There were two striking things on day 7 of the 2022 Australian Open.
The first was the upsets of Zverev (3) at the hands of Shapovalov and Badosa (8) at the hands of Keys.
Zverev was my pick for the title. It just seemed it had to be his time sooner or later and he was one of the best hard courters out there. I thought Shapovalov would still be too raw to upset him. Shapovalov proved me wrong, defeated Zverev in straight sets. Zverev will be 25 when Roland Garros comes around, and he is still yet to get a top ten win at a slam.
Nadal will be pleased. He had a tough, tough first set versus Mannarino, winning the tie break 16-14 in the first set before winning in straights. If Zverev had played well enough to beat Shapovalov, he would have been a very awkward draw for Nadal. Now, Nadal faces the shotmaking Canadian, who he could lose to, but Shapovalov is still inexperienced at closing out big wins at slams.
Madison Keys gave a clinic in ball striking in her 6-3, 6-1 defeat of in-form Badosa. The unseeded American seemed to struggle at the start of the second set, dropping her serve, but then won 6 games in a row. Keys says she has a new attitude, to enjoy the tough moments in matches. She faces Krejcikova (4) next who defeated Azarenka (24) 6-2, 6-2.
Another upset in the women’s game was Pegula (21) defeating fifth seed Sakkari.
The other striking thing about the seventh day of the Australian Open was that every match was won in straight sets.
Other results:
Monfils (17) beat Kecmanovic.
Berrettini (7) beat Busta (19)
Barty (1) defeated Anismova.
This Australian Open seventh day was an odd one. Some big upsets and a classic tiebreaker, but no classic matches. Did the tournament peak on day five? The rest of the second week will reveal all.
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