Six Italians in the second round of the men's draw at the Australian Open: it had never happened before. In the year in which the Italian team won the Davis Cup and Jannik Sinner reached the number 4 position in the world ranking, Italian tennis collects another record. Three Italians are also added to the tally, bringing to nine the members of the Italian team still in contention in the first slam of the season.
The last Azzurri to qualify - after Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli - were Lorenzo Sonego and Giulio Zeppieri. The Turin native came from behind to beat Britain's Daniel Evans 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 7-6. In his sixth appearance in Australia, Sonego reached the second round for the fifth time while his best finish is the third round of 2022, but to do it again he will have to contend with Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard No. 2 in the world overcame, not without initial difficulties, the experienced French Richard Gasquet. "I'm very satisfied - commented the Turin native - it was a match of great quality, against a tough tennis player like Evans.
The tie-break of the second set was the most important: I was 4-0 down but I believed in it and was good at pulling it up. From that moment on, the game changed." As for Alcaraz, the Italian says: "I'll have to do my best to beat him. I like playing against high-ranking players, it's an opportunity to improve. I want to enjoy the moment." Shortly before, the most exciting feat for the Azzurri was accomplished by Zeppieri: the 22-year-old, on his debut at the Australian Open, defeated Dusan Lajovic, number 6 ATP, 3-3, 6-6, 3-7, 6-52. Also for the left-hander from Latina, number 133, a difficult second round is expected. He will face Cameron Norrie, the world No. 19.
"Needless to say, it's going to be tough. I'll have to recover well from today's struggles but I'm convinced I can make a great match.
He's the favourite but that doesn't change much, I won't be impressed," Zeppieri assures.
In the women's field, Martina Trevisan and Elisabetta Cocciaretto advance and join Jasmine Paolini in the second round, while the Camila Giorgi adventure ends earlier than expected. Trevisan, ranked No. 59 in the world, beat 26-year-old Mexican Renata Zarazua (No. 97) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The 30-year-old Florentine.
who is preparing to face the French Ocean Dodin, dedicates the victory at the debut to Tahiana Garbin, the blue captain of Billie Jean King Cup who is fighting against cancer: "It has given me a lot, it has changed my vision of life and things - says the player -. I think about her very far away from the pitch, we talk a lot, and even if I didn't think about her in the game today, the thoughts about her in one way or another came on the pitch." Cocciaretto, No. 66 in the rankings, eliminated Switzerland's Lulu Sun (No. 193) 6-1, 7-5.
The experience in the B.J. King Cup gave me strength - he says - because after an infection caught in October in China I was on the ground. Team Italy helped me, they took care of me very well and from there I found more and more strength." The Ancona native will face the American Emma Navarro.
Too bad for Camila Giorgi, eliminated by Viktoria Azarenka 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, but the Italian does not give up: "I played very well, I think it was a good performance and it is not easy to find such a strong player immediately in the first round. I think I played the second set at a very good level, even the third but maybe only at times. I'm happy to be back on the pitch and I want to get back to playing consistently," she concludes, looking ahead.
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