Australian Open: Luca Van Assche helpless, Diane Parry eliminated on the wire despite a match point

In just over two hours and three short sets (6-3, 6-0, 6-4), Stefanos Tsitsipas, world number 7, got rid of Luca Van Assche. The outgoing finalist was quick with the young Frenchman (19 years old, 79th at ATP), who was playing the first third round of his career in a Grand Slam tournament, after winning his first two matches in five sets.

Too irregular on the serve and on the backhand, despite his strong shot, Van Assche had difficulty existing in this meeting. With only one break point converted out of nine, he can regret his missed opportunities, while Tsitsipas was realistic (6/9). The Greek will face Monday in the round of 16 the 12th player in the world, the American Taylor Fritz, who defeated the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan (67th) in four sets (3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2). Fritz had eliminated Hugo Gaston in the second round.

Number 4 at the ATP, Italian Jannik Sinner is in the round of 16 and has still not lost a set. In the third round, he beat Argentinian Sebastian Baez (29th) with a score of 6-0, 6-1, 6-3. In the next round, he will face world number 15, Russia’s Karen Khachanov, for a place in the quarterfinals.

Parry was almost there

The match between Diane Parry (21 years old, 72nd in the ATP) and the very young Russian Mirra Andreeva (16 years old, 47th in the world) was indecisive until the end. After winning the first set six games to one, the Frenchwoman conceded the second by the same score. Leading 5-1, then 5-3 in the third set, she had a match point to end on the young Russian’s serve, before collapsing. Dominant in the super tie-break of the last round, Mirra Andreeva finally won with a score of 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10/5).

The Russian, who fell in the previous round to the 6th player in the world, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, reached the round of 16 of a Grand Slam tournament for the second time in her young career. She will face either world number 11 Barbora Krejcikova or Australian qualifier Storm Hunter.

Sabalenka expeditious

Among the favorites in the women’s draw, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world number 2 and holder of the trophy, eliminated the Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko (6-0, 6-0) in three straight sets (6-0, 6-0) and fifty-two minutes. 33rd). In three matches, Sabalenka only dropped six games and spent less than three hours on the court. In the round of 16, she will face the American Amanda Anisimova, former world 21st who has fallen beyond 400th place in the world, returning to the circuit after having experienced a difficult period.

The American Coco Gauff, fourth player in the world, left only two short games to her compatriot Alycia Parks (82nd in the WTA ranking), outclassed 6-0, 6-2 in sixty-one minutes. In the next round, Gauff, who will celebrate her 20th birthday in March, will face the Polish Magdalena Frech (69th) or the Russian qualifier, Anastasia Zakharova, for a place in the quarter-finals.