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Yannick Hanfmann (left) fought hard against Rafael Nadal, but there was no surprise
Photo:
Frank Molter / dpa
Tennis star Rafael Nadal was too strong: Yannick Hanfmann stayed away from a sensation at the Australian Open.
The qualifier from Karlsruhe defended himself in the 2: 6, 3: 6, 4: 6 on Wednesday in Melbourne, the number 126 in the world was able to beat the 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner from Spain in the second round duel in the rod Ultimately, however, do not endanger the Laver Arena.
For ten of the initially twelve German professionals, failure at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year is already sealed.
"I know he's dangerous," Nadal said of Hanfmann after he had said goodbye to Center Court after 2:42 hours with an appreciative clapping: "I think his tennis level was much higher today than his ranking position."
In 2019 at the French Open, Hanfmann had already met the top player and clearly lost in three sets.
On hard court, he now wanted to "annoy Nadal a little more," as he had said beforehand.
And apart from a small phase of weakness at the end of the first set, he did respectably, kept putting Nadal under pressure with net attacks and even created two break chances in the first set: But it was precisely in these phases that the Mallorcan showed world-class tennis.
Hopes rest on Zverev and Kohlschreiber
Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte were also knocked out in the second round.
The Black Forest Davis Cup player Koepfer lost against the favored American Reilly Opelka in three sets 4: 6, 3: 6, 6: 7 (4: 7).
US Open Round of 16 Otte was unable to repeat his success from New York and lost 6:2, 2:6, 3:6 1:6 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who was 25th.
At the US Open last year, the Cologne native defeated Sonego in the first round and then qualified for the round of 16.
Alexander Zverev remains the great German hope at the Australian Open.
The Olympic champion from Hamburg meets Australian John Millman on Wednesday (2nd game after 9 a.m., TV: Eurosport).
On Thursday Philipp Kohlschreiber meets the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
»Great partnership«
In doubles, the duo Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies meanwhile experienced a successful Grand Slam return.
Thanks to a 7: 6 (9: 7), 6: 3 against the Mexican Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni from Argentina, the two-time French Open winners moved into the second round.
Krawietz/Mies made their comeback on the ATP tour last week in Sydney, where they reached the semifinals in their first tournament together in more than a year.
"I've missed him from time to time," said Mies.
At the beginning of last year, the man from Cologne had an operation on his knee for severe cartilage damage and then had to take a break for months.
"I think that the break, as stupid as it was, maybe didn't do so badly," Mies continued: "Sometimes it's like in a relationship.
Sometimes you don't really know what you have in the other person anymore and take it for granted.
That wasn't really the case for us.
But that year it became clear to me again what a great partnership we have.«
Barty doesn't stay long
In the women's tournament, Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty only needed 52 minutes to advance to the third round.
The domestic hopeful dispatched the Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti 6:1, 6:1.
In Melbourne, Barty carries hopes of becoming the first Australian tennis player since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open.
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