It was a day of relatively surprising upsets combined with some easy wins on day 7 of the 2024 Australian Open.
Both Grigor Dimitrov and last year’s semi-finalist Tommy Paul bowed out unexpectedly. The former crashed out to Nuno Borges, who made history as the first Portuguese to enter the last 16 in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Miomir Kecmanovic staged a dramatic comeback against Paul, saving match points in the fourth-set tiebreak and cruising 6-0 in the fifth.
However, stability reigned among the top-10 seeds. Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev advanced smoothly into the next round. Alcaraz’s match was cut short when his opponent, Shang Juncheng, retired due to a leg injury, while Hurkacz and Norrie also secured their spots for the second week, with Norrie notably ousting 11th seed Casper Ruud.
Wildcard sensation Arthur Cazaux continued his impressive run, breezing past 28th seed Tallon Griekspoor with a brilliant serving display.
You can see the full results below.
Day Seven 2024 Australian Open Round of 32 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz (2) | Juncheng Shang (WC) | 6-1 6-1 1-0 |
| Daniil Medvedev (3) | Felix Auger-Aliassime (27) | 6-3 6-4 6-3 |
| Alexander Zverev (6) | Alex Michelsen | 6-2 7-6(4) 6-2 |
| Hubert Hurkacz (9) | Ugo Humbert (21) | 3-6 6-1 7-6(4) 6-3 |
| Cameron Norrie (19) | Casper Ruud (11) | 6-4 7-7 6-4 6-3 |
| Nuno Borges (LL) | Grigor Dimitrov (13) | 3-7 6-4 6-2 7-6(6) |
| Miomir Kecmanovic | Tommy Paul (14) | 6-4 3-6 2-6 7-6(7) 6-0 |
| Arthur Cazaux (WC) | Tallon Griekspoor (28) | 6-3 6-3 6-1 |
Cazaux Cruises Into Second Week
After firmly announcing himself with the defeat of Holger Rune, Arthur Cazeux backed up that victory with an impressive 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over 28th seed Tallon Griekspoor.
The French wildcard didn’t face a single break point in the match, and his serve is proving to be a real weapon, propelling him to the title in Noumea before the Australian Open and he’s now firmly inside the Top 100 and will be on the verge of the Top 50 should he defeat Hurkacz in the last sixteen.
I knew I could play this kind of level, but I had never proven it in a real match. Proving it in the first round gave me even more confidence, and now I know I can beat this kind of player during a real match. Now I’m not feeling any pressure. I’ve worked very hard on my mentality, and I’m ready to fight everyone; I’m ready to fight in every match and to give everything on the court. Cazaux on his impressive run.
Norrie Roars Past Ruud
Given his relatively subpar 2023, Cam Norrie wasn’t one of my picks to make the last sixteen in Melbourne, but he’s right there in the mixer thanks to his latest 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-3 victory over Casper Ruud.
Norrie is known for his incredible cardio, and he can run all day, but forward intent helped him eliminate Ruud as he came up with some high-quality volleys and net forays.
There were 56 net plays in total, which avoided a gruelling baseline battle against a solid baseliner like Ruud, and he could easily have won it in straight sets, failing to convert set points in the second set tiebreak, but he maintained his composure to progress in four.
I didn’t realise this court was going to be this atmosphere so it feels so good. I had to play really big and Casper served well and fought hard and I didn’t really let it bother me. I just kept a really good level throughout and it was a good mental performance (from me) to come out with a lot of energy in the third set. So I really enjoyed it and stuck to my game plan and I got through. I’ve been working really hard in the off-season to be a little bit more aggressive and I tried to free up in the match today. I volleyed really well which got me through and finished a lot of points at the net. I was just enjoying myself out there and the crowd were amazing. There were all sorts of nicknames flying out there. Someone said “come on Noz dog” and then “Noz” and all things like that. Everyone enjoyed themselves I think. Norrie on the crowd support vs Ruud.
Borges Bumps Dimitrov
It was the biggest win of Nuno Borges’s Career and the first time he’s beaten anyone in the top 20 as he dispatched Grigor Dimitrov 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6).
It’s one of those weird losses that’s hard to explain, and it’s the first time in a while that Dimitrov has lost a match he was fully expected to win, and he hadn’t lost to anyone outside the Top 50 for almost a year.
I am unsure what went wrong, whether he had a bad day or felt tight on the court. So while you can never criticise a player who makes it to the Top 1000, never mind the Top 100 like Borges, he’s a total pillow puncher at this level with no real weapons, so it’s a bad loss whichever way you look at it.
Maybe in the third set, when I got a break, I was like, ‘holy crap? Maybe I can actually win this.’ It wasn’t from the start. It’s like people say, take one set at a time, one game at a time. I kept pushing through, testing my limits, testing his. I know a tennis match anything can happen and today was just a true example of that. Borges on his surprise win.
Other Matches of Note
- Kecmanovic Kicks Out Paul: The anticipated Alcaraz vs Paul fourth-round isn’t to be as Miomir Kecmanovic saved two match points for the second consecutive match to knock out the 14th-seeded American 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-0.
- Alcaraz Eases Past Shang: One of the few times Alcaraz faced someone younger than him, and it was an easy day’s work as he was leading Shang Juncheng 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when the Chinese was forced to retire with a leg injury. It was one of the easiest 3rd round matches on paper and made even easier when Shang stepped onto the court with strapping on his thigh, and he stood zero chance against a player of Alcaraz’s ilk.
- Hurkacz Humbles Humbert: The Pole equalled his best Australian Open performance with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Ugo Humbert in two hours, 47 minutes. Hurkacz has little trouble with the French lefty and how he leads the H2H 3-0. A point-winning tweener is one of the highlights.
- Medvedev Mauls Auger-Aliassime: A more routine night work for Medvedev, and he was done and dusted by 9.20 pm, 6 hours earlier than his last match, as he saw off the Canadian 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. There were too many errors for Felix, and Meddy could absorb his shots from the baseline all day.
- Zverev Moves Past Michelsen: A 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 win against 19-year-old American prospect Alex Michelsen for Sascha Zverev, and I like the way he’s playing despite the repeated attempts of certain factions of the media looking to affect his performances.
Australian Open Day 8 Round of 16 Matches
- Novak Djokovic (1) vs Adrian Mannarino (20)
- Taylor Fritz (12) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (7)
- Jannik Sinner (4) vs Karen Khachanov (15)
- Alex de Minaur (10) vs Andrey Rublev (5)
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