Grass not greener: Aussie tennis men rolled in Rosmalen
Alex de Minaur decided not to defend his trophy at the annual pre-Wimbledon tournament in the Dutch town of Rosmalen -- and in his absence, his compatriots have so far been unable to muster a decent attempt to keep the trophy in Australia.
'Demon' decided to take a break from the start of the grasscourt campaign, still reeling and feeling somewhat fatigued after his clay-court campaign had ended in hugely deflating fashion in the second round of the French Open.
But while he grabbed his much-needed break, the No.1's Aussie colleagues have ploughed on, believing that their fortunes would change once the grass courts hove into view after the claycourt slog.
Sixth seed Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata and Chris O'Connell all expressed their delight at transferring to the green stuff, but their title bids were quickly ended on Wednesday.
Thompson, an accomplished grasscourt performer whose body has been beaten up over a tough season, had won his opening-round contest on Monday against American Aleksandar Kovacevic but lost out in the last-16 from a set up and despite having held two match points against Canada's Gabriel Diallo 4-6 6-1 7-5.
Thompson, a two-time finalist in the event, had his chance when holding match points on return at 5-4 in the final set, but Diallo kept his nerve to win 13 of the final 16 points and seal victory in two hours eight minutes.
"I played some really good tennis, he's a very tricky opponent on the grass, it's a surface that suits him well," said Diallo.
"I knew I had to be really sharp. I came really close to losing on my serve but I managed to come up with some good points and carry that momentum."
Hijikata was also a set up against British stalwart Dan Evans before eventually succumbing 3-6 6-4 6-3, while world No.80 O'Connell found French veteran Adrian Manarino too much to cope with on the grass as the world No.127 prevailed 6-1 6-3.
The triple defeat meant that Australian hopes now rest solely with Alexei Popyrin, the last Aussie man standing at Roland Garros whoi had a first-round bye but will face Belgian Zizou Bergs in the last-16 on Thursday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
9 News
2 hours ago
- 9 News
For Mick Fanning, the shark attack 'was just something that happened'
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here When live broadcasters on the eastern cape of South Africa captured the terrifying moment a shark trailed Australian surf icon Mick Fanning just minutes into the 2015 J-Bay Open Final, viewers across the world gripped their couches and braced for the worst. But as the 10th anniversary of the champion wave rider's brush with death looms, Fanning is remarkably relaxed about his miraculous escape from harm. "It was just something that happened," he told . The infamous shark incident during the 2015 J-Bay Open Final was broadcast around the world. (World Surf League via Getty Imag) "To be honest, it wasn't like a flick of the switch moment where I was gonna change my whole life. "I just had to do work on myself to get myself back to, you know, surfing and stuff like that." After the near-attack in July 2015, Fanning returned to Jeffreys Bay the following year where he took out the competition, before retiring from WSL competition in 2018 as a three-time world champion. Since then, the Ballina-bred surfer has turned his focus - and perhaps his broader legacy - to charity. In March 2022, TV cameras were again fixed on Fanning, who again donned his signature wetsuit as he traversed deadly flood waters on his jet ski , carrying essential supplies and helping dozens of locals in the Northern Rivers to safe ground. Mick Fanning has used his jet ski to help flood impacted victims in Murwillumbah. (9News) "I know that area really well," Fanning said. The 43-year-old learned to surf in Ballina before honing his skills after moving to the Gold Coast as a teenager. "It's a place that I love and I got plenty of friends down there so I had a lot of friends that were affected by it all." From there, Mick Fanning's Charity Golf Day was born. The inaugural event raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the flood recovery. Three years on, that figure is approaching $2 million, but the circumstances across the region are devastatingly similar. "It seems like it's just happening every other year now," Fanning said. "I guess on the ground and in doing all the rescue work and helping people get back on their feet, you build relationships and ... we've just found that a lot of people are still really struggling. "It's been three years on now and ... people are just finding out that the grants they thought they were going to get are not coming through. "Some people are just, you know, losing that hope." Fanning will be joined by celebrity mates and supporters today for his fourth annual Charity Golf Day. (Supplied) The golf day has helped raise almost $2 million for charities supporting the flood recovery effort. (Supplied) Fanning hopes some of the community's faith can be restored when a star-studded lineup of Aussie sporting legends and celebrities converge on the green at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club today for the fourth annual Charity Golf Day. "We're just here to let them know that we're still here we're still thinking of them and still trying to help where we can," he said. "There's some incredible people that are all coming out to support and yeah, we're very thankful for all their support and donating their time." Famous faces such as Dylan Alcott, Ellyse Perry, Hamish Blake, Sally Pearson, Karl Stefanovic and Shannon Noll will be swinging their drivers alongside generous supporters to raise vital funds for on-the-ground charities including Givit, Human Nature, and Hands On Hearts. This year, $1 million and a Mercedes-Benz are on the line if players can snag a hole-in-one. "It keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger and you know we try and add something new and exciting each and every year," Fanning said. "It's pretty massive that we can do things like that and just keep making the day bigger and better and hopefully raise more money for those in need, and actually raise more awareness." Fans who want a chance to win a year's supply of Balter beer, or would like to make a donation or purchase merch designed by street artist Sid Tapia, can visit the Mick Fanning Charity Golf Day website . floods national Australia Mick Fanning charity celebrities CONTACT US Property News: The last inner Sydney suburbs where houses cost under $2m.
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
No Dutch treat for Aussies in grasscourt wipeout
Australian tennis hopes of an encouraging start to the grass-court season have been dashed as both Alexei Popyrin and Kim Birrell got knocked out of the annual pre-Wimbledon tournament at Rosmalen. The double defeat in the Dutch event on Thursday meant there are no Australians left in the singles at the venue where Alex de Minaur lifted the title in 2024. With de Minaur taking a rest before competing at Queen's Club next week, most hopes rested on sixth seed Popyrin, who was hoping to rebound swiftly after the disappointment of his fourth-round exit at the French Open at the hands of Tommy Paul. Up to a career-high ranking of 21 thanks to his run to the fourth round in Paris, Popyrin had looked forward to starting his grass campaign in style after a first-round bye, but found himself edged out in a three-set duel with Zizou Bergs. The Belgian, named after the French soccer great Zinedine Zidane whose nickname is 'Zizou', outlasted Australia's No.2 Popyrin 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-3) after the Sydneysider had taken the opening set in their last-16 clash. Popyrin had his moments, including one dazzling angled crosscourt winner that he scooped up after chasing down a Bergs volley, but it wasn't enough to earn the 25-year-old his first quarter-final berth in a grass-court event. Meanwhile, in the women's event, world No.69 Birrell, who had defeated another Chinese Wang Xinyu in the first round, went down to Yuan Yue 6-4 6-3 in the last-16 to end the Australian interest.
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Wimbledon singles champs to receive $A6.3 million
Wimbledon has increased its prize money for this year's championships to 53.5 million pounds ($A112 million), a seven per cent increase on 2024 and double what they offered a decade ago. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced the prize purse on Thursday, with the singles champions to receive three million pounds ($A6.26m) each, the highest across all grand slams and a 11.1 per cent increase on the prize money Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova took home last year. Singles players who exit the first round will receive 66,000 pounds ($A138,0000, a 10 per cent increase on last year. Doubles prize money has also increased by 4.4 per cent, mixed doubles by 4.3 per cent and the wheelchair and quad wheelchair events by 5.6 per cent. The increase also comes after the world's top players called for significant improvements in prize money at the four grand slams as a way to ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue. "We have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players," AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said. "But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the grand slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis. "The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don't have an off-season which they want, they have increasing injuries that they're speaking about." Jevans added that Wimbledon is willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions but there has not been any proposal as to how the tour is able to change its structure. This year's championships also marks a break with an age old tradition where line judges will be replaced for the first time with the electronic line calling system that is in place at tournaments worldwide. Bolton said "the time is right to move on", adding that many line judges would return in different roles as match assistants, with two assigned per court. "They're extra eyes and ears, the assistant to the chair umpire... We've got about 80 of those across the Championships. "They'll also provide one of the parts of our resilience in the event that the electronic line calling system goes down at any point in time." Wimbledon has increased its prize money for this year's championships to 53.5 million pounds ($A112 million), a seven per cent increase on 2024 and double what they offered a decade ago. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced the prize purse on Thursday, with the singles champions to receive three million pounds ($A6.26m) each, the highest across all grand slams and a 11.1 per cent increase on the prize money Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova took home last year. Singles players who exit the first round will receive 66,000 pounds ($A138,0000, a 10 per cent increase on last year. Doubles prize money has also increased by 4.4 per cent, mixed doubles by 4.3 per cent and the wheelchair and quad wheelchair events by 5.6 per cent. The increase also comes after the world's top players called for significant improvements in prize money at the four grand slams as a way to ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue. "We have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players," AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said. "But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the grand slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis. "The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don't have an off-season which they want, they have increasing injuries that they're speaking about." Jevans added that Wimbledon is willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions but there has not been any proposal as to how the tour is able to change its structure. This year's championships also marks a break with an age old tradition where line judges will be replaced for the first time with the electronic line calling system that is in place at tournaments worldwide. Bolton said "the time is right to move on", adding that many line judges would return in different roles as match assistants, with two assigned per court. "They're extra eyes and ears, the assistant to the chair umpire... We've got about 80 of those across the Championships. "They'll also provide one of the parts of our resilience in the event that the electronic line calling system goes down at any point in time." Wimbledon has increased its prize money for this year's championships to 53.5 million pounds ($A112 million), a seven per cent increase on 2024 and double what they offered a decade ago. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced the prize purse on Thursday, with the singles champions to receive three million pounds ($A6.26m) each, the highest across all grand slams and a 11.1 per cent increase on the prize money Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova took home last year. Singles players who exit the first round will receive 66,000 pounds ($A138,0000, a 10 per cent increase on last year. Doubles prize money has also increased by 4.4 per cent, mixed doubles by 4.3 per cent and the wheelchair and quad wheelchair events by 5.6 per cent. The increase also comes after the world's top players called for significant improvements in prize money at the four grand slams as a way to ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue. "We have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players," AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said. "But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the grand slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis. "The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don't have an off-season which they want, they have increasing injuries that they're speaking about." Jevans added that Wimbledon is willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions but there has not been any proposal as to how the tour is able to change its structure. This year's championships also marks a break with an age old tradition where line judges will be replaced for the first time with the electronic line calling system that is in place at tournaments worldwide. Bolton said "the time is right to move on", adding that many line judges would return in different roles as match assistants, with two assigned per court. "They're extra eyes and ears, the assistant to the chair umpire... We've got about 80 of those across the Championships. "They'll also provide one of the parts of our resilience in the event that the electronic line calling system goes down at any point in time." Wimbledon has increased its prize money for this year's championships to 53.5 million pounds ($A112 million), a seven per cent increase on 2024 and double what they offered a decade ago. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced the prize purse on Thursday, with the singles champions to receive three million pounds ($A6.26m) each, the highest across all grand slams and a 11.1 per cent increase on the prize money Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova took home last year. Singles players who exit the first round will receive 66,000 pounds ($A138,0000, a 10 per cent increase on last year. Doubles prize money has also increased by 4.4 per cent, mixed doubles by 4.3 per cent and the wheelchair and quad wheelchair events by 5.6 per cent. The increase also comes after the world's top players called for significant improvements in prize money at the four grand slams as a way to ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue. "We have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players," AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said. "But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the grand slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis. "The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don't have an off-season which they want, they have increasing injuries that they're speaking about." Jevans added that Wimbledon is willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions but there has not been any proposal as to how the tour is able to change its structure. This year's championships also marks a break with an age old tradition where line judges will be replaced for the first time with the electronic line calling system that is in place at tournaments worldwide. Bolton said "the time is right to move on", adding that many line judges would return in different roles as match assistants, with two assigned per court. "They're extra eyes and ears, the assistant to the chair umpire... We've got about 80 of those across the Championships. "They'll also provide one of the parts of our resilience in the event that the electronic line calling system goes down at any point in time."
