rubbish. Novak is by miles Rafa’s biggest rival.
I am really worried about where Rafa is at with his confidence levels. If he is off mentally he won’t beat Novak.
I think rafa will have a good clay season. He is not going to go away.
Novak will win AO 90 pc yes and then everyone will say he will win minimum 3 slams this year etc etc however have things turned out always as said ? Let’s wait and see,in tennis anything can happen.
Yes I agree that we should wait and see!
VR,
I think Tsitsipas does not have the mental toughness to win a slam final. I don’t see him believing he can do it. I realize that he is playing well at this time. But Sinner managed to fight back from two sets down in their match. Tsitsipas seems to let his opponents back in the match.
I find it interesting that Novak’s injuries manage to disappear the closer he gets to the final.
yep agree with you.
What hypocrisy on the injury. Rafa could hardly walk then miraculously recovered to win RG . And all the crap talk of loaded draws favoring Novak in every Slam. Grow up,old one.
Medical “miracle”, O ignorant one. Get a life or at least come up with something original.
Revisionist history! Yet again! People who live in reality know that Rafa had an ablation procedure on his foot. He decided to try it after they had to numb his foot for RG. It enabled him to play at Wimbledon.
The draws have favored Novak. Pretending otherwise doesn’t cut it.
Lose the ageist comments. It’s not a good look.
Very happy for Rublev, who everyone says is a terrifically nice guy. He was rewarded in the TB for his aggressive play, which started terribly before he started to hit his shots. Rune was obviously off in some way, but just imagine how good he is going to be, probably very soon.
Hope that Rublev can make the match with Novak competitive, but it’s hard to see after watching Djokovic’s demolition of de Minaur.
I don’t think Novak demolished De Minaur bcos that boy’s performance was pathetic if not embarrassing! He had absolutely NO game plan and simply played to Novak’s strengths…..the base line game! This match was just batting practice for Novak!! Don’t understand how Di Minuar even got this far to begin with!! And no, there is NO one left in the draw to even take a set off Novak far less beat him. However, I love Korda’s game and attitude. I would love to see him in the final at least!
I don’t care what they say. If Rafa was still in the field ppl would be saying he would be the only one with a chance, lol!!
I really like Korda’s game, too. He has shown some grit and toughness. We will have to see about getting to the final. Khachanov seems to be playing well right now. This should be a good one.
Korda and Khachanov are both talented tennis players who have had success on the ATP Tour. Korda, who is the son of former tennis pro Petr Korda, has made a name for himself with his aggressive playing style and powerful groundstrokes. He has also shown a strong mental game, which is evidenced by his ability to come back from difficult situations and win tight matches.
Khachanov, on the other hand, is known for his physicality and ability to hit big serves and groundstrokes. He has a strong all-around game and is particularly effective on hard courts. He’s also a former Paris Master champion, which is considered one of the most prestigious tournaments in the ATP Tour.
Both Korda and Khachanov have had a good start to the season, and it’s likely that their match will be a closely contested one. Korda will likely look to use his aggressive playing style to put pressure on Khachanov, while Khachanov will likely look to use his powerful groundstrokes to dictate play. It’s hard to predict who will come out on top, but it should be an exciting match to watch for tennis fans.
Overall, the match between Korda and Khachanov should be an exciting one, as both players have a lot of talent and have had success on the ATP Tour. Korda’s grit and toughness, combined with Khachanov’s powerful groundstrokes and serve, should make for a close and competitive match. While it’s hard to predict the outcome of a single match, it’s clear that both players have the potential to make it to the final of a tournament and we’ll have to wait and see how they perform in the match.
This AO has become very disappointing on the men’s side imo with the men’s side looking like the wta. High seeds taken out by players who then lose to players who are less talented often than the ones they beat. It’s just a mess!! One sf will be Tsitsi/Kk and the other Novak/ Shelton or Paul. How is this a reflection of the talent on the men’s side?!
It’s not like the WTA ,it’s best of five where anything can happen
Nonsense. BO5 favours the elite player. It’s just that now the big 3 aren’t dominating we are in an era where many of the high seeded players are extremely unreliable. Which suggests that this is a weak era.
When the big 3/ big 4 were dominating they pretty much always made the last stages of the slams. They play better in BO5.
Do you ever do anything else but follow me around the site disagreeing with/ misrepresenting what I say?
I usually ignore it but really honestly it’s tiresome.
Not that you are in anyway with your arrogance and/or biased political ‘correctness’
The amy in the post above is me. But I am now going over to my other moniker to distinguish myself from the person who is impersonating me.
B05 format = Slams ,where the top players nearly always bring their best.I still wouldnt compare ATP B05 with WTA B03.
And so many upsets in both mens and womens could also be interpreted as a depth of talent not lack of it.