1s Venus Williams (whose pregnant sister Serena was in the stands) and Caroline Wozniacki among the women. No call for such reflection from those who advanced, including defending champion Novak Djokovic and nine-time champion Rafael Nadal among the men, and defending champion Garbine Muguruza, former No. “Last week, I won my first-ever clay tournament,” Tsonga said, referring to an event in Lyon. It was 2008 Australian Open runner-up Tsonga’s first loss in the first round in Paris since his debut 12 years ago. The 12th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga left meekly, eliminated 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4 by 91st-ranked Renzo Olivo of Argentina after only one game Wednesday in a match suspended a night earlier because of darkness. There were other winners and losers, of course, on Day 4 of the French Open, but nothing quite so poignant. But there’s not going to be a day where I’m just going to let you win. And that’s what I try to do with my tennis,” said the 27-year-old Johnson, who won two NCAA singles titles and four team titles at Southern California. He raised me to be a competitor and a fighter to the last point. ![]() Who knows how long it’ll take? I just know he’s with me. “I know it’s going to be emotional for quite some time. “And all the credit to him, that he was able to go through this period and also to play this good.”Īfter they shook hands, Johnson leaned his head on his arm atop the net, sobbing. “Super tough, definitely,” the 40th-ranked Croatian said. Just to get through it was something that I know I’ll be very proud of.”Īt the other end of the court, Coric mangled his racket by rearing back and smashing it one, two, three, four times, then after a pause, once more for good measure.Ĭoric said afterward he knew about the personal difficulty his foe was dealing with. “The other days, I was able to kind of get to the locker room and kind of compose myself a little bit. I just kind of collapsed and, emotionally, it got the best of me,” said Johnson, who faces No. “I have no idea what happened after I hit the forehand. Only when, on his fifth chance to end things, Johnson delivered a clean forehand winner to seal the victory, did he let go, dropping onto to his knees near the baseline, his chest heaving, his eyes filling with tears. And yet again when Coric twice was a single point from forcing a fifth set. And even when he was docked a point by the chair umpire for what an incredulous Johnson considered an innocuous extra hit of the ball deep in the fourth set. He managed to be OK even after his initial four match points slipped away. He didn’t permit them to affect his ability to smack a tennis ball, either, and managed to edge Borna Coric 6-2, 7-6 (8), 3-6, 7-6 (6) and reach the French Open’s third round.įor nearly 4 full hours Wednesday, Johnson stayed the course, over and over, even as the on-court particulars grew complicated. Still mourning the recent death of his father, a tennis coach who helped Johnson learn the game back home in California, the 25th-seeded American didn’t allow the jumble of feelings show outwardly. That systematic approach helped Onorato go 96-67-7 - up 60.42 units - in 2022.PARIS - Steve Johnson held everything in, all of it, until he simply could not any longer. He studies current form, players' tendencies on a particular surface, weather conditions and many other relevant factors. Onorato, who holds dual degrees in finance and economics from the University of Miami, does extensive research before placing any tennis bets. After coming to the U.S., he trained with famed coach Nick Bollettieri at IMG Academy in Florida and faced players like Robert Farah, now one of the world's top-ranked doubles players. Onorato grew up playing competitive tennis in Caracas, Venezuela. Tsitsipas picks or 2023 Australian Open predictions, you need to see what SportsLine tennis expert Jose Onorato has to say. ![]() Khachanov odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while Khachanov is a +200 underdog. Tsitsipas is a -260 favorite (risk $260 to win $100) in the latest Tsitsipas vs. The semifinal will begin after the mixed doubles final but not before 10:30 p.m. Meanwhile the 26-year-old Khachanov has never reached a grand slam final and has made only one semifinal (2022 U.S. The 24-year-old Tsitsipas has reached only one grand slam final, losing in the French Open in 2021. ![]() 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas can move one step closer to the first grand slam title of his career when he squares off against Karen Khachanov in the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open on Thursday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
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