TENNIS
Brazil’s next representative at the Australian Open will be Thiago Wild, this Sunday
Published on January 12, 2025 at 10:41
Thiago Monteiro Credit: Reproduction
Brazilian Thiago Monteiro got a taste of victory in his debut at the Australian Open, but he let it slip away after losing two match points and allowing Japanese Kei Nishikori to comeback by 3 sets to 2, partials of 6/4, 7/6 ( 7/4), 5/7, 2/6 and 3/6, in 4h06min of departure. Number 106 still complained of pain and needed medical attention.
Monteiro had his eighth consecutive setback in a Grand Slam and continues to be unable to beat Nishikori, losing the two matches he has had to date against the Japanese. His last victory in one of the circuit’s four main tournaments was in 2022, at the US Open, against Slovakian Alex Molcan.
The Japanese awaits the winner of the match between American Tommy Paul and Australian Christopher O’Connel to find out his opponent in the next phase. Nishikori has reached the quarterfinals four times at the Australian Open, his best finish to date.
In the match, Thiago Monteiro set a strong pace, with accurate serves and achieved the first break of service in the fifth game. As soon as he was ahead on the scoreboard, he never left and managed the advantage until confirming the victory in the opening set by 6/4.
The match remained balanced, but the Brazilian seemed to be more focused, so much so that he remained calm in the tie-break and took advantage of his rival’s mistakes to win 7/4, in a second set without breaks.
At the beginning of the third set, a scare: Monteiro needed to avoid seven break points to confirm the service, but everything led to the belief that the Brazilian would win. When he was winning 5/4, he had two opportunities to close the match, but Nishikori reacted, withstood the pressure and turned around, winning 7/5.
In the fourth set, the tide turned. Monteiro complained of groin pain and needed medical attention. On the court, he no longer showed the same level of concentration and allowed the Japanese to win an easy victory, which tied the duel at 6/2.
Brazil’s next representative at the Australian Open will be Thiago Wild, who will take the court this Sunday. He will face Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, 57th in the ATP rankings.
