American, Mackenzie McDonald just played his best tennis, ever, upsetting the No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
He was so quick, and he crushed his forehand and his backhand. Who, knew? He was been decent, but he had not defeated top 10 players.
Nadal was clearly hurt, and while he could have retired in the second set, he decided to play on when he suffered a hip injury. He was breaking down, and his legs were very sore. Usually, he can run so fast, and nail his famous forehand, but he put together so many errors. That is the way it goes. The 36-year-old has rarely retired, but he wanted to just play, win or lose. This time, he lost, and he has to deal with it.
Will Nadal return next year in the 2024 Australia Open? It is tough to say.
“It’s a tough moment, it’s a tough day, and you need to accept that and keep going. Just can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally this time because I would be lying,” Nadal said. “I don’t know what’s going on, if it’s muscle, if it’s joint. I have history in the hip. I had to do treatments in the past, address a little. It was not this amount of problem. Now I feel I cannot move.”
Believe it or not, McDonald, who was born in Berkeley, Calif., is only ranked No. 65, and the 27-year-old has never won a tournament. However, gradually, they can get better, but they have to construct the points. Plus, they have to try every second. This time, he swung hard.
“[Nadal] didn’t even want to roll over and quit. He kept fighting until basically the end, even though he maybe didn’t have all his game,” McDonald said. “I was like, `Hey, that’s actually really big for me, because I haven’t beaten someone of that caliber.”
If he can reach into the second week, then maybe he will think that he can upset other excellent players.
Brooksby ousts Ruud
In another stunner, a Northern Californian – Jenson Brooksby – took out another the second-seeded Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2. The Norwegian threw in 55 unforced errors, giving the consistent Brooksby an opening to advance into the third round. This is Brooksby’s first time playing the Australian Open.
Ruud said, “I didn’t feel like I played particularly bad or not at the level that I wanted to play, but he just ended up winning many of the longer rallies and had an answer to all the questions that I asked him.”
A number of the American men won on Wednesday and Thursday, including Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda. Michael Mmoh eliminated Alexander Zverev in four sets. JJ Wolf ousted Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Taylor Fritz, the top American man, lost to Australian Alexei Popyrin in five sets. Cressy fell victim to the ninth-seed Hunger Rune in straight sets in the second round.
Brandon Holt outlasted Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It is never easy to play for many hours in a five-setter, but he stood in there, and he was very consistent. He has only won few matches in the ATP Tour, so he has to be powerful, and to mix it up more. But Holt is young, so gradually, he will understand what he should do.
Lauren Davis on a roll
Who would have thought that Lauren Davis won another match? Davis has played in the WTA for 12 years, and while she plays all the time. Incredibly she has won eight matches in a row, coming off a victory in Hobart. She decided to really go for it, rather than just be more stable. It seems to be working.
Coco Gauff is playing with intelligence and hitting the balls deep. She took down the former US Open champion, Emma Raducanu, 6-3, 7-6(4). She can beat most players, but she still has to improve her serve and return. Maybe she can do it over the next 11 days…
For other American women, there are some impressive wins by Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Bernarda Pera and Claire Liu.
What a match it was when Danielle Collins edged Karolina Muchova 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(6). The rallies were tremendous.
Two of the women lost, Sloane Stephens and Alison Riske-Amritraj. Once again, Stephens is unsure where she is going. This year will be fascinating. Can she comeback into the top 10 again, or stay under the top 50? She will have to change, something.
Riske-Amritraj plays a lot, too, but perhaps she can find a way into the net and put it away, or attack when she is returning.