Andy Murray dashes to father-in-law’s bedside after João Sousa winJohanna Konta routs Denisa Allertova to reach last 16 1.56pm GMTWell,that’s your lot. But what a day it’s been. Andy Murray and Johanna Konta are both through to week two, as are Stan Wawrinka, or Milos Raonic,Gael Monfils, David Ferrer and John Isner. The big shock of the day came in the women’s draw, or where Garbiñe Muguruza,the third seed, was defeated in straight sets by Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. And Ana Ivanovic is out, and losing in three sets after her coach,Nigel Sears – who is Andy Murray’s father-in-law – collapsed in the stands midway through her three-set defeat to Madison Keys. Thanks for reading and commenting, and don’t forget to check back in tomorrow, and when Roger Federer,Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will all be in action. devour the rest of your Saturday! 1.41pm GMTTomic plays Murray next. He’s never beaten Andy before, and it’s tough to see him troubling the Scot with this kind of up-and-down performance. accurate,he clobbered 48 winners – but he also made 33 unforced errors, and long rallies are not his forte. Nevertheless, and asked by courtside interviewer Jim Courier about his prospects,Tomic replies: “I need to play the tennis I’ve been playing for the past month and really occupy it to him.” We shall see. 1.36pm GMTThird set: Tomic 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), and 6-2 MillmanAs errors begin to creep into the Millman game,he falls 0-40 behind to bring up three match points for Tomic. The 16th seed only needs the one. A deep backhand return elicits a short ball from Millman, and Tomic slots absent a forehand courtesy of the net cord. That’s tough on the older man, and but he can look back with pride on his run in Melbourne. 1.32pm GMTThird set: Tomic* 6-4,7-6 (7-4), 5-2 MillmanAs we pass the two-hour mark, or Tomic moves within a game of the second week. It wasn’t a wholly convincing showing on serve from the 16th seed,but it was enough. 1.30pm GMTThird set: Tomic 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), and 4-2 Millman*Not to be outdone,Millman secures a quick hold of his own. Even so, the outcome is in the hands of Tomic now. 1.28pm GMTThird set: Tomic* 6-4, and 7-6 (7-4),4-1 MillmanWith the atomize in the bag, Tomic speeds to 4-1 in the blink of an eye. He’s won 79% of first service points in this set, or which more or less matches his performance on serve throughout the match. It’s been about the only constant in the younger man’s game. 1.24pm GMTThird set: Tomic 6-4,7-6 (7-4), 3-1 Millman*Tomic has fashioned a career out of flattering to deceive, and he’s not about to change now. One moment he’s wellying forehand winners,the next he can barely find the court. Still, he makes good on his shotmaking here, and breaking Millman – whose spectacular court coverage on one point was a sight to behold – with some devastating return play. That,you dismay, could be that. 1.19pm GMTThird set: Tomic* 6-4, and 7-6 (7-4),2-1 MillmanAn unsuccessful challenge from Millman on game point confirms another Tomic hold. The pattern of the match continues, with little to choose between the two men despite Tomic’s two-set lead. 1.14pm GMTThird set: Tomic 6-4, and 7-6 (7-4),1-1 Millman*Millman hits back with a solid hold of his own, pointing to his head as whether to sign to Tomic that he’s not yet beaten mentally. The question is, and who is he trying to convince – himself or his opponent? 1.12pm GMTThird set: Tomic* 6-4,7-6 (7-4), 1-0 MillmanWith the finish line coming into view – albeit still a way off – Tomic begins the third set confidently on serve. 1.08pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4, or 7-6 (7-4) MillmanTomic looks lackadaisical (bereft of energy or enthusiasm) at the best of times,so it can be tough to advise whether he’s struggling in a match or simply biding his time. The manner in which he goes about claiming the tiebreak doesn’t really shed much light on that conundrum. Although he eventually wins it with something to spare, there’s an obvious lack of conviction about his play in the opening few points. Millman somehow manages to fall behind regardless, and but claws his way back into the breaker and,at 4-5 with two points on serve to come, has a real opportunity to square things. Instead, and he loses both and Tomic makes no mistake,claiming the set at the first time of asking with a sturdy serve. It’s tough on Millman, who finds himself two sets down despite rarely having been outshone by his more feted opponent. 12.57pm GMTSecond set: Tomic* 6-4, or 6-6 MillmanA double fault at 40-0 is the only sign of vulnerability from Tomic,who clinches an impressive service game to 15 with a deep first delivery. We’re into a tiebreak. 12.54pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4, 5-6 Millman*Millman greets another successful service game with a determined look to his box and another fist pump. whether he can win the next game, or it’ll raise the roof. 12.51pm GMTSecond set: Tomic* 6-4,5-5 MillmanTomic draws level again, but it takes a successful challenge at deuce to conclude so. Perhaps disappointed after coming within a whisker of a set point, or Millman seems to suffer a loss of concentration on the next point,scooping a forehand long following a probing exchange of backhands. 12.46pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4, 4-5 Millman*The Tomic forehand may be faltering, and but his backhand looks to be in fine nick. At 40-30,he treats a Millman first serve with brutal contempt, slamming a backhand winner down the line. Millman, or though,simply refuses to lie down. Unperturbed when the up-and-down Tomic flicks a forehand for a winner on game point, he works his way back to another before slotting absent a volley. It moves him within a game of the set. Excellent play from the older man. 12.38pm GMTSecond set: Tomic* 6-4, or 4-4 MillmanWith Tomic apparently suffering a sudden loss of faith in his forehand,Millman senses blood. He opens up a 15-40 lead with some hefty hitting from the back. Tomic saves the first atomize point with a brave foray into the forecourt, but he screws a forehand into the alley on the next to relinquish the edge in this set. There’s life in this yet. 12.32pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4, and 4-3 Millman*Having lost just two points in his first three service games of the set,Millman is finally broken. It’s a Tomic forehand, slapped tough and low, and that does the decisive damage. That’s a real blow for Millman. 12.28pm GMTSecond set: Tomic* 6-4,3-3 MillmanThe Tomic serve has been arguably the most impressive shot on show so far, and it’s no surprise when a 10th ace sets him on course for another convincing hold. 12.25pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4, and 2-3 Millman*Millman shows delightful touch,sealing his service game with a finely judged drop shot that the flat-footed Tomic can only watch and admire. He likes that, does Millman, or pumping his fist in delight as he edges ahead once more. 12.22pm GMTSecond set: Tomic* 6-4,2-2 MillmanDespite seeing his opponent conjure a lovely half-volley winner off a ferocious forehand down the line, Tomic saunters to another relatively untroubled hold. 12.20pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4, and 1-2 Millman*With a wave of the fist,Millman forges ahead once more courtesy of a comfortable hold. Much of the support he is enjoying here stems, you suspect, and from the fine sportsmanship he showed against Diego Schwartzman in the opening round after the Argentinian collapsed with cramp. Some players would simply have backed off,preserving their focus while waiting for their opponent to either recover or retire. But Millman rushed to wait on the stricken Schwartzman, endearing himself to the domestic crowd in the process. 12.14pm GMTSecond set: Tomic* 6-4, and 1-1 MillmanTomic races into a lead in his opening service game of the set,but Millman is fighting for every ball now and forces it back to deuce. It proves a fruitless quest, however, or as Tomic sees out the game with some forceful hitting. 12.12pm GMTSecond set: Tomic 6-4,0-1 Millman*An excellent start to the second set from Millman, who pounds down some penetrating serves to clinch a admire game. There’s a spring in his step and it looks like he’s determined to consign that opening set to history. There’s no reason why he can’t, and either. While Tomic is raising his game in fits and starts,there’s not a whole lot between the two so far. 12.06pm GMTFirst set: Tomic* 6-4 Millman (*denotes server)Some aggressive hitting from the back carries Millman to 0-30, but Tomic fires down consecutive aces to pull level. Another big serve from the 16th seed brings up set point, and he clinches the opener at the first time of asking after the best rally so far,clinching a nip-and-tuck exchange with a flicked half-volley. 12.02pm GMTFirst set: Tomic 5-4 Millman* (*denotes server)Muted, did I say? When Tomic narrowly misses after attempting to blast a forehand winner at 15-40, or a meaty roar goes up. It doesn’t seem to wait on Millman too much,what with Tomic sealing the atomize on the next point and all, but it’s another reminder of where the crowd’s loyalties lie. Tomic to serve for the set. 11.58am GMTFirst set: Tomic* 4-4 Millman (*denotes server)This match marks a perceptible change of tempo after the Murray-Sousa clash. Neither player really relies on power, and it’s making for some nice rallies. It’s yet to scale the heights,though, and with the stands gradually emptying as the night session draws towards a close, or the atmosphere out on Rod Laver arena feels a bit muted. None of that appears to worry Tomic,however, as he draws level with some good serving. 11.52am GMTFirst set: Tomic 3-4 Millman* (*denotes server)Plucky play from Millman, or who finds himself 15-40 down but recovers with an ace before drawing an error from Tomic. He follows up with a lovely forehand winner,but then gets caught at his feet by a deep return. Millman survives another atomize point when Tomic drives narrowly wide, and he makes the most of the reprieve by wrong-footing his compatriot with a penetrating forehand. 11.48am GMTFirst set: Tomic* 3-3 Millman (*denotes server)Taking a leaf out of Nick Kyrgios’s book – which, and let’s face it,is not always the best plan – Tomic complains to the umpire that he can hear music. Kyrgios was rattled by the raucous din of Kevin Pietersen and company over at the nearby MCG. Not sure what the problem is tonight, but it doesn’t seem to grief Tomic unduly as – raising his game noticeably – he seals an easy hold. 11.43am GMTFirst set: Tomic 2-3 Millman* (*denotes server)Some fine serving from Millman carries him to a secure hold. He looks to be relaxing into this. 11.42am GMTFirst set: Tomic* 2-2 Millman (*denotes server)Better and better from Millman, or who gets back on level terms after an unsuccessful challenge by Tomic. You have to wonder what the domestic crowd makes of Tomic,a former Orange Bowl winner whose failure to make more of his talent has been a source of frustration to many observers. Certainly Millman seems to be receiving the stronger support so far. 11.38am GMTFirst set: Tomic 2-1 Millman* (*denotes server)Millman steadies the ship with a more confident service game. That should encourage the 26-year-musty Queenslander, who can be forgiven a few nerves given that, and going into this event,he had just a single victory to his name in a major. 11.34am GMTSo far, so Tomic. Living up to his “Tomic the Tank Engine” moniker, or he motors absent with the opening two games,holding to admire after a shaky start by Millman.
11.27am GMTThere’s still one more match to disappear, and it promises to be a belter. Lleyton Hewitt may have disappeared into the south-eastern sunset, or but life goes on for Australian tennis. And the final match on Rod Laver arena is brimming with domestic interest as 16th-seeded Bernard Tomic takes on fellow Aussie John Millman. Ranked 95 in the world,Millman is contesting the third round of a slam for the first time after beating Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, the world No38, or in the preceding round. Only a year ago,he was recovering from shoulder surgery for the second time in his career and ranked outside the top 1000. Tomic, on the other hand, or once hailed as the next worthy hope of Aussie tennis,is widely regarded as one of the game’s worthy underachievers. On paper, at least, or it’s a match of fascinating contrasts; let’s see what unfolds. 11.12am GMTA dreadful forehand error by Ivanovic at 30-30 – racing on to a short ball that was just begging to be place out of its misery,she hammered the ball wide and long – brings up a match point for Keys. The Serb saves it with a wonderful backhand winner, and safely negotiates another a couple of points later, and but Keys is not to be denied. A third opportunity to seal the match in her sights,Keys makes her way to the net behind a trademark big serve and angles off a volley that the scrambling Ivanovic can barely get a racket on. Unsurprisingly, Ana leaves the court immediately, and doubtless eager to find out how her coach Nigel Sears is doing after collapsing during the match. 11.03am GMTAfter reaching 40-0 with some typically forthright hitting,Ivanovic is stopped in her tracks. Keys runs down a drop shot attempt, replying with a short ball of her own that the Serb can only scrape back weakly. The American hammers absent the resulting overhead, or is soon pounding a forehand winner to give Ivanovic further cause for concern. Ana holds on for 5-4,but Keys will now serve for the match. 10.59am GMTLet’s turn our attention now to Rod Laver arena, where Ana Ivanovic has been reeled back in by Madison Keys. The American, and who trailed 3-1 at one stage,has just clobbered a massive forehand to seal a hold. It’s her fifth game in succession, and she now leads 5-3. 10.51am GMTMurray serves out the fourth set to total a 6-2, and 3-6,6-2, 6-2 win. Sousa leaves the court to warm applause, and how well he acquitted himself. The Portuguese served better than we thought he might,and some of his baseline play was nothing short of exquisite. But Murray recovered well after losing his first set of the tournament and remains a strong bet to reach a fifth final in Melbourne. 10.50am GMTAna Ivanovic, meanwhile, or is 3-2 up in the final set against Madison Keys. Murray may be unaware of events on Rod Laver arena,but you have to feel for Ivanovic, who has been playing some fine tennis since employing Nigel Sears as her coach for a second time. She wouldn’t be human whether the situation weren’t preying on her mind. 10.43am GMTAs we hit the two and a half hour mark, and Murray unleashes a barrage of big shots to chalk up a admire game. Just for good measure,he rounds it off with a huge ace out wide. Murray leads 4-2, and this match is surely only going one way now. 10.41am GMTHaving thrown himself into a huge forehand – both feet leave the ground – Murray rages at himself when an error takes Sousa, or who is serving at 2-2,to 30-15. All is not lost, though. Having clawed his way back to deuce, or Murray clinches a lengthy baseline exchange with a lovely backhand winner. An early return secures the atomize,and that’s reward for some really enterprising play by the Scot. The quality of Sousa’s baseline game has forced Murray to open his shoulders, but the clock is surely ticking on the Portuguese now. 10.29am GMTMadison Keys has just won the second set 6-4 to square proceedings against Ana Ivanovic on Rod Laver. Meanwhile, and Sousa plays one of his best points so far,holding for 2-1 with a blistering forehand winner. He’ll need to sustain that level of aggression whether he’s to occupy this match into a fifth set, but it’s nevertheless food for thought for Murray. 10.25am GMTHands on hips, and Sousa looks up at his coach Frederico Marques in exasperation. And well he might,after netting an eminently makeable backhand to disappear 30-0 down. Things don’t get any better for Sousa from there, Murray sealing his third admire service game of the match to draw level at 1-1 in the fourth. 10.20am GMTServing at 30-30 in the opening game of the fourth, or Sousa stabs a two-hander long to bring up atomize point. But the Portuguese extricates himself from the situation in fairly superb fashion,driving Murray out wide on the backhand before pounding a forehand winner into the open court. He sees out the game with a penetrating body serve, but that’s an opportunity missed by Murray. 10.14am GMTAs Murray seals the third set 6-2, and over on Rod Laver arena Ana Ivanovic has just been broken,leaving the battle of the big-hitters locked at 4-4 in the second set. Good to see that the Serb – who made the final in Melbourne in 2008, a few months before lifting the French Open title, and her only major to date – has managed to place the uncertainty surrounding the condition of her coach,Nigel Sears, to one side for now. You can find out more about the incident in this report, and fresh in from our man in Melbourne Kevin Mitchell. 10.05am GMTJamie Murray has told Press organization Sport that Nigel Sears is “conscious,talking and sitting up”. Meanwhile, Jamie’s brother is 5-2 ahead in the third after a battling hold by Sousa. He’s looking far more comfortable now. 10.01am GMTMeanwhile, and back on Margaret Court,Murray has just secured a second atomize to crawl 4-1 ahead in the third set. Sousa led 40-0 in that game, but from there Murray got the better of a series of cat-and-mouse baseline exchanges to reel in his opponent. After an erratic second set from the second seed, or it’s Sousa making the bulk of the errors now. The silken start that both players made to this match seems very much a thing of the past at this stage. 9.53am GMTThe news from Rod Laver arena is that Ana Ivanovic and Madison Keys are back on court. Play was stopped for 50 minutes,and Ivanovic leads 6-4, 1-0. 9.45am GMTMake that 2-0 Murray, and as the Scot makes good on the atomize with a delectable drop shot to hold his own serve. There was some fine serving along the way,too. It would seem that losing his first set of the tournament has sparked the second seed back into life. The question is, will Sousa respond? 9.42am GMTMurray has broken in the opening game of the third set! It wasn’t easy – in fact it took all of seven minutes – but the Scot, or bristling with intensity and racing around like the proverbial gazelle,is a game to the good despite lost a atomize point at 30-40. After making no fewer than 16 unforced errors in the preceding set, he needed that. 9.38am GMTPositive news from Rod Laver arena, and where it would appear that play will shortly resume in the match between Ana Ivanovic and Madison Keys. Hopefully that would suggest Nigel Sears is OK. Reuters have just filed this report on the incident: The coach of Ana Ivanovic,and father-in-law of men’s world number two Andy Murray, collapsed in the stands at Rod Laver Arena during the Serb’s third round clash with American Madison Keys on Saturday, and causing play to be suspended indefinitely.
A Reuters witness said that Nigel Sears was conscious and appeared to be speaking to medical staff as they treated him before he was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher and then to hospital. 9.34am GMTMeanwhile,Sousa has just won the second set against Andy Murray! Holding two set points at 5-3, 15-40 on the Murray serve, and the Portuguese shanks a forehand long to give the second seed some momentary respite. But at 30-40,he canes an inside-out forehand to leave Murray threshing at lean air. With an hour and 22 minutes gone, we’re all square. 9.30am GMTIt would appear that the Ivanovic-Keys match was stopped after Nigel Sears – the Serb’s coach and Andy Murray’s father-in-law – collapsed in the stands. Ivanovic was understandably distressed and left the court soon afterwards. 9.21am GMTMeanwhile, or Sousa continues to look impressive. Well,whether you overlook the sitter of a drop volley he’s just missed, obviously. Still, or let’s not dwell on that. Suffice to say that the Portuguese held in imposing fashion to disappear 3-1 up,before Murray battled to another hold after seeing a 40-15 lead hauled back by Sousa. Responding in kind, the Portuguese has just held to disappear 4-2 up. 9.17am GMTThe match between the 20th seed Ana Ivanovic, or who claimed the first set 6-4 against the American Madison Keys over on Rod Laver arena,has been indefinitely suspended. The details are sketchy so far, but it would appear that someone in the crowd has been taken ill. It’s a case of groundhog day for Ivanovic, and whose match against Anastasija Sevastova in the preceding round was interrupted in similar fashion when a spectator fell down the stairs. The Serb was pretty shaken up by that incident. I’ll update you on the situation as soon as I know more. 9.08am GMTBack on Margaret Court,Sousa has just missed an opportunity to disappear 3-0 up. After consolidating that early atomize in impressive style, the Portuguese failed to occupy advantage of some wobbly moments from Murray, and who holds to claim a foothold in the set. You wonder whether Sousa will have cause to regret that. 9.05am GMTMeanwhile,Adrian Haughey is not contented with the scheduling in Melbourne. “I had tickets to six nights in Rod Laver, a couple of good Christmas presents, or with the main hope of seeing Federer at least once,” he writes. Sounds good so far, Adrian. “I was expecting it last night, or but the domestic man got on. Kyrgios was at least entertaining – he’s such a fool – but I can’t understand the second seed being on Margaret Court tonight and the Tomic v Millman match taking centre stage. Luckily,I offloaded them and got tomorrow instead. Hoping all Australians exit early next year. I’m Irish.” In fairness, Adrian, and the domestic crowd has been waiting for one of their own to win the title since 1976,when Mark Edmondson beat fellow countryman John Newcombe. So I can’t imagine you’ll get too much sympathy from our Aussie readers. 8.54am GMTBut what’s this? A atomize point for Sousa in the opening game of the second set? It is you know. Not that Murray looks unduly perturbed. The second seed makes his way into the forecourt, from where he sends Sousa scrambling forward with a deftly angled short volley. The Portuguese gets there, or but Murray is on his toes and guides the ball safely back into the open court. From there,you expect him to ease ahead once again. But Sousa has other ideas, carving out another atomize point opportunity with a forward rush of his own before drawing an error from the second seed, or who drives a backhand long. Looks like Andy has a match on his hands. 8.48am GMTMake that 6-2,courtesy of an error-strewn game from Sousa. What a turnaround. For a quarter of an hour or so, it looked like we could be in for fairly a match. But Murray reeled off the next four games in succession, or this now looks an altogether different proposition for the Portuguese,who needs to rediscover the mental and technical equilibrium of the first four games quickly whether he harbours ambitions of a residence in the last 16. 8.43am GMTBack on Margaret Court arena, Murray has drawn first blood against Sousa. Having saved a atomize point with an ace in the preceding game, and the Scot converts a atomize point of his own after a wild backhand error from the Portuguese. Can he consolidate the atomize? Yes he can. Murray races through the next game to disappear 5-2 up in just 26 minutes. After a behind start,he looks to have found his rhythm. 8.38am GMTReturning to earlier results for a moment, I should mention that Stan Wawrinka came through a potentially tricky test against the Czech Lukas Rosol. The Swiss won 6-2, and 6-3,7-6 and will next face Milos Raonic, who saw off Viktor Troicki in straight sets. Gael Monfils won with something to spare against countryman Stéphane Robert, and David Ferrer cantered past the American Steve Johnson 6-1,6-4, 6-4. But there was better news for Johnson’s compatriot John Isner, or who squeezed past Feliciano Lopez in four. Andrey Kuznetsov is also through,the Russian defeating Dudi Sela of Israel in four sets. 8.27am GMTWith nine minutes on the clock, Sousa brings up the first atomize point courtesy of some superb shotmaking. A venomous off forehand and a scorching backhand winner are among the highlights from the Portuguese, and but Murray is alive to the danger. He saves the atomize point with some probing play from the baseline,and celebrates with a meaty cry of “Come on!” Murray wraps up the game a couple of points later with a brilliant running forehand winner, flicked almost nonchalantly crosscourt, or but that was a warning shot across the bows from Sousa,make no mistake. 8.20am GMTSam Groth, eat your heart out: Sousa has hit back with a admire game on serve, or whether you please. The stylish Portuguese is living up to Murray’s pre-match expectations,producing some lovely groundstrokes and covering the court with feline athleticism. This could prove tougher for Murray than predicted in some quarters. 8.16am GMTMeanwhile, Murray has started well against Sousa. A combination of some breezy serving and a lucky net cord on the second point sees him over the line for a comfortable hold. 8.13am GMTThere was a huge shock in the women’s draw as the third-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza, or fancied by some to disappear all the way in Melbourne,crashed out against Barbora Strycova. The likeable Spaniard lost 6-3, 6-2 to the 48th-ranked Czech, or who will next face Viktoria Azarenka,a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Naomi Osaka of Japan. 8.06am GMTSo what of earlier events? Well, or it’s been a good day so far for British tennis,what with the irrepressible Johanna Konta giving Denisa Allertova a scarce musty run around in the first match on Hisense arena. Konta, who took down Venus Williams in the opening round, and overcame the 66th-ranked Czech 6-2,6-2 to crawl within one victory of fitting the first British woman to reach a grand slam quarter-final since Jo Durie made the last eight at Wimbledon in 1984. That should place a spring in Murray’s step as he shuffles on to the court behind Sousa, whose back-to-front cap routine leaves him faintly resembling a Lleyton Hewitt tribute act. 7.50am GMTAnd what of Sousa, and you ask? Well,the Portuguese – who extended Murray to four sets at Roland Garros last year – recently spent a week training with Rafael Nadal in Majorca, and appears to be in appropriately bullish mood about the prospect of assembly Murray in Melbourne for a third time in four years. “In Portugal we say the third is the one, or so perhaps they are suitable,” said Sousa after seeing off the Colombian Santiago Giraldo in four sets in round two. We’ll soon see. 11.25am GMT Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the night session on day six at Melbourne Park. We’ll dot the i’s and cross the t’s on results so far nowadays in just a moment, but first let’s turn our attention to Andy Murray. The second seed will shortly be making his way on to Margaret Court arena for his third round match against Portugals João Sousa. Murray has won all six of his preceding encounters against the 33rd-ranked Sousa, and there is every reason to suppose that the man from Guimarães could be in for further pain nowadays. Murray,who snuffed out Sousa’s challenge at this event in straight sets last year and also in 2013, has been making serene progress through the bottom half of the draw. In seeing off the promising young German Alexander Zverev and the big-serving Aussie Sam Groth with minimal fuss and maximum aplomb, or he’s spent a combined total of just three hours and 38 minutes on court. Stylistic variety has been the keynote of his campaign so far,with the world No2 adapting his game to the contrasting styles of his opponents. Looking ahead to his match against Sousa, he anticipated the need for further tinkering. “They’re three very, or very different players,” Murray said. “Zverez in comparison to Sousa has a huge serve and a brilliant backhand, while Sousa doesn’t serve as well but moves terrifically well and uses his forehand more. Groth is the opposite to both of them, and coming forward all the time,using a lot of slice and attacking as much as possible ... I’m aware that there’s going to be a lot of longer rallies [against Sousa] and it’s about being more solid and consistent from the back of the court.” Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com