Australian Open: Yannick Hanfmann - applause from winner Rafael Nadal
Yannick Hanfmann fights hard against Rafael Nadal , but the surprise doesn't work. Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte are also out in Melbourne, and a successful double reunited on Wednesday provided a highlight.
by SID
last edit: Jan 19, 2022, 09:42 am
Even the great Rafael Nadal gave a respectful shirtless applause as Yannick Hanfmann left the Rod Laver Arena to loud cheers from the fans. The underdog from Karlsruhe gave the tennis superstar a big fight, even tearing the audience off their seats after four match balls were saved - but in the end he clearly missed the surprise against the co-favorite.
The qualifier lost to the Grand Slam record winner in the second round of the Australian Open despite his good performance 2: 6, 3: 6, 4: 6, but Nadal had to work hard for 2:42 hours for this win. "I was hoping to challenge him a bit more at the end. But if you don't take your chances, he'll punish you," said Hanfmann: "It's still a defeat, so of course I'm disappointed."
He also received praise from Nadal. "I think his level today was much higher than his ranking position," said the Spaniard, which of course made Hanfmann happy. "With a few days gap," said number 126 in the world, "I'll be proud of myself and take that with me into the season."
The German ranks in Melbourne are thinning more and more - only Alexander Zverev on Wednesday (2nd match after 9 a.m. / Eurosport) and Philipp Kohlschreiber on Thursday have the chance to make it into round three. Because on Wednesday Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte were also eliminated.
Koepfer is defeated by Opelka
Koepfer, who was born in the Black Forest, had to admit defeat to US service giant Reilly Opelka (No. 23) 4: 6, 3: 6, 6: 7 (4: 7). Otte from Cologne missed out on qualifying for the third round with a 6:2, 2:6, 3:6, 1:6 against Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who was 25th.
But the big performance belonged to Hanfmann. With his first win in a Grand Slam main draw, the 30-year-old earned the highly acclaimed match against Nadal. The Spaniard triumphed in Melbourne in 2009, then lost four more finals - and this year, in the absence of Novak Djokovic, has the great opportunity to crown himself as the sole record holder on the Yarra River with his 21st Grand Slam triumph.
But Hanfmann had something against it, he started strong. He acted variably, kept putting Nadal under pressure with net attacks, and even had two break chances in the first set: But it was precisely in these phases that the Mallorcan showed world-class tennis.
In 2019 at the French Open, in Nadal's living room, 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" - and apart from a small phase of weakness at the end of the first set, he did extremely well.
Krawietz and Mies back
The reunited parade doubles Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies provided a highlight on the third day of the tournament. The two-time French Open winners won their first joint major appearance since the US Open 2020 7: 6 (9: 7), 6: 3 against Santiago Gonzalez / Andres Molteni (Mexico / Argentina) and reached the second round .
Mies had to undergo cartilage surgery on his knee at the beginning of last year, and now the "KraMies" are attacking again. "In that year it became clear to me again what a great partnership we have, what we have built up," said Mies from Cologne, adding jokingly: "It's like when your girlfriend is over, then you date other people and realize: your girlfriend was actually very good, and then you want to go back."
laver arena